Friendship as a moderating factor in the pathway between early harsh home environment and later victimization in the peer group.

Abstract

Two prospective investigations of the moderating role of dyadic friendship in the developmental pathway to peer victimization are reported. In Study 1, the preschool home environments (i.e., harsh discipline, marital conflict, stress, abuse, and maternal hostility) of 389 children were assessed by trained interviewers. These children were then followed into the middle years of elementary school, with peer victimization, group social acceptance, and friendship assessed annually with a peer nomination inventory. In Study 2, the home environments of 243 children were assessed in the summer before 1st grade, and victimization, group acceptance, and friendship were assessed annually over the next 3 years. In both studies, early harsh, punitive, and hostile family environments predicted later victimization by peers for children who had a low number of friendships. However, the predictive associations did not hold for children who had numerous friendships. These findings provide support for conceptualizations of friendship as a moderating factor in the pathways to peer group victimization.

Cites (5)

1. Interaction Effects in Multiple Regression
   Jaccard, James, Turrisi, Robert · 2003
2. Children's friendship relations: A meta-analytic review.
   Newcomb, Andrew F., Bagwell, Catherine L. · 1995 · Psychological Bulletin
3. Externalizing behavior problems and discipline revisited: Nonlinear effects and variation by culture, context, and gender
   Deater-Deckard, Kirby, Dodge, Kenneth A. · 1997 · Psychological Inquiry
4. The roles of social withdrawal, peer rejection, and victimization by peers in predicting loneliness and depressed mood in childhood
   Boivin, Michel, Hymel, Shelley, Bukowski, William M. · 1995 · Development and Psychopathology
5. Interaction of temperamental resistance to control and restrictive parenting in the development of externalizing behavior.
   Bates, John E., Pettit, Gregory S., Dodge, Kenneth A., Ridge, Beth · 1998 · Developmental Psychology

Show all 5 references

Cited by (18)

1. Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups
   Rubin, Kenneth H., Bukowski, William M., Parker, Jeffrey G. · 2007 · Handbook of Child Psychology
2. Childhood peer relationships: social acceptance, friendships, and peer networks
   Gifford-Smith, Mary E, Brownell, Celia A · 2003 · Journal of School Psychology
3. Parenting behavior and the risk of becoming a victim and a bully/victim: A meta-analysis study
   Lereya, Suzet Tanya, Samara, Muthanna, Wolke, Dieter · 2013 · Child Abuse & Neglect
4. Update on bullying at school: Science forgotten?
   Stassen Berger, Kathleen · 2007 · Developmental Review
5. Social behavior and peer relationships of victims, bully‐victims, and bullies in kindergarten
   Perren, Sonja, Alsaker, Françoise D. · 2006 · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

See all 243