Poster #227 - Reciprocal and Unilateral Friendship Nominations as Predictors of Peer Victimization

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Friendship has been cited as a protective factor for peer victimization and subsequent negative outcomes such as internalizing problems (e.g., Hodges, Boivin, Vitaro, & Bukowski, 1999). Although several studies have examined the relation between peer victimization and reciprocated friendships (i.e., friendships endorsed by both members of the dyad), fewer have examined the predictive role of unreciprocated friendship nominations. Unreciprocated or unilateral friendships can involve a) desired friendship nominations (i.e., the focal child is the unilateral nominator) and b) chosen friendship nominations (i.e., the focal child is nominated by a peer but does not reciprocate). The tendency to overstate friendship mutuality could signal an interpersonal pattern that increases the risk for peer victimization. Conversely, the tendency to be unilaterally nominated by multiple peers could function as a protective factor. The current study examines the degree to which these one-sided friendship nominations are associated with physical and relational forms of peer victimization.
Participants were 659 fourth-grade children (50.7% girls; M age = 9.31, SD = 0.50; 42.7% Hispanic, 30.3% Caucasian, 10.0% Pacific Islander) from 34 public school classrooms. All measures were administered in both the fall and spring of the same academic year. The School Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ; Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2004) was used to measure self-reported physical and relational peer victimization. Friendship nominations were based on liked most nominations classified as reciprocated, chosen, or desired friendships.
Correlations among study variables are presented in Table 1. In total, six hierarchical regression models were run predicting Time 2 physical or relational victimization with one of the Time 2 friendship types (i.e., reciprocal, desired, or chosen) entered as a main effect. Analyses controlled for child gender, Time 1 victimization, and the appropriate Time 1 friendship type. For physical victimization, the overall models were significant; however, no single friendship type emerged as a significant predictor of physical victimization. For relational victimization, both desired and chosen friendships emerged as significant predictors of victimization (Table 2). Desired friendships were significantly associated with relational victimization such that increases in desired friendship nominations were predictive of increases in relational victimization, t(553) = 2.40, p = .017, β = .09. Conversely, increases in chosen friendships were predictive of decreases in relational victimization, t(549) = -2.35, p = .019, β = -.10.
The current study investigated the degree to which different types of friendship nominations predicted children’s subsequent levels of peer victimization. Desired friendships, which were indexed by a focal child’s unilateral nomination of a peer as a friend, were found to predict increases in relational peer victimization. On the other hand, chosen friendship nominations, in which a peer unilaterally nominates the focal child as a friend, were predictive of decreased relational victimization. Future studies should continue to explore the meaning and risk, particularly for relational victimization, associated with unreciprocated friendship nominations.

Authors

• Lauren M. Mutignani, The University of Arkansas
  Presenting Author

• Freddie A Pastrana, Medical University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Author

• Juventino Hernandez-Rodriguez, Medical University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Author

• Samantha J Gregus, Wichita State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• James T Craig, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
  Non-Presenting Author

• Timothy A Cavell, University of Arkansas
  Non-Presenting Author