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Peer Victimization and Adjustment in Young Adulthood: Introduction to the Special Section

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Abstract

A substantive number of children and adolescents are bullied by their peers, with serious risks for the victims’ emotional, behavioral, physical, and academic adjustment. However, while the immediate and short-term consequences of peer victimization in childhood and adolescence are very well documented, knowledge about the potential long-term consequences for victims’ functioning once they reach adulthood is only slowly emerging. Based on prospective, longitudinal data from different countries, the 4 papers in this special section investigate the association between peer victimization suffered in childhood and adolescence and victims’ developmental outcomes in late adolescence/early adulthood. This introduction highlights the major findings of each paper and discusses the implications for future research.

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Correspondence to Mara Brendgen.

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Brendgen, M. Peer Victimization and Adjustment in Young Adulthood: Introduction to the Special Section. J Abnorm Child Psychol 46, 5–9 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0347-9

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