Peer victimization and social anxiety in adolescence: a prospective study
Corresponding Author
Eric A. Storch
Teachers College, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Box 100234, Gainesville, Florida 32610Search for more papers by this authorCarrie Masia-Warner
New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
Search for more papers by this authorRachel G. Klein
New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Eric A. Storch
Teachers College, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Box 100234, Gainesville, Florida 32610Search for more papers by this authorCarrie Masia-Warner
New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
Search for more papers by this authorRachel G. Klein
New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
This study reports a one-year prospective investigation of the relations between overt and relational victimization and social anxiety and phobia in a sample of adolescents. The Social Experience Questionnaire—Self Report Form (SEQ-S), Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A), and Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C) were administered to 144 ninth grade adolescents. A follow-up assessment with the SEQ-S, SAS-A, and SPAI-C was conducted one year later. Results indicated that relational victimization predicted symptoms of social phobia but not general social anxiety and avoidance one year later. Overt victimization was not a significant predictor of social anxiety and phobia one year later. Social anxiety and phobia did not predict peer victimization one year later. However, increases in social anxiety and social phobia symptoms (for boys) over time were positively associated with increases in relational victimization over time. Implications of these findings for peer victimization and social anxiety in the development of social phobia and negative peer experiences are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 00:1–16, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
REFERENCES
- American Psychiatric Association. 1994. “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” 4th edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
- Beidel DC, Turner SM, Morris TL. 1995. A new inventory to assess childhood social anxiety and phobia: The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children. Psychological Assessment 7: 73–79.
- Bjorkqvist K. 1994. Sex differences in physical, verbal, and indirect aggression: A review of recent research. Sex Roles 30: 177–188.
- Boivin M, Hymel S, Bukowski WM. 1995. The roles of social withdrawal, peer rejection, and victimization in peers in predicting loneliness and depressed mood in children. Developmental Psychopathology 7: 765–786.
- Bond L, Carlin JB, Thomas L, Rubin K, Patton G. 2001. Does bullying cause emotional problems? A prospective study of young teenagers. British Medical Journal 323: 480–484.
- Boulton M, Underwood K. 1992. Bully/victim problems among middle school children. British Journal of Educational Psychology 62: 73–87.
- Buss AH. 1986. A theory of shyness. In WH Jones, JM Cheek, Biggs SR (eds): “Shyness: Perspectives on Research and Treatment,” New York: Plenum, pp 39–46.
10.1007/978-1-4899-0525-3_4 Google Scholar
- Cairns RB, Cairns BD, Neckerman HJ, Ferguson LL, Gariepy JL. 1989. Growth and aggression: Childhood to early adolescence. Developmental Psychology 25: 320–330.
- Craig WM. 1998. The relationship among bullying, victimization, depression, anxiety, and aggression in elementary school children. Personality and Individual Differences 24: 123–130.
- Crick NR, Bigbee MA. 1998. Relational and overt forms of peer victimization: A multi-informant approach. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 66: 337–347.
- Crick NR, Grotpeter JK. 1996. Children's treatment by peers: Victims of relational and overt aggression. Developmental Psychopathology 8: 367–380.
- Crick NR, Bigbee MA, Howes C. 1996. Gender differences in children's normative beliefs about aggression: How do I hurt thee? Let me count the ways. Child Development 67: 1003–1014.
- Crick NR, Nelson DA, Morales JR, Cullerton-Sen C, Casas JF, Hickman SE. 2001. Relational victimization in childhood and adolescence: I hurt you through the grapevine. In J Juvonen, S Graham (eds): “Peer Harassment in School: The Plight of the Vulnerable and Victimized,” New York: The Guilford Press.
- Dodge KA. 1985. Attributional bias in aggressive children. In PC Kendall (ed): “Advances in Cognitive-Behavioral Research and Therapy,” Vol. 4, Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
- Epkins CC. 2002. A comparison of two self-report measures of children's social anxiety in clinic and community samples. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 31: 69–79.
- Francis G, Radka DF. 1995. Social anxiety in children and adolescents. In: Stein MB (ed): “Social phobia: Clinical and research perspectives,” Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
- Galen BR, Underwood MK. 1997. A developmental investigation of social aggression among children. Developmental Psychology 33: 589–600.
- Ginsburg GS, La Greca AM, Silverman WK. 1998. Social anxiety in children with anxiety disorders: Relation with social and emotional functioning. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 26: 175–185.
- Grills AE, Ollendick TH. 2002. Peer victimization, global self-worth, and anxiety in middle school children. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 31: 59–68.
- Hanish LD, Guerra NG. 2002. A longitudinal analysis of patterns of adjustment following peer victimization. Development and Psychopathology 14: 69–89.
- Hawker DS, Boulton MJ. 2000. Twenty years' research on peer victimization and psychosocial adjustment: A meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines 41: 441–455.
- Hayward C, Sanborn K. 2002. Puberty and the emergence of gender differences in psychopathology. Journal of Adolescent Health 30S: 49–58.
- Hodges EV, Perry DG. 1999. Personal and interpersonal antecedents and consequences of victimization by peers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 76: 677–685.
- Hodges EV, Malone MJ, Perry DG. 1997. Individual risk and social risk as interacting determinants of victimization in the peer group. Developmental Psychology 33: 1032–1039.
- Inderbitzen HM, Hope DA. 1995. Relationship among adolescent reports of social anxiety, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Journal of Anxiety Disorders 9: 385–396.
- Inderbitzen-Nolan HM, Walters KS. 2000. Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents: Normative data and further evidence of construct validity. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 29: 360–371.
- Khatri P, Kupersmidt JB, Patterson C. 2000. Aggression and peer victimization as predictors of self-reported behavioral and emotional adjustment. Aggressive Behavior 26: 345–358.
- Kochenderfer BJ, Ladd GW. 1997. Victimized children's responses to peers' aggression: Behaviors associated with reduced versus continued victimization. Development and Psychopathology 9: 59–73.
- La Greca AM. 1999. “Manual for the Social Anxiety Scales for Children and Adolescents.” Miami: Author.
- La Greca AM, Lopez N. 1998. Social anxiety among adolescents: Linkages with peer relations and friendships. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 26: 83–94.
- La Greca AM, Stone WL. 1993. Social Anxiety Scale for Children—Revised: Factor structure and concurrent validity. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 22: 17–27.
- Lagerspetz KMJ, Bjorkqvist K, Peltonen T. 1988. Is indirect aggression typical of females? Gender differences in 11- to 12-year-old children. Aggressive Behavior 14: 403–414.
- Leff SS, Power TJ, Manz PH, Costigan TE, Nabors LA. 2001. School-based aggression prevention programs for young children: Current status and implications for violence prevention. School Psychology Review 30: 344–362.
- Liebowitz MR, Gorman JM, Fyer AJ, Klein DF. 1985. Social phobia: Review of a neglected disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry 42: 729–736.
- Masia-Warner C, Storch EA, Dent HC. in press. Transporting empirically-based treatments into school settings. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice.
- McNelles LR, Connolly JA. 1999. Intimacy between adolescent friends: Age and gender differences in intimate affect and intimate behaviors. Journal of Research on Adolescence 9: 143–159.
- Morris TL, Masia CL. 1998. Psychometric evaluation of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children: Concurrent validity and normative data. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 27: 452–458.
- Myers MG, Stein MB, Aarons GA. 2002. Cross validation of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents in a high school sample. Journal of Anxiety Disorders 16: 221–232.
- Nansel TR, Overpeck M, Pilla RS, Ruan WJ, Simons-Morton B, Scheidt P. 2001. Bully behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association 285: 2094–2100.
- O'Moore AM, Kirkham C, Smith M. 1997. Bullying behaviour in Irish schools. A nationwide study. Irish Journal of Psychology 18: 141–169.
- Olweus D. 1978. “Aggression in the Schools: Bullies and Whipping Boys.” Washington, DC: Hemisphere Press.
- Olweus D. 1993. “Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do.” Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishers.
- Osterman K, Bjorkqvist K, Lagerspetz KMJ, Kaukiainen A, Landau SF, Fraczek A, Caprara GV. 1998. Cross-cultural evidence of female indirect aggression. Aggressive Behavior 24: 1–8.
- Owens L, Slee P, Shute R. 2000. It hurts a hell of a lot. School Psychology International 21: 359–376.
- Paquette JA, Underwood MK. 1999. Gender differences in young adolescents' experiences of peer victimization: Social and physical aggression. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 45: 242–266.
- Parker JG, Rubin KH, Price JM, DeRosier ME. 1995. Peer relationships, child development, and adjustment: A developmental psychopathology perspective. In D Cicchetti, DJ Cohen (eds): “Developmental Psychopathology,” Vol. 2, New York: Wiley.
- Pine DS, Cohen P, Gurley D, Brook J, Ma Y. 1998. The risk for early-adult anxiety and depressive disorders in adolescents with anxiety and depressive disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry 55: 56–64.
- Prinstein MJ, Boergers J, Vernberg EM. 2001. Overt and relational aggression in adolescents: Social-psychological adjustment of aggressors and victims. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 30: 479–491.
- Schneier F, Johnson J, Hornig C, Liebowitz M, Weissman M. 1992. Social phobia: Comorbidity and morbidity in an epidemiologic sample. Archives of General Psychiatry 49: 282–288.
- Schwartz D, McFayden-Kettchum SA, Dodge KA, Pettit GS, Bates JE. 1998. Peer group victimization as a predictor or children's behavior problems at home and in school. Developmental Psychopathology 10: 87–99.
- Silverman W, La Greca AM, Wassterin S. 1995. What do children worry about? Worries and their relation to anxiety. Child Development 18: 671–686.
- Storch EA, Masia CL. 2001. Peer victimization and social anxiety and distress in adolescence. In Prinstein M (Chair), “Peer Relationships, Social Anxiety, and Developmental Psychopathology.” Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavioral Therapy, Philadelphia, PA.
- Storch EA, Masia CL. 2002. “Peer Victimization and Social Anxiety in Female Adolescents.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavioral Therapy, Reno, NV.
- Storch EA, Nock MK, Masia CL, Barlas ME. in press. Peer victimization and social-psychological adjustment in Hispanic-American and African-American children. Journal of Child and Family Studies 12: 439–452.
10.1023/A:1026016124091 Google Scholar
- Storch EA, Zelman E, Sweeney M, Danner G, Dove S. 2002. Overt and relational victimization, and psychosocial adjustment in minority preadolescents. Child Study Journal 32: 73–80.
- Strauss CC, Frame CL, Forehand R. 1987. Psychosocial impairment associated with anxiety in children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 16: 235–239.
- Strauss CC, Lahey BB, Frick P, Frame CL, Hynd GW. 1988. Peer social status of children with anxiety disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 56: 137–141.
- Turner SM, Beidel DC, Dancu CV, Keys DJ. 1986. Psychopathology of social phobia and comparison to avoidant personality. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 95: 389–394.
- Turner SM, McCanna M, Beidel DC. 1987. Validity of the Social Avoidance and Distress and Fear of Negative Evaluation scales. Behaviour Research and Therapy 25: 113–115.
- Vernberg EM, Abwender DA, Ewell KK, Beery SH. 1992. Social anxiety and peer relationships in early adolescence. A prospective analysis. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 21: 189–196.
- Watson D, Friend R. 1969. Measurement of social-evaluative anxiety. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology 33: 448–457.
- Whitney I, Smith PK. 1993. A survey of the nature and extent of bullying in junior/middle and secondary schools. Educational Research 35: 3–25.
- Wittchen H-U, Stein MB, Kessler RC. 1999. Social fears and social phobia in a community sample of adolescents and young adults: Prevalence, risk factors and comorbidity. Psychological Medicine 29: 309–323.