The Relationship Among and Between Social-Cognitive Variables, Peer Victimization, and Anxiety in School Aged Children
Abstract
Internalizing challenges, such as anxiety, have been found to be a one of the many adverse outcomes associated with peer victimization in middle childhood. The current study extends the literature by examining the relationship among and between peer victimization, social cognitive variables (i.e., peer perceptions and social self-efficacy), and anxiety among school aged children and youth aged 12 to 15. Specifically, this study assessed the predictive nature of peer victimization on anxiety symptoms and looked at whether peer perceptions and social self-efficacy were mediators and moderators of this relationship respectively. Participants included 81 school aged children (female: 52, male: 29; M age: 12.78). Results showed that reports of peer victimization predicted the severity of anxious symptoms, and children’s beliefs about their school peers influenced this relationship. Further, there were overall differences between different types of victimization (overt, relational, and reputational) and anxiety symptoms in youth. These results further demonstrate the importance of addressing peer victimization within Canadian schools and this should be considered in the treatment of anxiety among youth.
Description
Keywords
Educational Psychology
Citation
Purcell, V. (2017). The Relationship Among and Between Social-Cognitive Variables, Peer Victimization, and Anxiety in School Aged Children (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28293