The Moderation Effect of Friendship on the Relationship Between Victimization, Emotional Resilience and Depression

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 10:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Gender Differences in Adolescent Development: Asian Perspectives (Table 1)

Abstract

This study investigated emotional resilience as a mediator between victimization and depression, and the moderating roles of friendship and gender among 765 Chinese middle school students. Results showed that emotional resilience at T2 mediated the T1 victimization-depression link. For girls, T1 friendship quality buffered the victimization impact on T2 emotional resilience, while boys benefited more from friendship quantity. T1 friendship quantity also moderated the victimization-depression relationship, especially for girls. Further, simple slope analysis indicated that the buffering effect of friendship quantity was significant only at lower levels of victimization. Findings highlight the importance of fostering high-quality friendships and emotional resilience to support the well-being of victimized students.

Authors

• Beilei LI, Beijing Normal University

• Cixin Wang, University of Maryland