Michelle Kilpatrick Demaray

Relationship Between Multiple Sources of Perceived Social Support and Psychological and Academic Adjustment in Early Adolescence: Comparisons Across Gender

The current study investigated gender differences in the relationship between sources of perceived support (parent, teacher, classmate, friend, school) and psychological and academic adjustment in a sample of 636 (49% male) middle school students. Longitudinal data were collected at two time points in the same school year. The study provided psychometric support for the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (Malecki et al., A working manual on the development of the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (2000). Unpublished manuscript, Northern Illinois University, 2003) across gender, and demonstrated gender differences in perceptions of support in early adolescence. In addition, there were significant associations between all sources of support with depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-esteem, and academic adjustment, but fewer significant unique effects of each source. Parental support was a robust unique predictor of adjustment for both boys and girls, and classmates’ support was a robust unique predictor for boys. These results illustrate the importance of examining gender differences in the social experience of adolescents with careful attention to measurement and analytic issues.

Stability of peer victimization in early adolescence: effects of timing and duration.

The current study investigated the stability of peer victimization and the impact of the timing and duration of victimization on psychological and academic outcomes for boys and girls on a sample of 863 middle school students. Results demonstrated strong support for the onset hypothesis and concurrent effects of maladjustment in anxiety, depression, self-esteem, poor school attitude, GPA, and attendance. Support for the cessation hypothesis was mixed, depending on the outcome and gender: boys demonstrated recovery from internalizing distress, whereas girls demonstrated residual effects, even after the cessation of victimization. Girls also demonstrated residual effects of victimization on grades, and both boys and girls evidenced residual effects of victimization on attendance. Regarding duration of victimization, there was strong support for the life-events model of stress and coping across almost all outcomes, suggesting that even temporary experiences of victimization could have a negative impact on psychological and academic outcomes. Overall, results demonstrated the importance of considering the timing and duration of victimization in understanding the risks and damaging effects of victimization. The results from this study also highlight both the need and the potential to intervene during early adolescence when peer relationships are taking on increasing importance, as well as the importance of helping students regain social-emotional and academic functioning, even after victimization ceases.

The Role of Youth's Ratings of the Importance of Socially Supportive Behaviors in the Relationship between Social Support and Self-Concept.

The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between the perceived frequency and perceived importance of social support with youth’s self-concept. Data from a large representative sample of 921 children and adolescents in grades 3 through 12 were analyzed. Results indicated that the relationships between the frequency of social support from parents, teachers, classmates, and close friends with self-concept were significant. However, only the perceived importance of social support from teachers was significantly related to self-concept. Finally, an interaction was found between the frequency of social support and the importance of social support from classmates and close friends on self-concept. These results suggest that self-evaluations of the importance of teacher support may be especially influential for youths’ self-concept, and that the ability to discount the value of support from classmates and friends, when it is lacking, may be protective to the self-concept of children and adolescents.

Cyber victimization in middle school and relations to social emotional outcomes

Abstract Cyber or electronic bullying is a growing problem among school-aged children and research on cyberbullying is still relatively young. The primary purposes of the current study were: (a) to investigate gender and grade level differences among cyber victims (b) to investigate the overlap between traditional victimization and cyber victimization and (c) to investigate the associations among cyber victimization and social emotional outcomes. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires on cyber victimization, traditional victimization, and social-emotional outcomes in a school-based sample of 106 middle school students. Results demonstrated that levels of cyber victimization did not differ by grade or by gender, cyber victimization and traditional victimization are distinct but related constructs, and relations between cyber victimization and social emotional outcomes varied by gender, with girls suffering more than boys. This study also confirmed that traditional bullying continues to be significantly related to a number of negative outcomes for all students. These findings, as well as implications and direction of future research, are discussed.

Carrying a Weapon to School and Perceptions of Social Support in an Urban Middle School

Perceived social support is a protective or risk factor that is consistently cited in the school violence and weapon possession literature; however, few empirical studies to date have thoroughly examined the relationships among social support variables and school violence or weapon possession. In the present study, two broad research objectives were pursued: (a) to examine perceptions of social support by students who carry weapons and (b) to assess potential predictors, including social support, of carrying a weapon to school. Data were collected for 461 students from an urban Illinois middle school. A survey packet was given to students that contained two rating scales: The Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale—Revised Edition (CASSS; Malecki, Demaray, & Elliott, 2000) and an untitled survey developed by a community agency to address health and safety issues at the school. Students who reported carrying weapons to school reported less overall or total perceived social support than did their peers who did not carry weapons. In addition, the former reported significantly less perceived social support from all sources—parents, teachers, classmates, close friends, and the school. Another finding was that in addition to other commonly cited and researched risk factors (e.g., drug use, alcohol use), individual social support from parents, teachers, classmates, and close friends also was a significant predictor of weapon carrying in school. Study results and implications are discussed.Perceived social support is a protective or risk factor that is consistently cited in the school violence and weapon possession literature; however, few empirical studies to date have thoroughly ex...

Associations Among Middle School Students’ Bullying Roles and Social Skills

This study explored the relations among self-reported bully participant role behaviors (i.e., bullying, assisting, experiencing victimization, defending, and outsider behavior) and self-reported social skills (i.e., cooperation, assertion, empathy, and self-control) among boys and girls. The sample consisted of 636 middle school students (52% boys, 84% White). Results indicated several significant relations between bullying participant behaviors and social skills with some gender differences in those relations as well. Most notably, defenders have higher levels of multiple social skills. Future research should seek out additional information regarding inter- and intra-personal characteristics in order to be able to better understand bullying participant role behaviors.

Social Support and Self-Concept in Relation to Peer Victimization and Peer Aggression

Peer victimization is an enduring problem in schools (Wang, Iannotti, & Nansel, 2009). The current study focused on relations among two ecological variables that may be related to involvement in peer victimization: self-concept and social support. The main goal of this study was to investigate relations among social support, self-concept, and involvement in peer victimization (both as a victim and aggressor). The sample included 251 students in Grades 3–5. There was a significant negative relation between social support and peer victimization (β = –.22, p < .05) as well as a significant, negative relation between self-concept and peer victimization (β = –.24, p < .05). For peer aggression, there was a significant negative relation between social support and peer aggression (β = –.49, p < .001) as well as a significant, positive relation between self-concept and peer aggression (β = .23, p < .05).

Bullying Participant Behaviors Questionnaire (BPBQ): Establishing a Reliable and Valid Measure

The current study further establishes the reliability and validity of the Bullying Participant Behaviors Questionnaire (BPBQ), a self-report survey that allows for an examination of participation in various bullying participant role behaviors including bully, assistant to the bully, victim, defender of the victim, and outsider. The study included 801 sixth- through eighth-grade students. The results of the study confirmed a five-factor structure (Bully, Assistant, Victim, Defender, and Outsider). Internal consistency of the subscales was high and item-subscale correlations were all significant and moderate to high. Correlations among the BPBQ subscales and with additional measures, including the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, Self-Report of Personality (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004), the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliott, 1990), and an unpublished victim measure (Demaray & Malecki, 2003), provided evidence of concordant, convergent, and divergent validity. Gender and grade level differences were also investigated among the bullying participant behaviors.

United States and Finnish Adolescents' Perceptions of Social Support: A Cross-Cultural Analysis.

The purpose of the current preliminary study was to examine the levels of perceived social support by adolescents in the US and Finland. American research has demonstrated that high perceived levels of social support can buffer adolescents against many negative psychosocial symptoms, such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem and is a necessary resource in adolescent well-being (Demaray and Malecki, 2002). Research on social support in Finland has demonstrated similar effects. However, less is known about the potential differences in the perceptions of social support cross-culturally. Perceptions of the frequency of different sources and types of support were assessed in both countries (n = 148 US, n = 144 Finland) via the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS; Malecki et al., 2000). US participants perceived higher levels of both source and type of social support. These preliminary analyses serve as a springboard for further cross-cultural social support research.

Social Behavior Assessment and Response to Intervention

This chapter presents information on assessment strategies for social behaviors in schools that may be used in a problem-solving approach that incorporates response to intervention (RTI). As a point of communication, although many associate RTI solely as a method for identifying and qualifying students for special education services, this chapter discusses RTI within the context of a problem-solving approach. The “interventions” in RTI can be thought of as general education curriculum and instruction, interventions for students at risk of academic or behavior problems, or interventions that are intense enough to warrant special education funding. Thus, this chapter does not focus solely on RTI as an eligibility tool. The importance of the assessment of social behaviors in a problem-solving or RTI approach will be presented along with a detailed description of specific measures and example applications. The use of RTI with social behaviors will also be critiqued, along with suggestions for future directions for the field.