title: Peer victimization and prospective changes in children's inferential styles.
abstract: There is evidence that the cognitive vulnerabilities featured in the hopelessness theory of depression-inferential styles for the causes, consequences, and self-worth implications of negative events-increase risk for depression. Given this, it is important to understand how these inferential styles develop. In this study, we examined the impact of overt and relational peer victimization in a multiwave prospective study of 100 children (8-12 years of age) with peer victimization and inferential styles assessed every 2 months for 6 months (4 assessments total). Overt victimization uniquely predicted prospective changes in children's inferential styles for consequences and relational victimization uniquely predicted changes in inferential styles for self-characteristics. It is important to note that these relations were maintained even after controlling for the impact of concurrent depressive symptoms. These results add to a growing body of research suggesting that peer victimization may increase risk for the development of cognitive vulnerability to depression in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology , Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA. gibb@binghamton.edu
authors.forename: Brandon E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Gibb
authors.forename: Lindsey B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Crossett
mesh_terms: D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires