Poster #228 - Peer Victimization and Depressive Symptoms Among Affluent Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Prosocial Acts.

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

BACKGROUND It is estimated that between 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 students in the U.S. experience peer victimization (Gladden, Vivolo-Kantor, Hamburger, & Lumpkin, 2014) with incidents of bullying typically peaking during middle school years (Brown, Birch, & Kancherla, 2005). Children and adolescents exposed to bullying often experience concurrent and long-term physical, psychological, behavioral, academic and socioemotional outcomes (e.g., Craig et al., 2009; Huang, Hong, & Espelage, 2012; Lereya, Copeland, Costello, & Woke, 2015; Reijntjes, Kamphuis, Prinzie, Boelen, Van der Schoot, & Telch, 2010). Mounting evidence suggests that exposure to peer victimization is strongly linked to depressive symptoms (see Hawker & Boulton, 2000 for a review). Yet findings have been inconsistent regarding the protective role of peer support, with some, but not all, studies suggesting that those experiencing victimization as well as support from peers or having a best friend fare better than those lacking social support (e.g., Crick & Grotpeter, 1996; Galand & Hospel, 2013; Martin & Huebner, 2007). Thus, the current study examined whether prosocial interactions with peers moderated the association between peer victimization and depressive symptoms. The study also contributes to extant literature by examining these associations in an understudied sample of adolescents from affluent communities.

METHODS A sample of 603 sixth-grade students from affluent communities participated in annual data collection during sixth and eleventh-grade years. Youth completed the Social Experience Questionnaire (SEQ; Crick & Gropeter, 1996), which includes three subscales: Overt Aggression, Relational Aggression and Receipt of Prosocial Acts. The Overt and Relational Aggression subscales were combined to arrive at an overall victimization score. Participants also completed the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992).

RESULTS Moderation analyses with bootstrapping procedures (Hayes, 2017; Preacher & Hayes, 2004, 2008) were conducted to examine the moderating role of receipt of prosocial acts on the association between peer victimization (relational and overt aggression) and depressive symptoms. Prosocial acts by peers was a significant moderator (ΔR2 = .001, F(1, 599) = 9.91, p < .01. Follow-up conditional analyses indicated that victimization was associated with depressive symptoms at all levels of prosocial interactions (i.e. average, and 1 SD below/above average; see Figure 1), but that depressive symptoms were consistently lower at higher levels of prosocial interactions.

CONCLUSION Results suggest that prosocial interactions with peers may be an important protective factor for youth experiencing peer victimization. Although the effect size of the moderation was small and victimization was related depressive symptoms at all levels of prosocial interactions, the findings indicate that prosocial interactions play a role in buffering some of the negative impact of victimization on depressive symptoms. This study adds to the literature by replicating significant findings in light of previous inconsistencies and extends results to an understudied sample. Implications of these findings will be discussed highlighting the importance of identifying youth at greater risk for victimization and depression, as well as possible targets for intervention.

Authors

• Mira Armans, Oklahoma State University
  Presenting Author

• Samantha Addante, Oklahoma State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gina Erato, Oklahoma State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lucia Ciciolla, Oklahoma State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maureen A. Sullivan, Oklahoma State University
  Non-Presenting Author