Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Influence of Static and Dynamic Intrapersonal Factors on Longitudinal Patterns of Peer Victimization through Mid-adolescence: a Latent Transition Analysis

  • Published:
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Using 6 cycles (grade 5 through grade 10) of data obtained from a large prospective sample of Canadian school children (N = 700; 52.6% girls), we replicated previous findings concerning the empirical definition of peer victimization (i.e., being bullied) and examined static and dynamic intrapersonal factors associated with its emergence and experiential continuity through mid-adolescence. Latent class analyses consistently revealed a low victimization and an elevated victimization class across time, supporting previous work suggesting peer victimization was defined by degree rather than by type (e.g., physical). Using latent transition analyses (LTA), we found that child sex, parent-perceived pubertal development, and internalizing symptoms influenced the probability of transitioning from the low to the elevated victimization class across time. Higher-order extensions within the LTA modeling framework revealed a lasting effect of grade 5 victimization status on grade 10 victimization status and a large effect of chronic victimization on later parent-reported youth internalizing symptoms (net of prior parent-reported internalizing symptoms) in later adolescence (grade 11). Implications of the current findings for the experience of peer victimization, as well as the application of latent transition analysis as a useful approach for peer victimization research, are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arseneault, L., Bowes, L., & Shakoor, S. (2010). Bullying victimization in youths and mental health problems: ‘much ado about nothing’? Psychological Medicine, 40, 717–729. doi:10.1017/2FS0033291709991383.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bellmore, A. D., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2006). Reciprocal influences of victimization, perceived social preference, and self-concept in adolescence. Self and Identity, 5, 209–229. doi:10.1080/15298860600636647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowes, L., Joinson, C., Wolke, D., & Lewis, G. (2015). Peer vicitmisation during adolescence and its impact on depression in early adulthood: Prospective cohort study in the United Kingdom. BMJ, 350, h2469. doi:10.1136/bmj.h2469.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C. P., Waasdorp, T. E., & O’Brennan, L. M. (2013). A latent class approach to examining forms of peer victimization. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105, 839–849. doi:10.1037/a0032091.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Turgeon, L., & Poulin, F. (2002). Assessing aggressive and depressed children’s social relations with classmates and friends: A matter of perspective. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30, 609–624. doi:10.1023/A:1020863730902.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Casper, D. M., & Card, N. A. (2017). Overt and relational victimization: A meta-analytic review of their overlap and associations with social-psychological adjustment. Child Development, 88, 466–483. doi:10.1111/cdev.12621.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cassidy, W., Jackson, M., & Brown, K. N. (2009). Stick and stones can break my bones, but how can pixels hurt me? School Psychology International, 30, 383–402. doi:10.1177/0143034309106948.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155–159. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, L. M., & Lanza, S. T. (2010). Latent class and latent transition analysis. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conley, C. S., & Rudolph, K. D. (2009). The emerging sex difference in adolescent depression: Interacting contributions of puberty and peer stress. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 593–620. doi:10.1017/S0954579409000327.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Craig, W., Pepler, D., Connolly, J., & Henderson, K. (2001). Developmental context of peer harassment in early adolescence: The role of puberty and the peer group. In J. Juvonen & S. Graham (Eds.), Peer harassment in the school: The plight of the vulnerable and the victimized (pp. 242–262). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crick, N. R. (1997). Engagement in gender normative versus nonnormative forms of aggression: Links to social-psychological adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 33, 610–617. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.33.4.610.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, C. E., Pettingill, P., & Boyle. (2000). The Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI). Hamilton: Canadian Centre for the study of Children at Risk, Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, McMaster University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawkins, R. (2006). The Selfish Gene. 30 th (Anniversary ed.). New York: Oxford University Press, Inc..

    Google Scholar 

  • Dorn, L. D., Dahl, R. E., Woodward, H. R., & Biro, F. (2006). Defining the boundaries of early adolescence: A user’s guide to assessing pubertal status and pubertal timing in research with adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 10, 30–56. doi:10.1207/s1532480xads1001_3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eslea, M., Menesini, E., Morita, Y., O’Moore, M., Mora-Merchán, J. A., Pereira, B., & Smith, P. K. (2003). Friendship and loneliness among bullies and victims: Data from seven countries. Aggressive Behavior, 30, 71–83. doi:10.1002/ab.20006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faris, R., & Felmlee, D. (2014). Casualties of social combat: School networks of peer victimization and their consequences. American Sociological Review, 79, 228–257. doi:10.1177/0003122414524573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, B. J., Masyn, K. E., & Conger, R. D. (2009). New approaches to studying problem behaviors: A comparison of methods for modeling longitudinal, categorical adolescent drinking data. Developmental Psychology, 45, 652–676. doi:10.1037/a0014851.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Graber, J. A. (2013). Pubertal timing and the development of psychopathology in adolescence and beyond. Hormones and Behavior, 64, 262–269. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.04.003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Graber, J. A., & Sontag, L. M. (2009). Internalizing problems during adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (3rd ed., pp. 642–682). Hoboken: Wiley & Sons, Inc..

    Google Scholar 

  • Graber, J. A., Lewinsohn, P. M., Seeley, J. R., & Brooks-Gunn, J. B. (1997). Is psychopathology associated with the timing of pubertal development. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1768–1776. doi:10.1097/00004583-199712000-00026.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haltigan, J. D., & Vaillancourt, T. (2014). Joint trajectories of bullying and peer victimization across elementary and middle school and associations with symptoms of psychopathology. Developmental Psychology, 50, 2426–2436. doi:10.1037/a0038030.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawker, D. S. J., & Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty years’ research on peer victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: A meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 441–455. doi:0.1111/1469-7610.00629.

  • Haynie, D. L., & Piquero, A. R. (2006). Pubertal development and physical victimization in adolescence. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 43, 3–35. doi:10.1177/0022427805280069.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herman, K. C., Wang, K., Trotter, R., Reinke, W. M., & Ialongo, N. (2013). Developmental trajectories of maladaptive perfectionism among African American adolescents. Child Development, 84, 1633–1650. doi:0.1111/cdev.12078.

  • Jormanainen, E., Fröjd, S., Marttunen, M., & Kaltiala-Heino, R. (2014). Is pubertal timing associated with involvement in bullying in middle adolescence? Health Psychology & Behavioural Medicine, 2, 144–159. doi:10.1080/21642850.2014.881259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaltiala-Heino, R., Marttunen, M., Rantanen, P., & Rimpelä, M. (2003). Early puberty is associated with mental health problems in middle adolescence. Social Science & Medicine, 57, 1055–1064. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00480-X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiesner, J. (2002). Depressive symptoms in early adolescence: Their relations with classroom problem behavior. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 12, 463–478. doi:10.1111/1532-7795.00042.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, Y. S., Leventhal, B. L., Koh, Y.-J., Hubbard, A., & Boyce, T. (2006). School bullying and youth violence: Causes or consequences of psychopathologic behavior? Archives of General Psychiatry, 63, 1035–1041. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.63.9.1035.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kochel, K. P., Ladd, G. W., & Rudolph, K. (2012). Longitudinal associations among youth depressive symptoms, peer victimization, and low peer acceptance: An interpersonal process perspective. Child Development, 83, 637–650. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01722.x.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kochenderfer, B. J., & Ladd, G. W. (1996). Peer victimization: Cause or consequence of school maladjustment. Child Development, 67, 1305–1317. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01797.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kretschmer, T., Barker, E. D., Dijkstra, J. K., Oldehinkel, A. J., & Veenstra, R. (2015). Multifinality of peer victimization: Maladjustment patterns and transitions from early to mid-adolescence. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24, 1169–1179. doi:10.1007/s00787-014-0667-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krygsman, A. & Vaillancourt, T. (2017). Longitudinal associations between depression symptoms and peer experiences: Evidence of symptoms-driven pathways. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2017.05.003.

  • Langeheine, R., & Van de Pol, F. (1994). Discrete-time mixed Markov latent class models. In A. Dale & R. B. Davies (Eds.), Analyzing social and political change: A casebook of methods (pp. 171–197). London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lanza, S. T., & Collins, L. M. (2002). Pubertal timing and the onset of substance use in females during early adolescence. Prevention Science, 3, 69–82. doi:10.1023/A:1014675410947.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lanza, S. T., & Collins, B. R. (2016). Latent class analysis for developmental research. Child Development Perspectives, 10, 59–64. doi:10.1111/cdep.12163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lereya, S., Samara, M., & Wolke, D. (2013). Parenting behavior and the risk of becoming a victim and a bully/victim: A meta-analysis study. Child Abuse & Neglect. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.03.001.

  • Lereya, S. T., Copeland, W. E., Costello, E. J., & Wolke, D. (2015). Adult mental health consequences of peer bullying and maltreatment in childhood: Two cohorts in two countries. Lancet Psychiatry, 2, 524–531. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00165-0.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McDougall, P., & Vaillancourt, T. V. (2015). Long-term adult outcomes of peer victimization in childhood and adolescence: Pathways to adjustment and maladjustment. American Psychologist, 70, 300–310. doi:0.1037/a0039174.

  • Mendle, J. (2014). Why puberty matters for psychopathology. Child Development Perspectives, 8, 218–222. doi:10.1111/cdep.12092.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2012). Mplus Users Guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles: Muthén & Muthén.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2094–2100. doi:10.1001/jama.285.16.2094.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Neary, A., & Joseph, S. (1994). Peer victimization and its relationship to self-concept and depression among schoolgirls. Personality and Individual Differences, 16, 183–186. doi:10.1016/0191-8869(94)90122-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2001). Gender differences in depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10, 173–176. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nylund, K. (2007). Latent transition analysis: Modeling extensions and an application to peer victimization (unpublished doctoral dissertation). Los Angeles: University of California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nylund, K., Bellmore, A., Nishina, A., & Graham, S. (2007). Subtypes, severity, and structural stability of peer victimization: What does latent class analysis say? Child Development, 78, 1706–1722. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01097.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nylund, K., Muthén, B., Nishina, A., Bellmore, A., & Graham, S. (2007). Stability and instability of peer victimization during middle school: Using latent transition analysis with covariates, distal outcomes, and modeling extensions. Los Angeles: University of California, Unpublished manuscript.

  • O’Brennan, L. M., Bradshaw, C. P., & Sawyer, A. L. (2009). Examining developmental differences in the social-emotional problems among frequent bullies, victims, and bully/victims. Psychology in the Schools, 46, 100–115. doi:10.1002/pits.20357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olweus, D. (1991). Bully/victim problems among school children: Basic facts and effects of a school-based intervention program. In D. Peppler & K. Rubin (Eds.), The development and treatment of childhood aggression. Hillsdale: Lawrence Earlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olweus, D. (1993). Victimization by peers: Antecedents and long-term outcomes. In K. H. Rubin, J. B. Asendorpf, K. H. Rubin, & J. B. Asendorpf (Eds.), Social withdrawal, inhibition, and shyness in childhood (pp. 315–341). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

  • Olweus, D. (1996). The revised Olweus bully/victim questionnaire. Bergen: Research Center for Health Promotion (HEMIL Center), University of Bergen.

  • Olweus, D. (1999). Sweden. In P.K. Smith, Y. Morita, J., Junger-Tas, D., Olweus, R. Catalano, and P. Slee (Eds.) The nature of school bullying: A cross-national perspective (pp. 2–27). London and New York: Routledge.

  • Peduzzi, P., Concato, J., Kemper, E., Holford, T. R., & Feinstein, A. R. (1996). A simulation study of the number of events per variable in logistic regression analysis. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 49, 1373–1379. doi:10.1016/S0895-4356(96)00236-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pelligrini, A. D., & Long, J. D. (2002). A longitudinal study of bullying, dominance, and victimization during the transition from primary school through secondary school. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 20, 259–280. doi:10.1348/026151002166442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pepler, D., Jiang, D., Craig, W., & Connolly, J. (2008). Developmental trajectories of bullying and associated factors. Child Development, 79, 325–338. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01128.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reijntjes, A., Kamphuis, J. H., Prinzie, P., & Telch, M. J. (2010). Peer victimization and internalizing problems in children: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34, 244–252. doi:0.1016/j.chiabu.2009.07.009.

  • Rudolph, K. D., Troop-Gordon, W., Hessel, E. T., & Schmidt, J. D. (2011). A latent growth curve analysis of early and increasing peer victimization as predictors of mental health across elementary school. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 40, 111–122. doi:10.1080/15374416.2011.533413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryoo, J. H., Wang, C., & Swearer, S. (2015). Examination of the change in latent statuses in bullying behaviors over time. School Psychology Quarterly, 30, 105–122. doi:10.1037/spq0000082.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer, A. L., Bradshaw, C. P., & O’Brennan, L. M. (2008). Examining ethnic, gender, and developmental differences in the way children report being a victim of “bullying” on self-report measures. Journal of Adolescent Health, 43, 106–114. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.12.011.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sontag, L. M., Graber, J. A., & Clemans, K. H. (2011). The role of peer stress and pubertal timing on symptoms of psychopathology in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 1371–1382. doi:10.1007/s10964-010-9620-8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Troop-Gordon, W. (2017). Peer victimization in adolescence: The nature, progression, and consequences of being bullied within a developmental context. Journal of Adolescence, 55, 116–128. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.12.012.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vaillancourt, T., McDougall, P., Hymel, S., Krygsman, A., Miller, J., Stiver, K., & Davis, C. (2008). Bullying: Are researchers and children/youth talking about the same thing? International Journal of Behavioral Development, 32, 502–511. doi:10.1177/0165025408095553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaillancourt, T., Trinh, V., McDougall, P., Duku, E., Cunningham, L., Cunningham, C., et al. (2010). Optimizing population screening of bullying in school-aged children. Journal of School Violence, 9, 233–250. doi:10.1080/15388220.2010.483182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaillancourt, T., Brittain, H. L., McDougall, P., & Duku, E. (2013). Longitudinal links between childhood peer victimization, internalizing and externalizing problems, and academic functioning: Developmental cascades. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 41, 1203–1215. doi:10.1007/s10802-013-9781-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Velicer, W. F., Martin, R. A., & Collins, L. M. (1996). Latent transition analysis for longitudinal data. Addiction, 91 (Supplement), S197-S209. doi:10.1046/j.1360-0443.91.12s1.10.x.

  • Volk, A. A., Camilleri, J. A., Dane, A. V., & Marini, Z. (2012). Is adolescent bullying an evolutionary adaptation? Aggressive Behavior, 38, 222–238. doi:0.1002/ab.21418.

  • Wang, J., Iannotti, R. J., Luk, J. W., & Nansel, T. R. (2010). Co-occurrence of victimization from five subtypes of bullying: Physical, verbal, social exclusion, spreading rumors, and cyber. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35, 1103–1112. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsq048.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Heather Brittain, Amanda Krygsman, and Patricia McDougall for the help with the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, 145 Jean-Jacques-Lussier, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    John D. Haltigan & Tracy Vaillancourt

  2. School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada

    John D. Haltigan & Tracy Vaillancourt

  3. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada

    John D. Haltigan

Authors
  1. John D. Haltigan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tracy Vaillancourt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tracy Vaillancourt.

Ethics declarations

Funding

This study was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOCX 251 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Haltigan, J.D., Vaillancourt, T. The Influence of Static and Dynamic Intrapersonal Factors on Longitudinal Patterns of Peer Victimization through Mid-adolescence: a Latent Transition Analysis. J Abnorm Child Psychol 46, 11–26 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0342-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0342-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation