Hannah L. Schacter

“Why Me?”: Characterological Self-Blame and Continued Victimization in the First Year of Middle School

This study examines the role of characterological self-blame as a unique risk factor associated with other known risk factors (depression and its behavioral and social correlates) for continued victimization across the 1st year of middle school. Relying on a large, ethnically diverse sample of 1,698 young adolescents (Mage = 11.57, SD = .39; 55% female), self-report assessments in the fall and spring included perceptions of victim status, depressive symptoms, friendships, aggression, and responses to a hypothetical victimization vignette assessing both appraisals (characterological self-blame) and behavioral reactions (helpless responding). In addition to depression, characterological self-blame emerged as the most consistent unique risk factor for subsequent victimization. Mediation analysis suggested that the continuity of victimization between fall and spring could be partially explained by increases in characterological self-blame and depressive symptoms. In addition, cross-lagged panel analyses indicated reciprocal relations between peer victimization and characterological self-blame, suggesting cyclical processes. The study findings suggest that attribution retraining in the beginning of middle school might help prevent escalating risk for continued peer victimization.

Emotional Implications of Weight Stigma Across Middle School: The Role of Weight-Based Peer Discrimination

This study considered the emotional consequences of weight stigmatization in early adolescence by examining the effects of weight-based peer discrimination across middle school. Sampled across 26 urban middle schools, 5,128 youth (52% girls) with complete body mass index data at sixth or 7th grade were included: 30% Latino, 21% White, 14% East/Southeast Asian, 14% Multiethnic, 12% African American/Black, and 9% from other specific ethnic groups. About one third of the sample reported at least one weight-discrimination incident at 7th grade. Controlling for sixth-grade adjustment, perceptions of weight-based peer discrimination at 7th grade were stronger predictors of body dissatisfaction, social anxiety, and loneliness (and somatic symptoms for girls but not boys) at 8th-grade than 7th-grade body mass index. Moreover, heavier body stature during the 1st year in middle school was associated with increased body dissatisfaction by the end of middle school in part due to weight-related disrespectful, exclusionary, and demeaning treatment by peers. Weight-based peer discrimination helps us understand one of the stigmatizing mechanisms underlying the relation between heavy body stature and the progression of emotional problems in early adolescence.

Can a school-wide bullying prevention program improve the plight of victims? Evidence for risk × intervention effects

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to examine whether a school-wide antibullying program, effective in reducing incidents of bullying, can also reduce the harm associated with victimization. Specifically, we test whether baseline victimization moderates the KiVa program intervention effects on school perceptions, depression, and self-esteem. METHOD Relying on a randomized control sample consisting of 7,010 fourth to sixth grade Finnish elementary school students, self-report data were examined using multilevel modeling across 39 intervention and 38 control schools over a 12-month period. RESULTS The KiVa program was particularly effective in facilitating perceptions of a caring school climate among students who were most victimized before the intervention, while program benefits on attitudes toward school did not vary by level of victimization. The intervention effects on depression and self-esteem were strongest only among the most victimized sixth graders. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that antibullying programs designed to improve the school ecology can alleviate the plight of the victimized and underscore that harm reduction should be assessed by testing risk × intervention effects when evaluating effectiveness of such programs.

Gender Norm Salience Across Middle Schools: Contextual Variations in Associations Between Gender Typicality and Socioemotional Distress

Youth who feel they do not fit with gender norms frequently experience peer victimization and socioemotional distress. To gauge differences between schools, the current study examined the longitudinal effects of school-level gender norm salience—a within-school association between gender typicality and peer victimization—on socioemotional distress across 26 ethnically diverse middle schools (nboys = 2607; ngirls = 2805). Boys (but not girls) reporting lower gender typicality experienced more loneliness and social anxiety in schools with more salient gender norms, even when accounting for both individual and school level victimization. Greater gender norm salience also predicted increased depressed mood among boys regardless of gender typicality. These findings suggest particular sensitivity among boys to environments in which low gender typicality is sanctioned.

Peer Victimization and School Adjustment Among Ethnically Diverse Middle School Students: Does Ethnic Ingroup Representation Matter?

Although research has shown that peer victimization is related to negative school outcomes, whether ethnic ingroup size alters victimization-adjustment links is unclear. This study examines whether smaller ethnic ingroup representation amplifies the negative associations between peer victimization and school adjustment. We also examine whether ingroup representation may be more salient for some ethnic groups than others. The ethnically diverse sample includes 4,577 students from 26 schools spanning from the fall of sixth grade to spring of seventh grade (41% Latino, 26% White, 17% Asian American, 16% African American). An interaction between victimization and ethnic ingroup representation emerged only among Latino students. Latino youth victimized in the sixth grade, who attended a school with fewer same-ethnic peers, showed increases in negative seventh-grade climate perceptions and decreases in engagement. Our findings highlight that for Latino youth, ethnic ingroup representation is an important factor to consider when examining the school-related adjustment of victimized youth.