Preoccupied Attachment Alters the Degree to which Peer Victimization Leads to Low Self- Esteem and Depression

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - Social Relationships

Abstract

Children that experience victimization by peers are more likely to suffer depression (Ttofi et al., 2011) and low self-esteem (Egan & Perry, 1998). Not all children who are victimized show maladjustment consequences as indicated by low effect sizes in longitudinal studies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate for whom victimization experiences are most likely to lead to adjustment difficulties and for whom victimization is unlikely to have negative adjustment consequences. Although having a best friend is known to reduce negative consequences of victimization (Hodges et al., 1999), peer relationships are not always positive. Children vary in their attachment to peers and those with a preoccupied stance toward their best friend are especially likely to exhibit internalizing difficulties (Hodges et al., 1999), which may exacerbate maladjustment consequences of victimization. A total of 195 students in grades four to seven (101 boys; mean age = 10 years) in a southeastern middle school participated. Adolescents reported on their self-esteem, depression, and attachment styles in the Fall and Spring of their school year. Peers reported on their same-sex classmates’ experiences of victimization. We used hierarchical multiple regression to test our hypotheses with concurrent (twice, once for the fall and once for the spring) and longitudinal data. For concurrent analyses, either depression or self-esteem served as dependent variables. At step 1, grade, sex, victimization, preoccupied and avoidant attachment strategies were entered. At step 2, we evaluated the victimization x preoccupied and victimization x avoidant interaction terms. For the longitudinal analyses, either Time-2 depression or self-esteem served as the dependent variables with the same steps as the concurrent analyses with Time-1 predictors but with the Time-1 level of the dependent variable entered as an additional covariate. Avoidance failed to qualify any of the victimization-adjustment associations. However, preoccupied attachment toward friends qualified the concurrent, but not longitudinal, associations between victimization and depression. In both cases, simple slopes analyses indicated that victimization was unrelated to depression when preoccupied attachment towards friends was low. But, as preoccupation increased to average and high levels, the association between victimization and depression became more strongly linked with depression. Preoccupied attachment qualified concurrent (at Time 2) and longitudinal links between victimization and low self-esteem. Victimization was unrelated to self-esteem when preoccupied attachment was low but became more strongly linked with low levels of self-esteem as preoccupied attachment increased to average and high levels. Our study clearly indicates that some children are more likely than others to experience deleterious consequences from being victimized by peers. Children who exhibit behaviors of highly preoccupied attachment towards friends (i.e. need constant validation, are highly dependent, and are frequently concerned about their relationships), are more likely to be depressed and experience decreases in their self-esteem when they are victimized by their peers. In contrast, there was no evidence of maladjustment for those who were low in preoccupation. Low levels of preoccupation are likely indicative of greater security which might allow children to better cope with stressful situations, while the opposite is true for highly preoccupied children.

Authors

• Emely Sanchez, St. John's University
  Presenting Author

• Aleyah Ali, St. John's University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura Cyran, St. John’s University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ernest V. E. Hodges, St. John's University
  Non-Presenting Author