Poster #227 - Prospective linkages between peer victimization and adjustment: The role of activity commitment

• In Event: 1-005 - Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Peer victimization has been associated with both short- and long-term negative outcomes including internalizing and externalizing problems (Reijntjes et al., 2011; Reijntjes et al., 2010). The effects of peer victimization vary between individuals with some youth experiencing deleterious effects to a greater degree than others. Understanding what factors could potentially alleviate adverse outcomes is imperative. As suggested by self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), undermining basic psychological needs can be detrimental to one’s wellness. While peer victimization may undermine childrens’ ability to meet the basic psychological needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy, being committed to organized activities may provide an alternative context in which those needs can be met. Activity involvement has been associated with lower levels of psychosocial difficulties. It remains unclear, however, whether commitment to activities can serve a protective function over longer periods of time. Thus, the present study aimed to examine the moderating effect of activity involvement on the association between childhood experiences of peer victimization and adjustment across the transition to high school as well as at the conclusion of high school.
The present study utilized a subsample of participants from a larger longitudinal study. All participants with classroom sociometric data in third and fourth grade were included (N = 309) at which time peer victimization was assessed with peer nominations standardized within classrooms. Adolescents reported their commitment to activities in eighth and 12th grades. Activity commitment in eighth grade was investigated as a moderator of the association between childhood peer victimization and mother-reported internalizing and externalizing problems in ninth grade. In addition, activity commitment in 12th grade was examined as a moderator of the association between childhood peer victimization and 12th grade internalizing and externalizing problems. We expected that youth would become entrenched in activities throughout their high school years, thus commitment would be more ubiquitous by late adolescence.
Activity commitment moderated associations between peer victimization and eighth and 12th grade internalizing and externalizing problems (Figures 1 and 2). Specifically, at low levels of childhood victimization and high levels of eighth grade activity commitment, adolescents had low levels of internalizing and externalizing problems. All adolescents had similar levels of adjustment at high levels of victimization. By 12th grade, high levels of childhood victimization were associated with greater internalizing and externalizing problems concurrently only at lower levels of activity commitment.
Although activity commitment was only protective across the transition to high school for adolescents reporting low levels of childhood victimization, activity commitment became more salient later in high school for adolescents who experienced higher rates of childhood victimization. As expected, by the conclusion of high school, activity commitment protected highly victimized adolescents from maladjustment. These findings suggest promoting commitment to organized activities as a means to support adolescents’ desire to meet their basic psychological needs, victimized or not. Future research should examine if commitment to activities can meet the needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy and further investigate the developmental processes underlying the protective role of activity commitment across the high school years.

Authors

• Leanna McConnell, Auburn University
  Presenting Author

• Carlynn Vandenberg, Auburn University
  Non-Presenting Author