Relations Between Trajectories of Peer Victimization and Measures of Psychosocial Adjustment

Abstract

Background: Peer victimization has been consistently associated with a host of negative outcomes including aggression, depressive symptoms, and academic difficulties. However, few studies have examined how individual changes in victimization over time, or trajectories of victimization, are related to these outcomes. Objectives: The current study aimed to identify different trajectories of physical and relational victimization in third through fifth grade. Additionally, relations between peer victimization trajectories and a range of psychosocial outcomes, including proactive and reactive aggression, depressive symptoms, and academic difficulties, were examined. Finally, the impact of gender on the associations between trajectories of peer victimization and psychosocial adjustment were considered. Methods: Third through fifth grade teachers and students completed study measures over the course of three years resulting in a total sample of 670 elementary school aged youth. Hypotheses: Consistent with previous research, four trajectories were expected to emerge from the data. Trajectories characterized by high levels of victimization were expected to be positively associated with reactive aggression, depressive symptoms, and academic difficulties. Finally, victimized boys were expected to exhibit aggressive outcomes, whereas girls were expected to exhibit more depressive symptoms in response to victimization. Results: Three trajectories emerged for both physical and relational aggression and for both boys and girls. Intercepts and slopes of victimization remained largely unrelated to all psychosocial outcomes. Gender did not impact relations between trajectories of victimization and psychosocial outcomes. Conclusions: The current study suggests that three, similar trajectory groups can be identified between physical and relational victimization in children in 3rd through 5th grade. Findings regarding the relations between psychosocial outcomes and gender are discussed