Some children become chronically victimized early in their social development by their peers, and this may be more common in children who were aggressive in infancy, are from families with harsh parenting styles and insufficient income, according to an article released on October 6, 2008 in Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals
In the early school years, as many as one in ten children is the direct target of abuse from his peers, ranging from direct physical attacks to hostile words and social aggression. It has previously been shown that this sort of victimization becomes more stable over time. This means that the negative experiences these children experience are only compounded throughout childhood and adolescence. The authors note that high and chronic victimization are associated with many adverse outcomes, “including depression, loneliness, low self-esteem, physical health problems, social withdrawal, alcohol and/or drug use, school absence and avoidance, decrease in school performance, self-harm and suicidal ideation [thoughts and behaviors].”
To investigate the influence of various risk factors on this type of victimization, Edward D. Barker, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and colleagues studied 1,970 children who were born in Québec, Montreal, Canada, between the dates October 1997 and July 1998. Assessments were performed on the children at the following ages: 4.5 months, 16.6 months, 2.4, 3.4, 4.1, 5.1, 6.2, and 7.2 years. At each of these points, mothers of the children responded with information about victimization, family adversity, parenting styles, physical aggression, hyperactivity, and any internalizing of symptoms. In the final follow-up at 7.2 years, both teachers and children reported on the victimization by classmates. The subjects were then classified by victimization status between the ages of 3.4 and 6.2 years.
Most of the children showed victimization in a low/increasing pattern (71%,) while fewer had a moderate/increasing pattern (25%,) and even fewer had a high/chronic pattern (4%.) In general, the results indicated that in preschoolers, as they spend more time interacting with their peers, they tend to have more negative experiences.
There were some early behaviors that were associated with higher or more chronic victimization. According to their mothers’ reports, those with the highest levels of victimization at the final endpoint tended to have higher levels earlier in life. There was also a higher likelihood of victimization in preschool if children were aggressive at a young age. Being exposed to harsh parenting was another risk factor, as was insufficient family income. However, early internalizing symptoms, such as sadness, fear, or anxiety, was not associate with victimization. Hyperactivity was also not associated with the outcome.
The authors note an additional implication of their research, that while there may be many factors that are associated with subsequent victimization, “the present results also suggest that multiple forms of victimization may be the norm for victimized children, i.e., children with a high/chronic trajectory had harsh, reactive parents and were victimized by peers in preschool and after school entry. Other forms of victimization are likely to occur for these children, both within the school (e.g., verbal bullying by teachers) and within the community, particularly within low socioeconomic contexts.”
They continue, finally advocating for action for these children: “These results suggest that early preventive interventions should target both child- and parent-level risks and focus on alternatives to harsh and aggressive interactions.”
Predictive Validity and Early Predictors of Peer-Victimization Trajectories in Preschool
Edward D. Barker, PhD; Michel Boivin, PhD; Mara Brendgen, PhD; Nathalie Fontaine, PhD; Louise Arseneault, PhD; Frank Vitaro, PhD; Catherine Bissonnette, MSc; Richard E. Tremblay, PhD
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65(10):1185-1192.
Written by Anna Sophia McKenney