NCJ Number
224367
Journal
Journal of School Violence Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: 2008 Pages: 48-71
Date Published
2008
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether or not social support might play a mediating role in the relationship between levels of victimization and students’ adjustment among a primarily Latino sample in an urban setting.
Abstract
Preliminary evidence was found that social support might play a mediating role in the relationships between victimization and student adjustment. Specifically, there is early evidence that teacher support may fully mediate the relationship between victimization and school maladjustment. There was also support for partial mediation of social support between victimization and clinical maladjustment, personal adjustment, and emotional symptoms. Future research is recommended to investigate the nature of this mediation and identify relevant intervention strategies to capitalize on the role of social support for children and adolescents in schools. Previous research indicates that being a victim of bullying is associated with negative outcomes for students and that victims of bullying have low perceived social support. Social support is also related to many outcomes for children and adolescents, with lower levels of support related to negative outcomes and higher levels of support related to positive outcomes. This study was a preliminary investigation of the potential mediating role in the relationship between levels of victimization and students’ adjustment for a sample of 142 urban, predominantly Latino middle school students. Self-report measures utilized included: (1) the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale; (2) the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Self-Report of Personality; and (3) a victim questionnaire developed for this study. Figure, tables, and references