Behavioral predictors of changes in social relatedness and liking school in elementary school

Normative trends and behavioral predictors for three dimensions of social relatedness were examined in a 6-month longitudinal study of 383 students in Grades 3, 4 and 5. Student reports of social relatedness (teacher supportiveness, school supportiveness, loneliness) and liking school indicated that students in each of the grades felt less positive about the school environment and liked school less in the Spring compared to the Fall. Girls reported higher levels of teacher supportiveness and school supportiveness. Reports of school supportiveness were lower among students at higher grade levels. Teacher-rated aggression predicted declines in students' perceptions of teacher supportiveness, increases in their sense of loneliness, and decreases in reports of liking school across the school year. Teacher-rated closeness predicted the maintenance of student perceptions of high levels of relatedness. Peer social preference predicted increases in loneliness. A path model indicated that the association between aggressive behavior and liking school was mediated by the association between aggressive behavior and perceptions of teacher supportiveness.     

Early emotional instability,prosocial behaviour,and aggression: some methodological aspects

The internal consistency of Emotional Instability, Prosocial Behaviour, and Aggression scales was examined in elementary school children aged between 7 and 10 years. Multiple informants (self-report, teacher rating, mother rating, and peer nomination) were obtained on the above three dimensions. Relationships between the scales were first examined within the single informant frame of reference and then between informants. The concurrent validity was assessed using sociometric measures (popularity, rejection, social impact, and social preference) and the Achenbach and Edelbrock Child Behavior Checklist (teacher and parent form). The results confirm the internal validity of the three scales measuring emotional instability, prosocial behaviour, and aggression in child self-report, teacher rating, and mother rating. The use of self-report measures seems promising within the multiple informant strategy of research on child behaviour. Correlational results show satisfactory concurrent validity for the three scales, especially for teacher rating and peer nomination. The strict relation between emotional instability and aggression poses problems of discriminant validity which need to be further investi gated.     

班级环境变量对儿童社会行为与学校适应间关系的影响

运用同伴提名和问卷法,对82个城市初中班级的4650名学生进行了测试,并使用多水平分析技术探讨了班级环境变量对儿童社会行为和学校适应间关系的影响。结果显示：儿童的亲社会行为可以显著地正向预测其同伴接受和学业成就,儿童的攻击、退缩行为对学业成就和同伴接受有明显的负向预测效果;在班级环境变量方面,老师支持可以减弱退缩行为和学校适应间的负向联系;老师训诫不仅可以减弱攻击行为与同伴接受间的负向关联,并且对退缩行为与学业成就之间的负向联系也具有削弱效果;同学关系这一变量的班级效果最为明显,可以明显地增强儿童问题行为与学校适应间的负向联系;而班级秩序纪律对攻击行为和学校适应间的负向关联有明显的强化效果。     

Trustworthiness,friendships and self‐control: factors that contribute to young children's school adjustment

The aim of present study was to examine the relationship between young children's peer‐reported trustworthiness and their school adjustment. Two hundred and eleven (103 male and 108 female) children in the United Kingdom (mean age = 6 years 2 months) took part in this study. Measures of peer‐reported trustworthiness, child‐rated school adjustment, and teacher‐rated school adjustment were administered twice across a one‐year period. Also, children's number of friendships, peer acceptance, and self‐control were assessed at Time 2. Multisample path analyses were conducted separately by sex. For both samples there were direct longitudinal paths between peer‐reported trustworthiness and changes in teacher‐rated school adjustment. For boys, the longitudinal path between peer‐reported trustworthiness and changes in child‐rated loneliness was mediated by peer acceptance, and peer‐reported trustworthiness mediated the relationship between self‐control and teacher‐rated school adjustment. Sex differences in peer‐reported trustworthiness also emerged: girls were rated as more trustworthy by their peers than were boys. The findings support the hypothesis that young children's trustworthiness contributes to school adjustment, which is due in part to peer acceptance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

工读学校学生同伴依恋、自我概念与孤独感的特点及其关系

使用青少年依恋问卷、田纳西自我概念量表和中学生孤独感问卷,对上海市207名工读学校学生和116名普通学校学生进行调查,探讨工读学校学生同伴依恋、自我概念与孤独感的特点及关系,结果发现:(1)和普通学生相比,工读学校学生对同伴更缺乏信任、情感更疏离,具有较低的自我概念,体验到的孤独情绪也较强烈;(2)工读学校二年级学生的自我概念比其他年级学生要消极、女生比男生持有更为消极的自我概念,尤其是二年级的女生更为突出,而且女生比男生更容易体会到孤独感;(3)同伴依恋各维度在对孤独感的预测程度和方式上存在着很大的差异;(4)对于不同类型的学生,自我概念的不同维度在同伴依恋与孤独感关系中的中介作用模型是不同的.     

Teacher-student interactions in fifth grade classrooms: Relations with children's peer behavior

This study investigates the extent to which teacher-student interactions in fifth grade classrooms are associated with peer behavior in fifth grade, accounting for prior peer functioning. Participants included 894 fifth grade students from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. The quality of teacher-student interactions (emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support) was assessed through classroom observations in fifth grade; peer behavior was assessed via teacher report (prosocial behavior, aggression, relational aggression, and asocial behavior) in fourth and fifth grades and classroom observations (sociable/cooperative peer behavior) in third and fifth grades. Multiple regression analyses revealed that children in fifth grade classrooms with higher quality organization interactions had more positive observed interactions with their peers and lower teacher ratings of aggression and relational aggression. In addition, emotional support interactions were related to higher teacher ratings of prosocial behavior. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed.     

Relations between different types of children's aggressive behavior and sociometric status among peers of the same and opposite gender

Croatian elementary school children in grades 4 to 6 (N= 151) reported on direct and indirect aggressive behaviors of their classmates. Acceptance and rejection by classmates were also assessed, employing the sociometric nomination technique. Correlational analyses revealed that both forms of aggression were related to peer rejection, but unrelated to peer acceptance. Girls' aggression was more strongly related to peer rejection than boys' aggression, independent of the type of aggression. Aggressive children of both genders tended to be more rejected by their same-gender classmates than by classmates of the opposite gender. Results were discussed in terms of children's attitudes towards aggression, and gender stereotyped perception of appropriateness of aggressive behavior. A need to examine developmental changes and cultural differences in relationships between aggression and peer status was emphasized.     

Peer Victimization in Middle School

ABSTRACT

African American (n = 350) and Latino (n = 435) 6th grade students from eight middle schools completed self-report measures of peer victimization and psychological adjustment (i.e., self-esteem, anxiety, loneliness, depression, and physical symptoms). Peer nomination procedures were used to determine which students had reputations as victims and which students were accepted, rejected, and perceived as most «cool.» In addition, homeroom teachers rated participating students on social behavior and academic engagement and students' grades were collected from school records. We created four victim groups based on self-and peer perceptions. «True» victims (agreement between self and peer) experienced the worst outcomes on all of the adjustment variables examined. However, different adjustment difficulties were reported for victim groups where there was disagreement between self-and peer views. Self-perceived victimization was predictive of psychological maladjustment, whereas the reputational measure was more related to peer rejection and negative teacher ratings. The implications of the findings for both accurate identification of victims of harassment and targeted intervention strategies were discussed.     

童年中期儿童同伴交往与孤独感的交叉滞后分析

2003年6月和2004年6月追踪调查了430名3、4、5年级儿童,采用交叉滞后分析法探讨了同伴交往与孤独感的相互关系。结果表明:控制了社交自我知觉的影响后,友谊质量与孤独感存在显著的交叉滞后效应;而社会喜好和社会行为在控制了社交自我知觉的作用后,与孤独感不存在显著的相互作用;社交自我知觉与孤独感存在显著的相互预测关系。同伴交往各变量中,社交自我知觉对孤独感具有最大的预测力。     

留守初中生同伴侵害与攻击性的关系:链式多重中介模型

为探究留守初中生同伴侵害与攻击性的关系机制,通过构建链式多重中介模型,考察歧视知觉、孤独感和心理韧性在二者关系中的多重中介效应。采用问卷调查法对519名留守初中生进行调查,结果显示：（1）留守初中生同伴侵害的发生率为96.3%,具有普遍性;（2）留守初中生同伴侵害、歧视知觉、孤独感、心理韧性与攻击性之间均呈显著相关;（3）留守初中生的歧视知觉、孤独感和心理韧性在其同伴侵害与攻击性的关系中具有链式多重中介作用;（4）同伴侵害与攻击性关系模型具有一定稳定性,同时在是否留守及单亲与双亲外出留守初中生群体中存在显著差异。研究结果揭示了同伴侵害与攻击性的关系机制,可为探索留守初中生不良同伴关系的教育策略提供参考。     

留守初中生同伴侵害与攻击性的关系:链式多重中介模型

为探究留守初中生同伴侵害与攻击性的关系机制,通过构建链式多重中介模型,考察歧视知觉、孤独感和心理韧性在二者关系中的多重中介效应。采用问卷调查法对519名留守初中生进行调查,结果显示：（1）留守初中生同伴侵害的发生率为96.3%,具有普遍性;（2）留守初中生同伴侵害、歧视知觉、孤独感、心理韧性与攻击性之间均呈显著相关;（3）留守初中生的歧视知觉、孤独感和心理韧性在其同伴侵害与攻击性的关系中具有链式多重中介作用;（4）同伴侵害与攻击性关系模型具有一定稳定性,同时在是否留守及单亲与双亲外出留守初中生群体中存在显著差异。研究结果揭示了同伴侵害与攻击性的关系机制,可为探索留守初中生不良同伴关系的教育策略提供参考。     

学业成绩影响儿童孤独感的中介变量分析

为考察、检验学业成绩影响儿童孤独感的中介变量,采用同伴提名问卷、依恋量表、儿童孤独感量表调查了4—6年级438名儿童。结果表明,在考察单一变量的中介作用时,亲子依恋、同伴拒绝分别在学业成绩与儿童孤独感之间起部分中介作用,教师接纳在二者之间起完全中介作用;当同时考察亲子依恋、同伴拒绝、教师接纳在学业成绩与孤独感之间的中介作用时,三种社会关系起完全中介作用。结论：教师接纳、同伴拒绝和亲子依恋是学业成绩与孤独感之间的中介变量。     

Cross-sectional and longitudinal relations among peer-reported trustworthiness, social relationships, and psychological adjustment in children and early adolescents from the United Kingdom and Canada

Trustworthiness was examined in children and early adolescents from two countries. In Study 1,505 children in the fifth and sixth school years in the United Kingdom (mean age = 9 years 7 months) were tested across an 8-month period. In Study 2,350 sixth- through eighth-grade Canadian children and early adolescents (mean age = 12 years 11 months) were tested across a 1-year period. Participants completed measures assessing trustworthiness (ratings of promise and secret keeping by peer group and also by best friend in Study 1), assertiveness (Study 1), prosocial behavior (Study 2), social relationships (friendships and peer preference), and psychological adjustment (self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and loneliness). Peer-reported trustworthiness was positively associated with, and predicted changes across time in, the number of friendships. The observed relations were found to be statistically independent of peer preference and peer-reported assertiveness or prosocial behavior. Trustworthiness was found to be positively associated with peer preference (Study 1 and Study 2) and psychological adjustment (Study 1).     

Associations between peer nominations, teacher ratings, self-reports, and observations of malicious and disruptive behavior

This study evaluates the validity of two aggression scales for predicting observations of malicious or disruptive behavior at school. Subgroups of a sample of 1,560 children (age 8.6+/-1.5 years) were assessed using (a) peer nominations of aggression, (b) teacher reports on the Teacher Report Form (TRF) of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Aggression scale and the peer nomination items, or (c) self-reports on the peer nomination items. Criteria were observations of physical, verbal, initiated, retaliatory, malicious, and disruptive behaviors. Teacher report peer nominations predicted observed physical, verbal, initiated, and retaliatory aggression and disruptive behavior. Peer nominations predicted physical aggression, verbal aggression, initiation and disruptive behavior, and TRFs predicted verbal, initiated, and disruptive behavior. Self-reports did not significantly predict any behavior. Implications for assessment of aggression are discussed.     

Aggression and social status: the moderating roles of sex and peer‐valued characteristics

Research on peer rejection has long emphasized links between aggressive behavior and peer liking, with aggressive children and adolescents being more rejected by peers. However, recent research shows that at least some aggressive students enjoy considerable power and influence and are perceived as “popular” within the peer group. To understand the processes underlying links between aggression and social status, the present research considered three distinct indices of social status (social preference, perceived popularity, and power) and investigated the degree to which the possession of peer‐valued characteristics moderated the links between status and aggression and whether these links varied by sex. A sample of 585 adolescents (grades 6–10) completed peer evaluation measures assessing social status, aggression (overt/physical, indirect/relational), and the degree to which peers possessed eight different peer‐valued characteristics (e.g., attractiveness, athleticism, etc.). Although sociometric indices of status were significantly related to perceived popularity, especially for boys, perceptions of power were more strongly linked to perceived popularity than to sociometric likeability. Moreover, the three indices of social status were differentially related to peers' assessments of aggression and to peer‐valued characteristics, with notable sex differences. As predicted, regression analyses demonstrated that the observed relationships between social status and aggression were moderated by the possession of peer‐valued characteristics; aggressive students who possessed peer‐valued characteristics enjoyed higher levels of perceived popularity and power and less disliking than those who did not. This relationship varied as a function of sex, the type of aggression considered, and the status construct predicted. Aggr. Behav. 32:396–408, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Peer rejection as an antecedent of young children's school adjustment: an examination of mediating processes.

A short-term longitudinal design (N = 399) was used to examine peer relations processes that may mediate the relation between peer rejection and children's emotional and academic adjustment during kindergarten. These proposed mediating processes extend the current literature by explicating behavioral pathways via which the attitudinal construct of peer rejection may affect adjustment outcomes. Structural equatiton modeling results supported the hypothesis that negative peer treatment (e.g., victimization, refusal of peer group entry bids, and exclusion from peer activities) and classroom participation partially mediate the relationship between rejection and adjustment outcomes. Rejected children were more likely to experience negative peer treatment, more likely to show decreases in classroom participation, and more likely to report loneliness, to express a desire to avoid school, and to perform less well on achievement measures.     

初中生的社会支持与学校适应的关系

采用问卷法对328名初中生的社会支持和学校适应状况进行研究,探讨不同支持源的社会支持和初中生的学校适应之间的关系。结果表明;(1)母亲是初中生最经常的支持源。(2)初一年级学生感受到的社会支持显著高于初二学生,其学校适应状况也显著好于初二学生。(3)社会支持水平不同的初中生在学校适应的质量上存在差异,高支持水平学生的适应质量显著高于低支持水平学生的适应质量。(4)教师支持、同学支持对初中生的学校适应具有显著的回归效应。两者对积极的学校适应具有增益作用,而对消极的学校适应具有缓冲作用。     

Bidirectional Associations between Peer Victimization and Functions of Aggression in Middle Childhood: Further Evaluation across Informants and Academic Years

The current 3-wave study examined bidirectional associations between peer victimization and functions of aggression across informants over a 1-year period in middle childhood, with attention to potential gender differences. Participants included 198 children (51% girls) in the third and fourth grades and their homeroom teachers. Peer victimization was assessed using both child- and teacher-reports, and teachers provided ratings of reactive and proactive aggression. Cross-classified multilevel cross-lagged models indicated that child-reports, but not teacher-reports, of peer victimization predicted higher levels of reactive aggression within and across academic years. Further, reactive aggression predicted subsequent increases in child- and teacher-reports of peer victimization across each wave of data. Several gender differences, particularly in the crossed paths between proactive aggression and peer victimization, also emerged. Whereas peer victimization was found to partially account for the stability of reactive aggression over time, reactive aggression did not account for the stability of peer victimization. Taken together with previous research, the current findings suggest that child-reports of peer victimization may help identify youth who are risk for exhibiting increased reactive aggression over time. Further, they highlight the need to target reactively aggressive behavior for the prevention of peer victimization in middle childhood.     

同伴拒绝、同伴接纳与农村留守儿童的心理适应：亲子亲合与逆境信念的作用*

以424名农村儿童为被试,基于留守儿童和非留守儿童之间的比较,在同伴关系的背景下探讨了亲子亲合与个体逆境信念对儿童攻击、学业违纪与孤独感的作用。结果表明：(1)同伴拒绝能显著增加儿童的攻击、学业违纪与孤独感,同伴接纳则显著降低儿童的学业违纪与孤独感,亲子亲合、积极的逆境信念能够显著降低儿童的孤独感;(2)亲子亲合对同伴拒绝与儿童攻击、学业违纪之间关系的调节效应在双亲外出儿童与非留守儿童群体中存在差异：高亲合条件下,同伴拒绝与非留守儿童的攻击、学业违纪之间存在显著关联,但是在双亲外出儿童中,这些关联不再显著;(3)亲子亲合能够调节同伴接纳与儿童孤独感之间的关系：在低亲合条件下,同伴接纳能够显著降低儿童的孤独感,但是二者在高亲合条件下不再存在关联。结果提示,农村留守儿童与父母间的紧密情感联结对于促进其心理适应具有保护作用,同伴接纳对儿童的亲情缺失具有补偿作用。     

Testing the Direction of Longitudinal Paths between Victimization,Peer Rejection,and Different Types of Internalizing Problems in Adolescence

The transition to secondary school is accompanied by the fragmentation of peer groups, while adolescents are also confronted with heightened incidents of bullying and increased levels of internalizing problems. Victimization, peer rejection, and internalizing problems are known to be interrelated, but how they influence each other over time remains unclear. We tested the direction of these associations by applying a cross-lagged path model among a large sample of Finnish adolescents (N = 5645; 49.1 % boys; M age at T1 = 14.0 years) after they transitioned to secondary school (grades 7–9). Self-reported depression, anxiety, and victimization and peer-reported rejection were measured 3 times over the course of 1 year. Results showed that depression was predictive of subsequent victimization for both boys and girls, in line with a symptoms-driven model; for girls, anxiety was reciprocally related to victimization, in line with a transactional model; for boys, victimization was related to subsequent anxiety, in line with an interpersonal risk model. Peer rejection was not directly related to depression or anxiety, but among girls peer rejection was bi-directionally related to victimization. Overall, our results suggest that associations between internalizing problems and peer relations differ between depression and anxiety and between genders. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.