Unraveling the long-term links among adolescent peer victimization and somatic symptoms: A 5-year multi-informant cohort study

Abstract

Purpose

To examine the prospective associations among peer victimization and somatic symptoms across 5 years of adolescence using multiple informants and disaggregating effects at the within-person and between-person level.

Methods

From age 13–17 years, 612 Canadian children (54% girls; 76% White) completed measures of peer victimization and somatic symptoms. Parents (89% mothers) reported on their child's somatic symptoms. We built autoregressive latent trajectory models with structured residuals, controlling for diagnosed medical and psychiatric conditions, sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Results

Within-person, self-reported somatic symptoms were stable across time and there were bidirectional associations between peer victimization and somatic symptoms across the 5-year period. The magnitude of effect was strongest from somatic symptoms to peer victimization. Between-person, being a girl or having a psychiatric diagnosis predicted higher mean levels and rising trajectories of somatic symptoms and higher mean levels of peer victimization. The level of peer victimization among non-White participants increased over time. In the parent-reported model, somatic symptoms were less stable and did not predict peer victimization.

Conclusions

The results highlight the dynamic processes between peer victimization and somatic symptoms. Increased effort is needed to protect adolescents with psychiatric problems, girls, and ethnic minorities from peer abuse.