Peer victimization in school: Implications for mental health, physical symptoms, and school adjustment

The present study assessed the effects of peer victimization events on fluctuations in daily negative affect, social perceptions, and global adjustment over time in an ethnically diverse sample of 215 sixth graders. It also tested the effects of the daily report methodology on changes in students' adjustment over time. Students were assigned to 1 of 2 daily report groups or a control group. The Experience-Only daily report group reported on their daily negative affect and personal experiences with peer victimization while the Experience + Witness daily report group reported on both experienced and witnessed victimization events. These daily reports were collected on 5 separate days during a 2-week period. Additionally, they reported on their social perceptions and psychological adjustment at 3 time points---before, after, and 2 weeks after the daily report portion of the study. A third group of students only completed questionnaires at the 3 time points and did not take part in the daily report portion of the study. Students reported significant decreases in anxiety and school aversion over time. However, on days in which students personally experienced peer victimization, their humiliation, anxiety, school aversion, and physical symptoms increased significantly. Further analyses revealed that students' humiliation increased in association with public (but not private) victimization events, whereas school aversion increased in association with private victimization. Physical symptoms increased regardless of whether victimization took place in private or public. Witnessed peer victimization appeared to buffer students against increased feelings of humiliation on days in which they also experienced peer victimization. Individual difference variables were also tested to determine whether they moderated the association between peer victimization and negative affect. High perceived frequency of victimization, characterological self-blame, and low perceived prevalence predicted greater reactivity to peer victimization on a daily level. There were overall improvements in social perceptions and global adjustment during the course of the study. There were no differences between the daily report groups and control group in these improvements. Thus, the daily report methodology did not appear to influence change in adjustment over time. Implications for theory and prevention and intervention are discussed.