Shelley Hymel

Loneliness in children.

ASHER, STEVEN R.; HYMEL, SHELLEY; and RENSHAW, PETER D. Loneliness in Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1984, 55, 1456-1464. Children experiencing difficulties in their peer relations have typically been identified using external sources of information, such as teacher referrals or ratings, sociometric measures, and/or behavioral observations. There is a need to supplement these assessment procedures with self-report measures that assess the degree to which the children themselves feel satisfaction with their peer relationships. In this study, a 16-item self-report measure of loneliness and social dissatisfaction was developed. In surveying 506 thirdthrough sixth-grade children, the measure was found to be internally reliable. More than 10% of children reported feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction, and childrens feelings of loneliness were significantly related to their sociometric status. The relationship of loneliness and sociometric status to school achievement was also examined.

The roles of social withdrawal, peer rejection, and victimization by peers in predicting loneliness and depressed mood in childhood

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative contributions of social withdrawal, peer rejection, and victimization by peers in predicting feelings of loneliness and depressed mood over time. According to the proposed model, the feelings of loneliness associated with social withdrawal are mediated by the negative peer experiences (negative peer status and peer victimization) to which withdrawn children are exposed. In predicting depressed mood over time, it was further hypothesized that self-reported loneliness ultimately mediates the subsequent depressed mood associated with withdrawal and negative peer experiences. The study was conducted across 2 consecutive years (Time 1 and Time 2), with children each year nominating peers for peer status, social withdrawal, and victimization measures, and completing self-report measures of loneliness and depressed mood. Fourth- and fifth-grade children participated at Time 1, and children that remained in the same school were again evaluated at Time 2 ( N = 567). A series of regression analyses indicated that the postulated sequence of mediations adequately represented the pattern of longitudinal associations between the variables, as well as their pattern of change over time. The contribution of social withdrawal to the prediction of subsequent loneliness was accounted for by the expected pattern of mediations of negative peer experiences. Self-reported loneliness ultimately mediated the subsequent depressed mood associated with withdrawal and negative peer experiences.

What Can Be Done About School Bullying? Linking Research to Educational Practice

In this article, the authors review research on individual, peer, and school contributions that may be critical factors for enhancing efforts to address bullying among students. Methodological challenges are delineated, with an emphasis on how bullying is defined and assessed and the subsequent implications for bullying prevention and intervention program evaluation. The impact of school-based anti-bullying programs and the challenges currently facing educators and researchers in this area are discussed. The article concludes with a proposal for a broader, ecologically based model of school bullying based on the emerging literature.

Peer experiences and social self-perceptions : A sequential model

This study evaluated a social process model describing how aggression and withdrawal lead to negative social self-perceptions. The model posited both direct (i.e., cognitions associated with withdrawal) and indirect (i.e., mediations of negative peer status and peer experiences) influences. Eight- to 10-year-old children (n = 793) completed peer assessment measures of aggression, withdrawal, peer status, victimization and affiliations, and self-reports of loneliness, perceived acceptance, and perceived behavior-conduct. As expected, the model was supported for social self-perceptions but not for perceived behavior-conduct. Withdrawn behavior uniquely predicted social self-perceptions. Both negative peer status and peer victimization successively mediated the impact of social behavior on loneliness and perceived acceptance. Classroom affiliations did not mediate social self-perceptions.

Bullying Is Power: Implications for School-Based Intervention Strategies

ABSTRACT The present investigation examines subtypes of bullies, distinguished on the basis of social power, some of whom fit the traditional characterization of bullies as poorly accepted, psychologically troubled, marginal members of the peer group and others who exhibit a much more positive set of social characteristics and who are afforded high status within the peer group. In a sample of 555 grade 6 to 10 Canadian students, the associations between bullying, power, and social status were examined, as well as variability in bullies across behavioral and non-behavioral characteristics, self-perceptions, and mental health functioning. Peer nominations were used to assess bullying, social status, aggressive behavior, competencies and assets, and self-reports were used to assess social self-perceptions and internalizing difficulties. Results indicated that, although generally viewed by peers as disliked and aggressive, a substantial number of bullies were also seen as both popular and powerful with leadership qualities, competencies and assets. In terms of their own social self-perceptions, bullies reported feeling good about themselves and their peer interactions. When subgroups of bullies were distinguished in terms of varying levels of perceived social power, powerful bullies were perceived by peers to be more popular, better liked and more physically and relationally aggressive than low power bullies. Additionally, powerful bullies were viewed as exhibiting more competencies and assets such as being physically attractive, wearing stylish clothing, and being good athletes. Findings are discussed in terms of the perpetuation of bullying behavior and the implications of the present findings for anti-bullying interventions.

Interpretations of Peer Behavior: Affective Bias in Childhood and Adolescence.

HYMEL, SHELLEY. Interpretations of Peer Behavior: Affective Bias in Childhood and Adolescence. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1986, 57, 431-445. Based on constructive theories of interpersonal attraction, 2 studies were conducted examining the hypothesis that biases in peer interpretations of social behavior may contribute to the stability of social acceptance and rejection in children. Variations in childrens explanations of the behavior of known peers were examined as a function of the valence of the behavior performed (positive, negative) and prior affect toward the actor (liked, disliked) as well as the age and social status of the perceiver. Popular and unpopular secondand fifth-grade children (approximately 7 and 10 years old) (Study 1) or tenth-grade (approximately 15 years) (Study 2) children responded to 4 hypothetical situations in which liked or disliked peers performed behaviors that had either positive or negative outcomes for the subject. Results indicated that childrens explanations of peer behavior varied significantly as a function of both affect toward the actor and valence of behavior, although age and status differences were generally nonsignificant. More specifically, positive behaviors were attributed to more stable causes when performed by liked peers than by disliked peers. In contrast, negative behaviors were attributed to more stable causes when performed by disliked peers than by liked peers. In addition, greater responsibility or blame for negative behavior was attributed to disliked peers than to liked peers. Results are discussed in terms of implications for research on childrens peer relations.

The changing face of bullying: An empirical comparison between traditional and internet bullying and victimization

Electronic aggression, or cyberbullying, is a relatively new phenomenon. As such, consistency in how the construct is defined and operationalized has not yet been achieved, inhibiting a thorough understanding of the construct and how it relates to developmental outcomes. In a series of two studies, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFAs and CFAs respectively) were used to examine whether electronic aggression can be measured using items similar to that used for measuring traditional bullying, and whether adolescents respond to questions about electronic aggression in the same way they do for traditional bullying. For Study I (n=17 551; 49% female), adolescents in grades 8-12 were asked to what extent they had experience with physical, verbal, social, and cyberbullying as a bully and victim. EFA and CFA results revealed that adolescents distinguished between the roles they play (bully, victim) in a bullying situation but not forms of bullying (physical, verbal, social, cyber). To examine this further, Study II (n=733; 62% female), asked adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18 to respond to questions about their experience sending (bully), receiving (victim), and/or seeing (witness) specific online aggressive acts. EFA and CFA results revealed that adolescents did not differentiate between bullies, victims, and witnesses; rather, they made distinctions among the methods used for the aggressive act (i.e. sending mean messages or posting embarrassing pictures). In general, it appears that adolescents differentiated themselves as individuals who participated in specific mode of online aggression, rather than as individuals who played a particular role in online aggression. This distinction is discussed in terms of policy and educational implications.

Moral disengagement among children and youth: A meta‐analytic review of links to aggressive behavior

A growing body of research has demonstrated consistent links between Banduras theory of moral disengagement and aggressive behavior in adults. The present meta-analysis was conducted to summarize the existing literature on the relation between moral disengagement and different types of aggressive behavior among school-age children and adolescents. Twenty-seven independent samples with a total of 17,776 participants (aged 8-18 years) were included in the meta-analysis. Results indicated a positive overall effect (r = .28, 95% CI [.23, .32]), supporting the hypothesis that moral disengagement is a significant correlate of aggressive behavior among children and youth. Analyses of a priori moderators revealed that effect sizes were larger for adolescents as compared to children, for studies that used a revised version of the original Bandura scale, and for studies with shared method variance. Effect sizes did not vary as a function of type of aggressive behavior, gender, or publication status. Results are discussed within the extant literature on moral disengagement and future directions are proposed.

Four decades of research on school bullying: an introduction

This article provides an introductory overview of findings from the past 40 years of research on bullying among school-aged children and youth. Research on definitional and assessment issues in studying bullying and victimization is reviewed, and data on prevalence rates, stability, and forms of bullying behavior are summarized, setting the stage for the 5 articles that comprise this American Psychologist special issue on bullying and victimization. These articles address bullying, victimization, psychological sequela and consequences, ethical, legal, and theoretical issues facing educators, researchers, and practitioners, and effective prevention and intervention efforts. The goal of this special issue is to provide psychologists with a comprehensive review that documents our current understanding of the complexity of bullying among school-aged youth and directions for future research and intervention efforts.

Bystander Responses to School Bullying: A Cross-Sectional Investigation of Grade and Sex Differences

Addressing the impact of peer bystanders on school bullying, this cross-sectional study examined whether student responses to bullying that they witnessed varied as a function of sex and grade. In a school-based survey regarding social experiences at school, Grade 4 to 11 students (N = 9397, 51% male) who reported witnessing bullying (68%) rated how often they had engaged in different bystander responses. Results indicated significant differences across sex and grade level, such that younger students and girls were more likely to report taking positive action than were older students and boys by directly intervening, helping the victim, or talking to an adult. Generally, boys and girls were equally likely to report that they ignored or avoided the person(s) who bullied although reports that they did nothing increased with grade level. Implications for schoolwide antibullying intervention efforts are discussed. Abordant l’impact des pairs témoins de l’intimidation à l’école, cette étude transversale examine si la réponse des élèves à l’intimidation à laquelle ils assistent varie en fonction du sexe et du degré de scolarité. Dans un questionnaire distribué en milieu scolaire sur les expériences sociales à l’école, les élèves de 4e à 11e année (N = 9,397, 51% masculin) qui rapportent avoir été témoins d’intimidation (68%) ont évalué la fréquence à laquelle ils s’engagent dans différents types de réponses. Les résultats montrent des différences significatives entre le sexe et le degré de scolarité. En effet, les élèves plus jeunes et les filles rapportent plus souvent recourir à des actions positives que ne le font les élèves plus vieux et les garçons, en intervenant directement, en aidant la victime ou en parlant à un adulte. Les garçons et les filles de tous les degrés de scolarité rapportent dans la même proportion qu’ils ignorent ou évitent la personne qui se fait intimider, bien que la proportion de ceux qui rapportent qu’ils ne font rien augmente avec le degré de scolarité. Les implications pour les efforts de prévention de l’intimidation dans les écoles sont discutées.