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Peer Victimization and Anxiety in Genetically Vulnerable Youth: The Protective Roles of Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Anti-Bullying Classroom Rules

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Abstract

Many victimized youngsters are at risk of developing internalizing problems, and this risk seems to be especially pronounced when they are genetically vulnerable for these problems. It is unclear, however, whether protective features of the school environment such as anti-bullying classroom policies and teacher’s perceived self-efficacy in handling bullying situations can mitigate these negative outcomes. Using a genetically informed design based on twins, this study examined the potential moderating role of classroom anti-bullying policies and teachers’ perceived self-efficacy in handling bullying situations in regard to the additive and interactive effects of peer victimization and genetic vulnerability on anxiety symptoms. To this end, 208 monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins (120 girls) rated their level of anxiety and peer victimization in grade 6 (mean age = 12.1 years, SD = 2.8). Teachers rated their self-efficacy in handling bullying situations and the extent of anti-bullying classroom policies. Multilevel regressions revealed triple interactions showing that genetic disposition for anxiety predicted actual anxiety for twins who were highly victimized by their peers, but only when their teachers had low perceived self-efficacy in handling bullying situations or when anti-bullying classroom rules were absent or rarely enforced. In contrast, for victimized youth with teachers who perceive themselves as effective or in classrooms where anti-bullying classroom policies were strongly enforced, genetic disposition for anxiety was not associated with actual anxiety symptoms. Anti-bullying programs should continue to promote teachers’ involvement, as well as the enforcement of anti-bullying classroom policies, in order to diminish peer victimization and its related consequences.

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Acknowledgments

Funding was provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Société et la Culture, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Québec. We thank the participating twins and their teachers as well as Jocelyn Malo and Marie-Elyse Bertrand for coordinating the data collection and Hélène Paradis for data management and preparation.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal, C.P. 8888 succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada

    Fanny-Alexandra Guimond & Mara Brendgen

  2. Ste Justine Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Canada

    Mara Brendgen & Frank Vitaro

  3. Research Unit on Children’s Psychosocial Maladjustment, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada

    Fanny-Alexandra Guimond, Mara Brendgen & Frank Vitaro

  4. School of Psycho-Education, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada

    Frank Vitaro

  5. Department of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada

    Ginette Dionne & Michel Boivin

  6. Research Unit on Children’s Psychosocial Maladjustment, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada

    Ginette Dionne & Michel Boivin

  7. Institute of Genetic, Neurobiological, and Social Foundations of Child Development, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation

    Michel Boivin

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  1. Fanny-Alexandra Guimond
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  2. Mara Brendgen
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  4. Ginette Dionne
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Correspondence to Mara Brendgen.

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Guimond, FA., Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F. et al. Peer Victimization and Anxiety in Genetically Vulnerable Youth: The Protective Roles of Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Anti-Bullying Classroom Rules. J Abnorm Child Psychol 43, 1095–1106 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-015-0001-3

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