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Divergence in Self- and Peer-Reported Victimization and its Association to Concurrent and Prospective Adjustment

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Abstract

Previous studies on victimization have either used self-reports of peer-reports, but correspondence between these measures is low, implying that types of victims may exist that differ in convergence between self- and peer-reported victimization. Importantly, the very few studies that do exist on such types were cross-sectional, and did not address the stability nor predictive validity in terms of adjustment of these types. Using a person-centered approach, the present study identified types of victims that were either convergent or divergent in self- and peer-reported victimization, and examined how these types differed in concurrent and prospective adjustment. Participants were 1,346 adolescents (50 % girls, mean age 14.2) who were followed for 1 year. Using Latent Profile Analysis, we identified two convergent types (self-peer identified victims and non-victims) and two divergent types (self-identified and peer-identified) of victims. The types were highly stable over time. Self-peer identified victims were not only concurrently but also prospectively the least well adjusted. Self-identified victims showed lower levels of emotional adjustment but did not show problems on social adjustment. On the other hand, peer-identified victims were at risk for social but not emotional maladjustment. The findings corroborate previous studies that suggest that self-reported victimization is related to emotional problems, while peer-reported victimization is more indicative of social problems. The findings also suggest that using self-reports or peer-reports only may lead to incomplete conclusions about victims’ adjustment on different domains.

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Author contributions

R.S. conceived of the study, participated in its design and data collection coordination and drafted the manuscript. G.O. also participated in the design and coordination of the data collection. W.B. performed the statistical analysis and drafted the results section of the manuscript. Finally, all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ron H. J. Scholte.

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Scholte, R.H.J., Burk, W.J. & Overbeek, G. Divergence in Self- and Peer-Reported Victimization and its Association to Concurrent and Prospective Adjustment. J Youth Adolescence 42, 1789–1800 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9896-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9896-y

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