Rates of peer victimization in young adolescents with ADHD and associations with internalizing symptoms and self-esteem.
The purposes of the present study were to: (1) describe rates of peer victimization in young adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, (2) evaluate the association between types of peer victimization (i.e., physical, relational, and reputational) and internalizing problems (i.e., anxiety, depression, and self-esteem), and (3) examine whether associations between victimization and internalizing problems differ for males or females. Participants were 131 middle-school students (ages 11-15 years, 73 % male, 76 % White) diagnosed with ADHD who completed ratings of victimization, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. Over half of the participants (57 %) reported experiencing at least one victimization behavior at a rate of once per week or more, with higher rates of relational victimization (51 %) than reputational victimization (17 %) or physical victimization (14 %). Males reported experiencing more physical victimization than females, but males and females did not differ in rates of relational or reputational victimization. Whereas relational and physical victimization were both uniquely associated with greater anxiety for both males and females, relational victimization was associated with greater depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem for males but not females. These findings indicate that young adolescents with ADHD frequently experience peer victimization and that the association between victimization and internalizing problems among young adolescents with ADHD differs as a result of victimization type, internalizing domain, and sex.
Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 10006, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229-3039, USA. stephen.becker@cchmc.org.
Stephen P
SP
Becker
The Violence Prevention Initiative, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Krista R
KR
Mehari
Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Joshua M
JM
Langberg
Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA.
Steven W
SW
Evans
D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D058445:Bullying / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors
ADHD; Adolescence; Anxiety; Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Depression; Peers; Prevalence; Sex differences; Victimisation