The role of stress-reactive rumination in the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms in adolescence

Past research has demonstrated a consistent link between victimization and depression in adolescents. Additionally, researchers have found that two specific types of victimization, physical and relational, are related to overall depression. However, researchers have not yet employed a process-oriented approach to examine mediators of the link between victimization and depression. Also, the link between other specific types of victimization (e.g., reputational and sexual) and specific symptoms of depression (e.g., depressed affect, interpersonal problems, and somatic and retardation complaints) has not yet been examined. The purpose of the current study was to explore the role of a specific cognitive response, stress-reactive rumination (SRR), as a mediator of the relationship between four types of victimization and three types of depressive symptoms.;Participants were 123 middle and high school students from a St. Louis county school district. Data were collected using three questionnaires measuring self-reported peer victimization (i.e., physical, relational, reputational, and sexual), depressive symptoms (i.e., depressed affect, interpersonal problems, and somatic/retardation complaints), and SRR. Data collection occurred in groups.;Results indicated that, for the middle school group, reports of sexual victimization increased with grade. Additionally, middle school boys reported greater physical victimization than did girls. There were no grade or gender differences in depressive symptoms or SRR. All variables of interest were significantly intercorrelated, a prerequisite for mediation analysis. Results indicated that a specific dimension of SRR, negative SRR, or negative thoughts in response to a stressor, was a mediator of 9 of the 12 possible relationships between victimization and depressive symptoms. Descriptive data are presented for the high school group, which was too small for statistical analysis. Results are discussed in light of the importance of examining all types of victimization, especially sexual victimization, in adolescence. Additionally, the need for future research examining outcomes of victimization using a process-oriented approach is emphasized.