Children’s Adult and Peer Connectedness Moderate the Relationship Between Victimization and Well-Being

• In Event: Children’s Social-Emotional Development and Resiliencies: Translating Assessment Into Practice

Abstract

Objectives
The objectives of the paper are to (i) examine how children’s connectedness with adults and peers moderates the relationship between victimization and well-being, and (ii) discuss the implications for schools and communities that implement social competence and bullying prevention programs.

Background
Children’s connectedness with adults and peers have been found to be positively related to their well-being, whereas victimization is associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety (Hawker & Boulton, 2000; Rigby, 2000). These associations appear to be mediated by children’s attributions regarding their own competences and the intentions of others. Negative self-beliefs can become dysfunctional if children believe that victimizations directed toward them are justified by their own imperfections—and such dysfunctional beliefs are critical factors in the pathogenesis of mental disorders (Beck et al., 1979; Ladd & Troop-Gordon, 2003; Salmivalli & Isaacs, 2005). Given that childhood is critical for the development of self-beliefs and beliefs about others, it is important to understand how contextual social factors jointly influence associated developmental processes (Barber & Olson, 2004). This paper examines how peer connectedness, adult connectedness, and victimization are jointly related to children’s self-concept, optimism, depressive symptoms, and anxiety.

Theoretical framework and hypotheses
Our model draws from Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory of human development (2005) and expands on previously formulated conceptualizations about the relationship between victimization, social relationships, and well-being (e.g., Baldry, 2004; Dill et al., 2004; Troop-Gordon & Ladd 2005).
Our hypotheses were that we would replicate previously found associations between children’s peer connectedness, adult connectedness, victimization, and their self-concept, optimism, depressive symptoms, and anxiety, and, in addition, find that the combination of low peer connectedness, low adult connectedness, and high victimization has a multiplicative, negative interaction effect on children’s well-being.

Methods
Our sample represents a diverse, representative population-level sample of over 2,800 4th grade children (age 10). Data on adult connectedness, peer connectedness, victimization, self-concept, optimism, depressive symptoms, and anxiety were obtained via a self-report survey, the Middle Development Instrument (MDI; Schonert-Reichl et al., 2010). Multi-level regression analyses to examine main effects and 2- and 3-way interaction effects were conducted separately for girls and boys.


Results
As predicted, indicators of positive proximal processes (adult and peer connectedness) had significant associations with psychological functioning (optimism, self-concept), whereas the indicator of negative process (victimization) had the strongest association with psychological maladjustment (depressive symptoms and anxiety). In addition, the findings partially supported a moderation model, as the 3-way interaction was significant for optimism and self-concept for girls; that is, victimization had a negative association with self-concept and optimism only when girls reported both low peer and low adult connectedness.

Conclusions and scholarly significance
This is the first study that examined the joint associations between children’s peer connectedness, adult connectedness, and victimization, including the 2- and 3-way interaction effects. The findings have important implications for promoting children’s social-emotional development and well-being in school and community contexts, and they substantiate approaches taken by programs that foster children’s social competences and friendship building skills and simultaneously reduce bullying and peer victimization.

Authors

• Martin Guhn, The University of British Columbia

• Anne Gadermann, Harvard University

• Kim A. Schonert-Reichl, The University of British Columbia

• Shelley C. Hymel, The University of British Columbia

• Clyde Hertzman, The University of British Columbia