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The Relation Between Peer Victimization and Changes in Trauma Symptoms in Adolescents

Peer victimization has been shown to negatively impact youth functioning and may be especially damaging during adolescence, given the increased importance of peers. However, there is a dearth of longitudinal research examining trauma symptomatology as an outcome of peer victimization with low-income, ethnic minority adolescents. The present study investigated this relation in a predominantly African American sample of 684 students assessed at five time points between the fall of their sixth grade and seventh grade school years. Growth mixture models grouped participants with similar victimization trajectories, and latent growth models related growth trajectories of physical and relational victimization to changes in trauma symptoms. Although initial levels of victimization were unrelated to changes in trauma symptoms over time, increasing victimization was associated with increasing trauma symptoms. These findings provide insight into the relation between peer victimization and trauma in an underserved sample of adolescents, with important implications for prevention efforts.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:vcu.edu/oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-4604
Date01 January 2014
CreatorsLe, Anh-Thuy H.
PublisherVCU Scholars Compass
Source SetsVirginia Commonwealth University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceTheses and Dissertations
Rights© The Author

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