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Deficits in Emotional Clarity and Vulnerability to Peer Victimization and Internalizing Symptoms Among Early Adolescents

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Abstract

Peer victimization is a significant risk factor for a range of negative outcomes during adolescence, including depression and anxiety. Recent research has evaluated individual characteristics that heighten the risk of experiencing peer victimization. However, the role of emotional clarity, or the ability to understand one’s emotions, in being the target of peer victimization remains unclear. Thus, the present study evaluated whether deficits in emotional clarity increased the risk of experiencing peer victimization, particularly among adolescent girls, which, in turn, contributed to prospective levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. In the present study, 355 early adolescents (ages 12–13; 53 % female; 51 % African American) who were part of the Adolescent Cognition and Emotion project completed measures of emotional clarity, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms at baseline, and measures of peer victimization, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms at follow-up. Moderation analyses indicated that deficits in emotional clarity predicted greater peer victimization among adolescent girls, but not adolescent boys. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that deficits in emotional clarity contributed to relational peer victimization, which, in turn, predicted prospective levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms among adolescent girls, but not boys. These findings indicate that deficits in emotional clarity represent a significant risk factor for adolescent girls to experience relational peer victimization, which, in turn, contributed to prospective levels of internalizing symptoms. Thus, prevention programs should target deficits in emotional clarity to prevent peer victimization and subsequent internalizing symptoms among adolescent girls.

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Notes

  1. One of the larger goals of this longitudinal study was to examine potential racial differences in the emergence of internalizing disorders during adolescence; thus, only adolescents who self-identified as African American or Caucasian were included in the present study. In addition, maternal psychopathology has been linked to the development of depression in their offspring (Goodman et al. 2011). Thus, mothers were selected to participate in this longitudinal study to examine all variables of interest related to the larger longitudinal study goals.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grants MH77908 and MH102310 to Lauren B. Alloy. Jessica L. Hamilton was supported by National Research Service Award 1F31MH106184 from NIMH. Jonathan P. Stange was supported by National Research Service Award 1F31MH099761.

Author contributions

JLH conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, and drafted the manuscript; EMK participated in the interpretation of the data and helped draft the manuscript; LMR participated in drafting the manuscript; JPS assisted with the study conception and participated in the statistical analyses; MF performed a critical review of the manuscript and assisted with interpretation of the findings; LYA assisted with the design and coordination of the study; LBA participated in the design of the study, interpretation of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Temple University, 1701 N. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA

    Jessica L. Hamilton, Liza M. Rubenstein, Jonathan P. Stange & Lauren B. Alloy

  2. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Evan M. Kleiman

  3. Medica Research Institute, 401 Carlson Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, 55440, USA

    Megan Flynn

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson St., Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Lyn Y. Abramson

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  1. Jessica L. Hamilton
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Correspondence to Lauren B. Alloy.

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Hamilton, J.L., Kleiman, E.M., Rubenstein, L.M. et al. Deficits in Emotional Clarity and Vulnerability to Peer Victimization and Internalizing Symptoms Among Early Adolescents. J Youth Adolescence 45, 183–194 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0260-x

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