Associations Between Peer Victimization And Adolescents' Externalizing Problems: The Moderating Role Of Temperament And Gender Differences

Externalizing problems refer to constellation of “acting-out” behaviors characterized by noncompliance,aggression,destructiveness.Biological and social transition causes a sharp increase of externalizing problems during adolescence.Adolescents' externalizing problems lead to a wide variety of present and future maladaptive outcomes,such as academic underachievement,substance use and depression.Therefore,it is necessary to explore the correlated risk factors of externalizing problems,and conduct an effective intervention or prevention.Peer victimization is one of key predictors of adolescents' externalizing problems.Both physical and relational victimization,two main subtypes of peer victimization,may generate externalizing problems.According to Person by Environment models of development,there are some individual differences in associations between peer victimization and externalizing problems.Previous studies have demonstrated that the temperamental components(e.g.effortful control and negative emotionality)may explain the individual variance in these relations.Moreover,recent research examining temperament by temperament interactions emphasizes that reactive temperament(e.g.,frustration and fear)may lead to externalizing problems combined with regulatory temperament(e.g.,effortful control).Therefore,it is essential to investigate the moderating role of combination of reactive and regulatory temperament in victimization–externalizing associations.Finally,victimization by temperament effects may be moderated by gender.In view of above,the present study was to test whether combination of reactive(containing frustration and fear)and regulatory temperament(effortful control)moderate the contribution of peer victimization to adolescents' externalizing problems and potential gender difference in these relations.One thousand two hundred and twenty-eight adolescents of grade 10(Mage = 16.22;SDage = 0.34,591 boys)and their mothers from Longitudinal Study of Chinese Children and Adolescents(LSCCA),were investigated.The externalizing problems subscale from Children Behavior Checklist–Youth Self Report was administrated to measure adolescents' externalizing problems.Peer victimization was assessed through self-reported Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale,and adolescents' temperament was obtained by effortful control,frustration and fear subscales in self-reported Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised.All of the measures showed acceptable reliability.Using a series of multiple regression models and simple slope tests,the present study found that:(1)Both physical and relational victimization was positively negatively associated with externalizing problems.(2)Effortful control was negatively associated with externalizing problems,frustration was positively associated with externalizing problems,and fear was not significantly associated with externalizing problems.(3)Combination of frustration and effortful control served as a moderator of physical victimization–externalizing association in girls.Physical victimization was linked with externalizing problems in girls with low effort control and high frustration.(4)Combination of Fear and effortful control acted as moderators of both physical and relational victimization–externalizing associations.Both physical and relational victimization was linked with externalizing problems in adolescents with low effort control and high fear.In conclusion,the results suggested the combination of high temperamental reaction and low effortful control strengthens the adolescents' victimization– externalizing association.However,the strengthening effect may depend on its context.Adolescents with low effortful control and high frustration likely engage in externalizing behavior in the contest of high-intensity,low-frequency and anger-eliciting events,whereas combination of low effortful control and high fear would be more likely to lead to externalizing in response to general stress.Furthermore,the present study informs that future intervention programs for victimized adolescents should take the significant role of adolescents' temperament in consideration.