Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Longitudinal Path Analysis of Peer Victimization, Threat Appraisals to the Self, and Aggression, Anxiety, and Depression Among Urban African American Adolescents

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Threat appraisals—individuals’ perceptions of how stressful situations may threaten their well-being—are an important but understudied mechanism that could explain links between peer victimization and adjustment. The goal of the present study was to examine relationships between physical and relational victimization by peers, threats to the self, and aggression, anxiety, and depression to better understand the cognitive evaluations that make youth vulnerable to negative adjustment. The sample comprised two cohorts of African American adolescents (N = 326; 54 % female; M = 12.1; SD = 1.6) and their maternal caregivers, who participated in three waves of a longitudinal study. Path models revealed significant direct effects from Time 1 relational victimization, but not physical victimization, to Time 2 threat appraisals (i.e., negative self-evaluations and negative evaluations by others), controlling for Time 1 threat appraisals. Significant direct effects were found from Time 2 threats of negative evaluations by others to Time 3 youth-reported aggression, controlling for Time 1 and Time 2 aggression. Significant direct effects also were found from Time 2 threats of negative self-evaluations to T3 youth-reported depression, controlling for Time 1 and Time 2 depression. Overall, findings highlight the need to consider the role of threats to the self in pathways from peer victimization to adjustment and the implications these appraisals have for youth prevention and intervention efforts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Integrative guide for the 1991 CBCL/4-18, YSR, and TRF profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.

    Google Scholar 

  • Averdijk, M., Muller, B., Eisner, M., & Ribeaud, D. (2011). Bullying victimization and later anxiety and depression among pre-adolescents in Switzerland. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 3, 103–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catterson, J., & Hunter, S. C. (2010). Cognitive mediators of the effect of peer victimization on loneliness. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 403–416. doi:10.1348/000709909X481274.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crick, N. R., & Bigbee, M. (1998). Relational and overt forms of peer victimization: A multiinformant approach. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 337–347.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crick, N. R., & Dodge, K. A. (1994). A review and reformulation of social-information-processing mechanisms in children’s social adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 74–101. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.115.1.74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crick, N. R., & Dodge, K. A. (1996). Social information-processing mechanisms in reactive and proactive aggression. Child Development, 67, 993–1002. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01778.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crick, N. R., & Grotpeter, J. K. (1996). Children’s treatment by peers: Victims of relational and overt aggression. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 367–380. doi:10.1017/S0954579400007148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cullerton-Sen, C., & Crick, N. R. (2005). Understanding the effects of physical and relational victimization: The utility of multiple perspectives in predicting social emotional adjustment. School Psychology Review, 34, 147–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dadds, M. R., Atkinson, E., Turner, C., Blums, G. J., & Lendich, B. (1999). Family conflict and child adjustment: Evidence for a cognitive-contextual model of intergenerational transmission. Journal of Family Psychology, 13, 194–208. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.13.2.194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A., Lansford, J. E., Burks, V. S., Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., Fontaine, R., et al. (2003). Peer rejection and social information-processing factors in the development of aggressive behavior problems in children. Child Development, 74, 374–393. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.7402004.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Downey, G., & Feldman, S. I. (1996). Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 1327–1343. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.70.6.1327.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ewart, C. K., Jorgensen, R. S., Suchday, S., Chen, E., & Matthews, K. A. (2002). Measuring stress resilience and coping in vulnerable youth: The social competence interview. Psychological Assessment, 14, 339–352. doi:10.1037//1040-3590.14.3.339.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, A. D., Kung, E. M., White, K. S., & Valois, R. F. (2000). The structure of self-reported aggression, drug use, and delinquent behaviors during early adolescence. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 29, 282–292. doi:10.1207/S15374424jccp2902_13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fearnow-Kenney, M. D., & Kliewer, W. (2000). Threat appraisal and adjustment among children with cancer. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 18, 1–17. doi:10.1300/J077v18n03_01.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, S., Bellmore, A. D., & Mize, J. (2006). Peer victimization, aggression, and their co-occurrence in middle school: Pathways to adjustment problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34, 363–378. doi:10.1007/s10802-006-9030-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, S., & Juvonen, J. (1998). Self-blame and peer victimization in middle school: An attributional analysis. Developmental Psychology, 34, 587–599.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hanish, L. D., & Guerra, N. G. (2002). A longitudinal analysis of patterns of adjustment following peer victimization. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 69–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawker, D. S. J., & Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty years’ research on peer victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: A meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 441–455. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00629.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D. G. (1999). Personal and interpersonal antecedents and consequences of victimization by peers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 677–685.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoglund, W. L., & Leadbeater, B. J. (2007). Managing threat: Do social-cognitive processes mediate the link between peer victimization and adjustment problems in early adolescence? Journal of Research on Adolescence, 17, 525–540. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2007.00533.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hope, T. L., Adams, C., Reynolds, L., Powers, D., Perez, R. A., & Kelley, M. L. (1999). Parent vs. self-report: Contributions toward diagnosis of adolescent psychopathology. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 21, 349–363. doi:10.1023/A:1022124900328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. doi:10.1080/10705519909540118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, S. C., & Boyle, J. M. E. (2004). Appraisal and coping strategy use in victims of school bullying. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 83–107. doi:10.1348/000709904322848833.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Juvonen, J., & Graham, S. (2001). Peer harassment in school: The plight of the vulnerable and victimized. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khatri, P., Kuperschmidt, J. B., & Patterson, C. (2000). Aggression and peer victimization as predictors of self-reported behavioural and emotional adjustment. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 345–358. doi:10.1002/1098-2337(2000)26:5<345:AID-AB1>3.0.CO;2-L.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kliewer, W., & Sullivan, T. N. (2008). Community violence exposure, threat appraisal, and adjustment in adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37, 860–873. doi:10.1080/15374410802359718.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kochenderfer-Ladd, B. (2004). Peer victimization: The role of emotions in adaptive and maladaptive coping. Social Development, 13, 329–349. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9507.2004.00271.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (1992). The children’s depression inventory. Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leadbeater, B., & Hoglund, W. (2009). The effects of peer victimization and physical aggression on changes in internalizing from first to third grade. Child Development, 80, 843–859. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01301.x.

  • Lee, S. W., Piercel, W. C., Friedlander, R., & Collamer, W. (1988). Concurrent validity of the revised children’s manifest anxiety scale (RCMAS) for adolescents. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 48, 429–433. doi:10.1177/0013164488482015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lösel, F., & Bender, D. (2011). Emotional antisocial outcomes of bullying and victimization at school: A follow-up from childhood to adolescence. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 3, 89–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin, K. A., Hatzenbuehler, M. L., & Hilt, L. M. (2009). Emotion dysregulation as a mechanism linking peer victimization to internalizing symptoms in adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 894–904.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller-Johnson, S., Sullivan, T. N., Simon, T. R., & MVPP. (2004). Evaluating the impact of interventions in the Multisite Violence Prevention Study: Samples, procedures and methods. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26, 48–61. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2003.09.015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2010). Mplus user’s guide. Los Angeles: Muthén & Muthén.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prinstein, M. J., Boergers, J., & Vernberg, E. R. (2001). Overt and relational aggression in adolescents: Social-psychological adjustment of aggressors and victims. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 479–491. doi:10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_05.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Prinstein, M. J., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2003). Forms and functions of adolescent peer aggression associated with high levels of peer status. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 44, 310–342. doi:10.1353/mpq.2003.0015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reijntjes, A., Kamphuis, J. H., Prinzie, P., Boelen, P. A., van der Schoot, M., & Telch, M. J. (2011). Prospective linkages between peer victimization and externalizing problems in children: A meta-analysis. Aggressive Behavior, 37, 215–222. doi:10.1002/ab.20374.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reijntjes, A., Kamphuis, J. H., Prinzie, P., & Telch, M. J. (2010). Peer victimization and internalizing problems in children: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34, 244–252.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. R., & Richmond, B. O. (1978). What I Think and Feel: A revised measure of children’s manifest anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 6, 271–280. doi:10.1007/BF00919131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roecker-Phelps, C. E. (2001). Children’s responses to overt and relational aggression. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 240–252. doi:10.1207/S15374424JCCP3002_11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandler, I. N., Kim-Bae, L. S., & MacKinnon, D. (2000). Coping and negative appraisal as mediators between control beliefs and psychological symptoms in children of divorce. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 336–347. doi:10.1207/S15374424JCCP2903_5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer, A. L., Bradshaw, C. P., & O’Brennan, L. M. (2008). Examining ethnic, gender, and developmental differences in the way children report being a victim of “bullying” on self-report measures. Journal of Adolescent Health, 43, 106–114. doi:10/1016/j/jadohealth.2007.12.011.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., McFadyen-Ketchum, S. A., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1998). Peer group victimization as a predictor of children’s behavior problems at home and in school. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 87–99.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sheets, V., Sandler, I. N., & West, S. G. (1996). Appraisals of negative events by preadolescent children of divorce. Child Development, 67, 2166–2182. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01850.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, R. S., La Greca, A. M., & Harrison, H. M. (2009). Peer victimization and social anxiety in adolescents: Prospective and reciprocal relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 1096–1109. doi:10.1007/s10964-009-9392-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sourander, A., Helstelä, L., & Helenius, H. (1999). Parent-adolescent agreement on emotional and behavioral problems. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 34, 657–663. doi:10.1007/s001270050189.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stanger, C., & Lewis, M. (1993). Agreement among parents, teachers, and children on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 22, 107–115. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2201_11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Storch, E. A., Nock, M. K., Masia-Warner, C., & Barlas, M. E. (2003). Peer victimization and social-psychological adjustment in Hispanic and African-American children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 12, 439–452. doi:10.1023/A:1026016124091.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, T. N., Farrell, A. D., & Kliewer, W. (2006). Peer victimization in early adolescence: Association between physical and relational victimization and drug use, aggression, and delinquent behaviors among urban middle school students. Development and Psychopathology, 18, 119–137. doi:10.1017/S095457940606007x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Underwood, M. K. (2003). Adolescence: Girl talk, moral negotiation, and strategic interactions to inflict social harm. In C. B. Kopp & S. R. Asher (Eds.), Social aggression among girls (pp. 134–178). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., Iannotti, R. J., & Nansel, T. R. (2009). School bullying among adolescents in the United States: Physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45, 368–375. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.03.021.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeung, R. S., & Leadbeater, B. J. (2007). Does hostile attributional bias for relational provocations mediate the short-term association between relational victimization and aggression in preadolescence? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 973–983. doi:10.1007/s10964-006-9162-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Youngstrom, E. A., Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2000). Patterns and correlates of agreement between parent, teacher, and male youth behavior ratings. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 1038–1052. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.68.6.1038.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Lees, D. C., Bradley, G. L., & Skinner, E. A. (2009). Use of an analogue method to examine children’s appraisals of threat and emotion in response to stressful events. Motivation and Emotion, 33, 136–149. doi:10.1007/s11031-009-9123-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

KT conceived of the study, participated in its design and the interpretation of the data, performed statistical analysis, and drafted the manuscript. TS conceived of the study, participated in its design and the interpretation of the data, and helped to perform statistical analysis and draft the manuscript participated. WK participated in the design of the study and the interpretation of the data and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, NIH grant K5K01DA15442 awarded to Wendy Kliewer (Virginia Commonwealth University). The findings and conclusions in this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institutes of Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA

    Katherine A. Taylor, Terri N. Sullivan & Wendy Kliewer

Authors
  1. Katherine A. Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Terri N. Sullivan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wendy Kliewer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katherine A. Taylor.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Taylor, K.A., Sullivan, T.N. & Kliewer, W. A Longitudinal Path Analysis of Peer Victimization, Threat Appraisals to the Self, and Aggression, Anxiety, and Depression Among Urban African American Adolescents. J Youth Adolescence 42, 178–189 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9821-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9821-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation