Revealing the Transactional Associations among Teacher-Child Relationships, Peer Rejection and Peer Victimization in Early Adolescence

Psychological maltreatment by teachers and peer victimization in Chinese youth: Depression and aggression as mediators

BACKGROUND

Psychological maltreatment by teachers and peer victimization are significant public health issues among youth. However, few studies have verified transactional associations between psychological maltreatment by teachers and peer victimization at the within-person level and the mediating roles of depression and aggression have yet to be fully evaluated.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the transactional associations between psychological maltreatment by teachers and peer victimization from middle childhood to early adolescence, separating within- and between-person variation. The study also examined whether youth's depression and aggression mediated the associations.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A total of 4945 Chinese youth (Mage = 9.92 years, SD = 0.73 53 % boys) completed a packet of measures on five occasions at 6-month intervals from May of 2017 to May of 2019.

METHODS

Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPMs) were used to distinguish between- and within-person effects.

RESULTS

The results indicated that: (a) Psychological maltreatment by teachers predicted peer victimization, and vice versa; (b) Depression (but not aggression) mediated the associations from peer victimization to psychological maltreatment by teachers.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings supported bidirectional spillover effects between adverse teacher-student and peer interactions and demonstrated at the within-person level that such effects were transmitted indirectly via youth's depression.

Longitudinal association of mindfulness with aggression and non-suicidal self-injury in adolescence: The mediating role of shame-proneness

The aim of the current study was to investigate the longitudinal association of facets of mindfulness with aggression and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents and to explore whether shame-proneness can mediate the longitudinal association. The present longitudinal study investigated the associations between mindfulness, aggression, and NSSI in a sample of 706 Chinese adolescents (M = 15.33; SD = 1.34; 50.20% girls). Five facet mindfulness questionnaire was completed at baseline and middle school students' shame scale was completed at 6-month follow-up. The Chinese version of Buss-Perry aggression questionnaire and adolescents' self-harm scale were completed at both baseline and 6-month follow-up. Shame-proneness significantly mediated the longitudinal association between (a) describing and aggression (-0.107, 95% CI: [-0.151 to -0.067]), and NSSI (-0.041, 95% CI: [-0.069 to -0.019]). (b) Acting with awareness and aggression (-0.094, 95% CI: [-0.139 to -0.061]), and NSSI (-0.036, 95% CI: [-0.062 to -0.016]). (c) Nonjudging and aggression (-0.062, 95% CI: [-0.107 to -0.024]) and NSSI (-0.024, 95% CI: [-0.047 to -0.008]). Describing, acting with awareness, and nonjudging were predictive factors of aggression and self-injury in adolescents, and shame-proneness played a crucial role in the negative longitudinal association between them. Findings from the current study may offer some implications in the domains of clinical practice and education to improve mental health and further ameliorate the misbehavior among adolescents.

Supporting teachers to actively respond to bullying and to build positive relationships with their students: effects of the T-SUPPORT training

Despite the central role that teachers can have in preventing and reducing bullying, they often feel insecure about how to deal with bullying. This study evaluated a short teacher training - called the Teachers SUPporting POsitive RelaTionships (T-SUPPORT) training - that aims to reduce bullying by supporting teachers in building positive teacher-student relationships and in actively dealing with bullying. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether the T-SUPPORT training resulted in higher quality teacher-student relationships, and more active and less passive responses to bullying incidents, and whether these improvements in turn resulted in lower levels of bullying victimization. In a Randomized Controlled Trial 10 Belgian primary schools were randomly assigned to an intervention or control condition. The Grades 4-6 teachers of the five schools in the intervention condition received the three-session school-based training; control teachers received no intervention. Grade 4-6 students (N = 964; 55 classrooms) in these schools completed questionnaires at pre- and post-test. In contrast to the hypotheses, results of the two-level linear mixed model analyses revealed no significant effect of the training on teacher-student relationship quality, teachers' responses to bullying and bullying victimization. Yet, higher quality teacher-student relationships and more active teacher responses to bullying were significantly associated with less bullying victimization, whereas more passive responses were linked with more victimization. The latter findings are in line with theorizing and research on the role that teachers can play in reducing bullying.

Teachers' Responses to Bullying Questionnaire: A Validation Study in Two Educational Contexts

Given the high prevalence and dramatic impact of being bullied at school, it is crucial to get more insight into how teachers can reduce bullying. So far, few instruments have measured elementary teachers' responses to bullying. This study investigated the validity of the student-reported Teachers' Responses to Bullying Questionnaire. The factor structure and measurement invariance were tested across two educational contexts among fourth and fifth grade students from Italy (n = 235) and Belgium (n = 667). Furthermore, associations between student-perceived teachers' responses and students' bullying behavior were examined. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the predicted five-factor structure, distinguishing Non-Intervention, Disciplinary Methods, Group Discussion, Mediation, and Victim Support. A partial factor means invariance model was found, allowing for valid comparisons between the Italian and Belgian educational contexts. Significant associations were found between self-reported, but not peer-nominated, bullying behavior and most student-perceived teachers' responses.

Negative emotionality and peer status: Evidence for bidirectional longitudinal influences during the elementary school years

Prior research indicates that high negative emotionality in combination with low peer status is conducive of clinically identified problems in childhood. This three-wave longitudinal study examined how negative emotionality and peer status are linked over time in middle and late childhood. Participants were recruited from second grade ( n = 90, mean age = 8.85) and fourth grade ( n = 119, mean age = 10.81) and were followed across a period of 2 years. Cross-lagged structural models examining concurrent and longitudinal associations between teacher-reported negative emotionality and peer ratings of likability were analyzed separately for externalizing emotion (anger) and internalizing emotion (sadness and fear). Both analyses provided support for a conceptual model in which high negative emotionality lowers peer status, and low peer status, in turn, through a feedback loop, increases negative emotionality over time. Bidirectional influences are interpreted as reflecting a transactional process involving the effects of negative emotionality on social behavior. The findings highlight the need for active efforts to help children with high negative emotionality gain acceptance from classmates.

Trajectory Classes of Relational and Physical Bullying Victimization: Links with Peer and Teacher-Student Relationships and Social-Emotional Outcomes

Bullying victimization is a prevalent problem in upper elementary school that predicts various detrimental outcomes. Increasing evidence suggests that interindividual differences in the severity of these outcomes result from differences in victimization experiences. However, longitudinal research largely overlooked victimization forms. Additionally, it is unclear how the quality of students' relationships with peers and teachers functions as a risk or protective factor for different patterns of victimization development. This one-year longitudinal study investigated joint trajectories of relational and physical victimization and examined differences between these trajectory classes regarding classroom social relationships as possible antecedents and social-emotional well-being as a possible outcome. A sample of 930 fourth to sixth graders (55 classes, 53.1% girls, M_age = 10.55, SD = 0.90) completed self-reports about relational and physical victimization and social-emotional outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms, self-esteem). Peer nominations were used to measure the social antecedents (i.e., peer rejection and acceptance, teacher-student closeness and conflict). A 3-step approach including Latent Class Growth Analyses and Growth Mixture Modeling yielded two trajectory classes. Most students experienced low, decreasing relational and physical victimization. A smaller group experienced higher, generally stable victimization, more relational than physical. Younger students and girls were more likely to be members of the latter class. This class was more rejected, less accepted, reported more depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem. Teacher-student closeness and conflict were similar across classes. The current study showed that relational and physical victimization followed a largely parallel development. Low social status was found to be a risk factor for belonging to a victimization trajectory that is characterized by stable levels of both relational and physical victimization, with higher levels of the relational form.

Reciprocal Links Between Teacher-Student Relationships and Peer Victimization: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study in Early Adolescence

Although teachers play a central role in tackling peer victimization at school, no study so far has investigated transactional associations between positive and negative teacher-student relationship dimensions and peer victimization in early adolescence. Investigating both dimensions simultaneously in upper elementary school allows to examine differential effects on peer victimization (and vice versa) and could aid tailored prevention and intervention efforts. At three time points within one school year, self-reported teacher-student closeness and conflict and self- and peer-reported peer victimization were assessed in a sample of 930 fourth to sixth grade students (M_age = 10.55 years, 53.1% girls). Cross-lagged models revealed negative within-time associations between closeness and self-reported peer victimization, and positive within-time associations between conflict and self-reported peer victimization at most time points. Whereas closeness and conflict negatively predicted each other across the school year, no bidirectional longitudinal effects were found between teacher-student relationships and peer victimization. The current findings highlight the need for early prevention and intervention efforts to tackle peer victimization, build positive teacher-student relationships, and especially reduce negative teacher-student relationships.

Prospective associations between peer functioning and social anxiety in adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

During adolescence, peer relationships take precedence and there is a normative increase in social anxiety. Although prospective studies have suggested peer functioning and social anxiety can influence each other, their findings have not been examined systematically. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies to examine the bidirectional relationship between peer functioning and social anxiety in adolescence.

METHODS

EMBASE, PsycINFO, Medline, and PubMed were searched to identify relevant articles. Meta-analysis was conducted to examine the mean effect sizes of prospective associations between social anxiety and four dimensions of peer functioning. Moderator analysis was performed, with age, gender, time interval between baseline and follow-up assessment, and publication year as moderators.

RESULTS

Meta-analyses of 23 studies showed that friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r =-.06), and peer victimization (r =.23) were each associated with later social anxiety, but peer acceptance was not (r =-.11). Social anxiety at baseline was associated with prospective levels of friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r=.09), and peer victimization (r =.17), but not peer acceptance (r =-.14). Age moderated the association between friendship quality and prospective social anxiety. Other moderator effects were statistically non-significant.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations include different classifications of peer functioning, the use of self-report measures, heterogeneity between studies, and underrepresentation of clinical samples.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant bidirectional association was found with social anxiety across three dimensions of peer functioning. Psychological prevention and intervention targeting peer functioning and social anxiety are indicated.