{"title":"The Protective Role of Supportive Relationships in Mitigating Bullying Victimization and Psychological Distress in Adolescents","authors":"Karyn L. Healy, James G. Scott, Hannah J. Thomas","doi":"10.1007/s10826-024-02891-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Supportive relationships have been hypothesized to protect against psychological distress in general and to reduce the impacts of adversity on distress. Bullying victimization by peers is a salient adverse experience for many adolescents. Being bullied increases the risk of psychological distress which in turn increases the risk of further bullying victimization. There is minimal previous research on whether and how supportive relationships protect adolescents from bullying victimization, psychological distress and the recursive relationships between victimization and distress. This study investigated the direct and moderating effects of supportive relationships with parents, peers, and teachers on later psychological distress and bullying victimization of adolescents. This longitudinal study involved 1425 Australian adolescents aged 12–18 years (mostly male, 74.3%), using questionnaires on bullying victimization, psychological distress, and supportive relationships at two-time points, 6 months apart. All types of supportive relationships reduced the risk of later psychological distress predicted from earlier psychological distress, suggesting a direct compensatory effect. Support from classmates and parents also protected adolescents against ongoing bullying victimization and mitigated the impact of bullying victimization on later psychological distress, consistent with a stress-buffering hypothesis. The pattern of results confirms the important role that supportive relationships play in protecting adolescents from psychological distress and bullying victimization. Persistent bullying victimization and later psychological distress are less likely to occur for victimized adolescents supported by parents and classmates. Strategies and programs that improve parental support may enhance the effectiveness of programs to prevent bullying and improve outcomes for victims.</p>","PeriodicalId":48362,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child and Family Studies","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Child and Family Studies","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02891-2","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FAMILY STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Supportive relationships have been hypothesized to protect against psychological distress in general and to reduce the impacts of adversity on distress. Bullying victimization by peers is a salient adverse experience for many adolescents. Being bullied increases the risk of psychological distress which in turn increases the risk of further bullying victimization. There is minimal previous research on whether and how supportive relationships protect adolescents from bullying victimization, psychological distress and the recursive relationships between victimization and distress. This study investigated the direct and moderating effects of supportive relationships with parents, peers, and teachers on later psychological distress and bullying victimization of adolescents. This longitudinal study involved 1425 Australian adolescents aged 12–18 years (mostly male, 74.3%), using questionnaires on bullying victimization, psychological distress, and supportive relationships at two-time points, 6 months apart. All types of supportive relationships reduced the risk of later psychological distress predicted from earlier psychological distress, suggesting a direct compensatory effect. Support from classmates and parents also protected adolescents against ongoing bullying victimization and mitigated the impact of bullying victimization on later psychological distress, consistent with a stress-buffering hypothesis. The pattern of results confirms the important role that supportive relationships play in protecting adolescents from psychological distress and bullying victimization. Persistent bullying victimization and later psychological distress are less likely to occur for victimized adolescents supported by parents and classmates. Strategies and programs that improve parental support may enhance the effectiveness of programs to prevent bullying and improve outcomes for victims.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Child and Family Studies (JCFS) international, peer-reviewed forum for topical issues pertaining to the behavioral health and well-being of children, adolescents, and their families. Interdisciplinary and ecological in approach, the journal focuses on individual, family, and community contexts that influence child, youth, and family well-being and translates research results into practical applications for providers, program implementers, and policymakers. Original papers address applied and translational research, program evaluation, service delivery, and policy matters that affect child, youth, and family well-being. Topic areas include but are not limited to: enhancing child, youth/young adult, parent, caregiver, and/or family functioning; prevention and intervention related to social, emotional, or behavioral functioning in children, youth, and families; cumulative effects of risk and protective factors on behavioral health, development, and well-being; the effects both of exposure to adverse childhood events and assets/protective factors; child abuse and neglect, housing instability and homelessness, and related ecological factors influencing child and family outcomes.