Relations Among Peer Victimization, Aggression, and School Climate Among Elementary School Students in China

Is Social Mindfulness an Antidote to Early Adolescents' Aggressive Behavior in Daily School Life? The Moderating Role of Classroom Interpersonal Climate

OBJECTIVE

The current study aimed to elucidate how fluctuations in social mindfulness were related to early adolescents' proactive and reactive aggressive behavior on a day-to-day basis. Daily (within-person) fluctuations and average between-person differences in classroom interpersonal climate were further examined as potential moderators of the aforementioned daily association, respectively.

METHOD

Using daily dairy procedures, 536 early adolescents (Mage = 10.40 years, SD = 0.94; 55.97% boys) completed a questionnaire once a day for 10 days.

RESULTS

Daily increases in social mindfulness were linked to concurrent and next-day reductions in reactive but not proactive aggressive behavior. Daily increases in social mindfulness were associated with reductions in the next day's reactive aggressive behavior, particularly among those who perceived the classroom interpersonal climate as average or below average. Within-day links between social mindfulness and both types of aggressive behavior did not change whether the classroom interpersonal climate perceived by early adolescents was better or worse than usual.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide a valuable reference for the prevention and intervention of aggressive behavior in early adolescents, in which cultivating social mindfulness and fostering a friendly and supportive interpersonal climate in the classroom may represent promising avenues to explore.

The Bidirectional Mediation Roles of Depression and Hostile Attribution Bias in the Relationship between Peer Conflict and Adolescents' Cyberbullying Perpetration: A Two-Wave Study

Previous research has established that the quality of peer relationships significantly impacts adolescents' physical and mental health. However, the relationship between peer conflict and cyberbullying perpetration remains insufficiently explored. Based on the General Aggression Model and the General Strain Theory, this study investigates the mediating role of depression and hostile attribution bias in the relationship between peer conflict and cyberbullying perpetration, as well as the moderating role of gender, aiming to offer a new perspective on understanding adolescent cyberbullying perpetration. Employing a two-wave survey design, the study encompassed 900 adolescents (Mage = 13.45, girls = 452), collecting data on peer conflict, depression, hostile attribution bias, and cyberbullying perpetration through self-reported questionnaires. The findings revealed that peer conflict at Time 1 (T1) significantly and positively predicted cyberbullying perpetration at Time 2 (T2). Depression and hostile attribution bias at T2 acted both individually and in a bidirectional chain as mediators between peer conflict at T1 and cyberbullying perpetration at T2. Gender differences were observed in the paths "peer conflict T1 → cyberbullying perpetration T2" and "depression T2 → cyberbullying perpetration T2." Specifically, compared to girls, boys who experienced peer conflict and depression were more likely to engage in cyberbullying perpetration. These findings not only theoretically expand the application of the General Strain Theory and the General Aggression Model, but also provide practical guidance for the prevention and intervention of cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents.

Peer Victimization and School Engagement among Chinese Adolescents: Does Classroom-Level Victimization Matter?

Peer victimization has been demonstrated to have a long-lasting negative impact on adolescents' psychological well-being, yet its impact on school engagement is inconclusive, particularly during high school. In addition, research about the role of classroom-level victimization in the association between individual-level peer victimization and adolescents' school engagement remains underexplored. Previous research has relied solely on self-report measures to assess peer victimization, potentially limiting the scope of understanding. This study investigated the moderating effects of both student-reported and teacher-reported classroom-level victimization on the association between individual-level peer victimization and school engagement among Chinese adolescents. A sample of 2,803 high school students (aged from 14-19 years, Mage = 15.43 years, SD = 0.56; 48.5% boys) from 48 classes (Mclass size = 58.62, SD = 3.65) completed measures of peer victimization and school engagement in October 2023. Their homeroom teachers (85.4% males; Mage = 44.17 years, SD = 7.70) reported overall victimization in each class. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that, at the individual level, adolescents who reported higher victimization exhibited lower school engagement. Notably, this association was significant only when the classroom-level victimization was high. Furthermore, these significant findings were observed for student-reported classroom-level victimization, but not for teacher-reported victimization. The findings suggest that reducing classroom-level victimization may help mitigate the negative effect of peer victimization on school engagement, underscoring the need to consider classroom environment when developing anti-bullying interventions for high school students.

Alexithymia and peer victimisation: interconnected pathways to adolescent non-suicidal self-injury

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents underscores the importance of understanding the complex factors that drive this behaviour. Framed within broader constructs of emotional regulation theories, alexithymia and peer victimisation are thought to interact to influence NSSI behaviours.

AIM

This research addresses whether alexithymia and peer victimisation serve as risk factors for NSSI and, if so, how these factors interact with each other.

METHOD

This quantitative study analysed data from 605 adolescents, using a range of validated self-report measures including the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Statistical analyses including one-way analysis of variance, multiple regression and structural equation modelling were employed to scrutinise the relationships among the variables.

RESULTS

Alexithymia and peer victimisation significantly predicted NSSI behaviours. Specifically, the 'difficulty in identifying feelings' subscale of alexithymia emerged as a noteworthy predictor of NSSI (P < 0.001). Peer victimisation mediated the relationship between alexithymia and NSSI, explaining approximately 24.50% of alexithymia's total effect on NSSI. In addition, age was a significant predictor of NSSI, but gender and education years were not (P > 0.05). These relationships were found to be invariant across genders.

CONCLUSIONS

This study enriches our understanding of the interplay between alexithymia, peer victimisation and NSSI, particularly within the Chinese context. Its findings have significant implications for a rethinking of alexithymia's theoretical construct and interventions targeting emotional literacy and peer dynamics among adolescents. Future research could benefit from a longitudinal design to establish causality.

Bidirectional relationship between bullying victimization and functions of aggression in adolescents: The mediating effect of teacher justice

INTRODUCTION

Bullying victimization and aggression are frequent phenomena among adolescents and have been linked to various mental health problems. Although the correlation between bullying victimization and aggression is well-documented, the direction between the two has been debated. Moreover, the underlying mechanism through which victimization influences aggression or vice versa has gained little attention. The current study used data across two-time points to address this gap and explore the reciprocal relationships between victimization and aggression. The mediating role of teacher justice and related gender differences were also examined.

METHODS

A total of 2462 Chinese adolescents (50.9% boys; M_age   =  13.95 years, SD = 0.60) completed measures on two occasions in 1 year with 6-month assessment intervals. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the longitudinal relations among the variables.

RESULTS

Results found that bullying victimization significantly and positively predicted both reactive and proactive aggression over time among the total sample. Reactive aggression significantly positively predicted victimization, while proactive aggression negatively predicted victimization in boys. Furthermore, teacher justice mediated the relationships between victimization and both functions of aggression. Mediation was gender-specific, with a significant mediating effect on girls.

CONCLUSIONS

The results reveal the violent cycle of bullying victimization and aggression and underscore the role of teacher justice in this process. These findings have important implications for targeted interventions.

Longitudinal association between interparental conflict and risk-taking behavior among Chinese adolescents: testing a moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

The interparental conflict has been associated with an increased adolescents' engagement in risk-taking behaviors. However, few studies have examined the potential mediation of deviant peer affiliation and the potential moderation of school climate. Grounded in the ecological system theory, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating role of school climate between the association of interparental conflict and risk-taking behavior.

METHODS

This study conducted a longitudinal design (3 time points, 3 months apart) with the sample comprising 550 middle school students in southeastern China (52.91% males; mean age at Time 1 = 15.37). The performed measurements encompassed interparental conflict (T1), deviant peer affiliation (T2), school climate (T3), risk-taking behavior (T1/T2/T3), and demographic information.

RESULTS

The moderated mediation model revealed that after controlling for T1/T2 risk-taking behavior, T1 interparental conflict was longitudinally and positively correlated with T3 risk-taking behavior through T2 deviant peer affiliation. Furthermore, moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that a positive school climate ameliorated the adverse impact of deviant peer affiliation on risk-taking behavior, thereby mitigating the indirect effect of interparental conflict on risk-taking behavior among adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings propose a nuanced explanation of the processing mechanisms between interparental conflict and risk-taking behaviors among Chinese adolescents. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Positive classroom climate buffers against increases in loneliness arising from shyness, rejection sensitivity and emotional reactivity

Loneliness is detrimental to well-being, particularly during the transition into and early years of adolescence when peer relations are ascendant. Shy and emotionally sensitive youth, who often spend considerable time alone, have known vulnerabilities to loneliness. Studies of young children suggest that a supportive classroom context may mitigate adjustment risks, reducing victimization and improving a sense of belonging. Herein we extend this work to older students, testing the hypothesis that a positive classroom climate protects temperamentally vulnerable children (i.e., those who are shy, emotionally reactive, or sensitive to rejection) from escalating levels of loneliness across the course of a school year. A community sample of 540 (277 boys, 263 girls) Lithuanian students in grades 5-7 (10-14 years old) completed identical surveys twice, 4-5 months apart. Self-reports assessed shyness, emotional reactivity, and rejection sensitivity, as well as perceived positive classroom climate and loneliness. Path analyses indicated that longitudinal associations from shyness, emotional reactivity, and rejection sensitivity to increased loneliness were mitigated by positive classroom climate. In each case, temperamental vulnerability anticipated greater loneliness for youth reporting low but not high positive classroom climate. The results held after accounting for several potential confounding variables. The findings have practical implications, suggesting that scholars and practitioners redouble efforts to improve classroom support, particularly for temperamentally vulnerable children who are at elevated risk for solitude, loneliness, and attendant mental health challenges.

Under Psychological Safety Climate: The Beneficial Effects of Teacher-Student Conflict

Previous studies have mainly focused on the negative effects of teacher-student conflict; the positive effects of conflict have rarely been mentioned. This paper suggests that encouraging conflict could act as a teaching method to improve students' innovative competence. This study has two objectives: (1) to examine how various types of teacher-student conflict affects students' innovative competence and (2) to identify the mediating role of a psychological safety climate in the association between conflict and students' innovative competence. To achieve the objectives, we used evidence from 1207 university students. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that conflicts were associated with students' innovative competence, and the mediation role of a psychological safety climate is significant. Specifically, the results revealed that Cognitive Conflict had significant positive effects on students' innovative competence, whereas Affective Conflict had a significant negative effect on students' innovative competence. In addition, we clarified a psychological safety climate as the boundary condition for the relationship between conflict and students' innovative competence.