NCJ Number
242370
Journal
Journal of School Violence Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: October - December 2012 Pages: 267-287
Date Published
October 2012
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article explored the role of coping effectiveness in the association between victimization and perceived school safety.
Abstract
Peer victimization is a documented antecedent of poor mental health outcomes for children and adolescents. This article explored the role of coping effectiveness in the association between victimization and perceived school safety. A sample of urban middle school students (N = 509) in the southeastern United States were surveyed regarding victimization, coping behaviors, and school climate. Data analysis were conducted in Mplus (Version 6.1) with a Bayesian analytic approach that allowed for incorporation of findings from a previous study using comparable measures (Varjas, Henrich, & Meyers, 2009). The findings supported a hypothesized buffering effect of coping effectiveness on the association between victimization and school safety. Unexpectedly, there was a suppressing indirect effect of coping effectiveness on the association between victimization and safety. These findings are discussed in terms of the importance of participatory action models of research and understanding developmental trends in children's coping behavior. Abstract published by arrangement with Taylor and Francis.