Poster #232 - Peer Victimization and Hostile Attribution Biases in Adolescence

• In Event: 2-055 - Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Peer victimization impacts adolescents worldwide, with 13% reporting being victimized at least twice a month (Currie et al., 2009). Although peer victimization is related to adverse psychopathology outcomes, little research investigates cognitive processes that could be compromised by peer victimization in adolescence. Repeated experience with peer victimization can foster negative beliefs about the self as unworthy and others as being untrustworthy (Rosen et al., 2007). This “victim schema” develops and stabilizes, guiding cognitions, biasing attention towards threat detection, and influencing hostile interpretations of peer behavior. We examined how peer victimization experience relates to hostile attribution biases during adolescence, a sensitive period characterized by cognitive changes, increased vulnerability to psychopathology, and increased valuation of peer relationships. We expected that peer victimization would be positively related to hostile attribution biases in hypothetical, ambiguous scenarios with a peer. Given that social support from friends and siblings protects against some the adverse effects of peer victimization (Rigby, 2000, Sapouna & Wolke, 2013), we also expected that sibling relational closeness would mitigate the relation between peer victimization and hostile attribution bias.

Twins (N=759, 409 male) were recruited as part of a longitudinal study (Mean Age=13.09 years, SD=1.30). They completed a measure quantifying their peer victimization experience as well as the peer victimization experience of their cotwin. Additionally, twins reported on their relational closeness with their cotwin. We measured hostile attribution bias using stories describing hypothetical scenarios in which a peer’s intent was ambiguous. Scenarios were either relational (socially oriented) or instrumental (object oriented) in nature. Following each story, participants answered two questions about the peer’s intent and two questions about how distressed they would be if the events of the story happened to them.

Using multilevel modeling that accounted for family level clustering and controlled for twin age, gender, and socioeconomic status, we found that peer victimization was positively related to hostile attributions during only instrumental scenarios (b = 0.02, F(1, 671.42) = 14.30, p < .001), and increased distress in both the instrumental (b = 0.05, F(1, 684.69) =, p = .03) and relational scenarios (b = 0.07, F(1, 659.73) = 9.05, p = 0.03). Unexpectedly, peer victimization was not related to hostile attributions during relational scenarios. Neither twin closeness nor the twin closeness X peer victimization interaction were related to either of our hostile attribution or distress measures.

Our work extends relations from peer victimization and hostile attribution biases in childhood into adolescence, a transitional period marked by numerous cognitive and social changes as well as the onset of multiple forms of psychopathology. This relation, however, was specific to instrumental scenarios and not relational ones, potentially reflecting differences in the emergence of hostile attribution biases during adolescence. Our work provides evidence that sibling support may not protect against some negative cognitive effects of peer victimization. Future analyses should examine relations between non-familial forms of social support, peer victimization, and hostile attribution bias.

Authors

• Ian Carroll, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Presenting Author

• Elizabeth Planalp, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Non-Presenting Author

• Hill Goldsmith, UW-Madison
  Non-Presenting Author