title: Peer Victimization Trajectories at the Adolescent Transition: Associations Among Chronic Victimization, Peer-Reported Status, and Adjustment.
abstract: The current study demonstrated that chronic peer victimization, as compared to time-limited victimization, is particularly associated with peer status and peer-reported adjustment at the adolescent transition. Using a cohort sequential design, a sample of 653 adolescents (48% female, 87% Caucasian) in Grades 6-8 were assessed at 3 annual time points; data captured indices of peer victimization, likeability, popularity, and several peer-reported indices of internalizing (e.g., sadness, worry) and externalizing (e.g., anger, fighting) symptoms across Grades 6-10. Four trajectories of victimization experiences were identified-chronic, high decreasing, low increasing, and low stable-suggesting instability in victimization experiences over time. Adolescents who experienced chronic victimization, as compared to those with low-stable, decreasing, or increasing levels of victimization, were rated by peers more often on indices of maladjustment and less often on measures of popularity and likeability. Findings highlight negative associations with chronic victimization and underscore the need for targeted interventions to prevent chronic victimization. Overall, findings further emphasize the role of chronicity in victimization and highlight the importance of identifying chronic victims for intervention and prevention efforts.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology and Neuroscience , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Sheppard
authors.affiliation: b TS Social and Behavioral Sciences , Tilburg University.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giletta
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Mitchell J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Prinstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012917:Social Adjustment