Peer Victimization Trajectories and Longitudinal Associations with Children's Externalizing and Internalizing Problems, and Inhibitory Control

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

Abstract

Peer victimization and bullying have negative consequences for multiple aspects of children’s development, including their socio-emotional, psychological and academic outcomes. Chronic-stress models have been used to explain how children’s peer victimization experiences, particularly when severe and persistent (i.e., chronic), are more likely to have long-term and negative impacts on children’s psychological adjustment, and may interfere with the development of self-regulation. Building on this research, the aims of the present study were twofold: (1) to examine children’s peer victimization trajectories in elementary school (Grades 2 to 5), and (2) to assess how variations in the chronicity, timing and magnitude of peer victimization are associated with children’s psychological adjustment and self-regulation.
To address these aims, we utilized data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011), a longitudinal, repeated measures, multi-informant study of a nationally representative sample of over 18,000 children (48.7% female; 46.8% White, 13.2% African American, 25.3% Hispanic, 8.5% Asian and 6.1% others), who were followed from kindergarten (during the school year 2010-11) through fifth grade (during school year 2015-16). The measures consisted of teacher-reported data on peer victimization, inhibitory control and internalizing and externalizing behaviors (collected annually from grades 2 to 5), and child-reported data on social anxiety (from grades 3 to 5). All measures were adapted from previously validated and reliable scales.
The results revealed a 4-class solution for children’s peer victimization trajectories as shown in Figure 1 including 6.3% of children in a high-decreasing victimization class, 5.5% of children in a high-increasing trajectory class, 18.5% in a moderate-increasing class, and 69.7% of children in a low victimization class. To estimate the co-occurring development of externalizing and internalizing problems, inhibitory control, and social anxiety for the differential peer victimization trajectory classes, latent growth modeling (LGM) was conducted. These models included dichotomous variables to assess children’s peer victimization trajectory classes (using low victims as the reference group) and controlled for gender, race and SES.
Findings (Figure 2) indicated that all three of the trajectory classes that experienced greater rates of peer victimization (compared to low victims) also exhibited greater rates of maladjustment including social anxiety, externalizing and internalizing problems, and lower inhibitory control. However, in contrast to declining victims who exhibited some signs of recovery over time, those with chronic and increasing peer victimization had the most severe and persistent forms of behavioral problems and lower inhibitory control. In light of evidence which suggests that victimization becomes stable by the middle school years, the findings of this study may have important implications for the timing of the interventions, and the need to implement programs in the early grade school years to disrupt pathways to chronic victimization before it has significantly impacted children’s socio-emotional development.

Authors

• Anjali Chaudhary, Texas A&M University - College Station
  Presenting Author

• Haoran Li, Texas A&M University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Idean Ettekal, Texas A&M University - College Station
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rebecca J Brooker, Texas A&M University - College Station
  Non-Presenting Author

• Wen Luo, Texas A&M University
  Non-Presenting Author