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Mirella Dapretto - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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neural responses to witnessing Peer Rejection after being socially excluded fmri as a window into adolescents emotional processing
Developmental Science, 2013Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Jennifer H Pfeifer, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:During adolescence, concerns about Peer Rejection and acceptance become increasingly common. Adolescents regularly experience Peer Rejection firsthand and witness these behaviors among their Peers. In the current study, neuroimaging techniques were employed to conduct a preliminary investigation of the affective and cognitive processes involved in witnessing Peer acceptance and Rejection - specifically when these witnessed events occur in the immediate aftermath of a firsthand experience with Rejection. During an fMRI scan, 23 adolescents underwent a simulated experience of firsthand Peer Rejection. Then, immediately following this experience they watched as another adolescent was ostensibly first accepted and then rejected. Findings indicated that in the immediate aftermath of being rejected by Peers, adolescents displayed neural activity consistent with distress when they saw another Peer being accepted, and neural activity consistent with emotion regulation and mentalizing (e.g. perspective-taking) processes when they saw another Peer being rejected. Furthermore, individuals displaying a heightened sensitivity to firsthand Rejection were more likely to show neural activity consistent with distress when observing a Peer being accepted. Findings are discussed in terms of how witnessing others being accepted or rejected relates to adolescents' interpretations of both firsthand and observed experiences with Peers. In addition, the potential impact that witnessed events might have on the broader perpetuation of bullying at this age is also considered.
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associations among pubertal development empathic ability and neural responses while witnessing Peer Rejection in adolescence
Child Development, 2013Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Jennifer H Pfeifer, Natalie L Colich, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:Links among concurrent and longitudinal changes in pubertal development and empathic ability from ages 10 to 13 and neural responses while witnessing Peer Rejection at age 13 were examined in 16 participants. More advanced pubertal development at age 13, and greater longitudinal increases in pubertal development, related to increased activity in regions underlying cognitive aspects of empathy. Likewise, at age 13 greater perspective taking related to activity in cognitive empathy-related regions; however, affective components of empathy (empathic concern and personal distress) were associated with activity in both cognitive and affective pain-related regions. Longitudinal increases in empathic ability related to cognitive and affective empathy-related circuitry. Findings provide preliminary evidence that physical and cognitive-emotional development relate to adolescents' neural responses when witnessing Peer Rejection.
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an fmri investigation of responses to Peer Rejection in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 2011Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Natalie L Colich, Jeffrey D Rudie, Susan Y Bookheimer, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:Peer Rejection is particularly pervasive among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, how adolescents with ASD differ from typically developing adolescents in their responses to Peer Rejection is poorly understood. The goal of the current investigation was to examine neural responses to Peer exclusion among adolescents with ASD compared to typically developing adolescents. Nineteen adolescents with ASD and 17 typically developing controls underwent fMRI as they were ostensibly excluded by Peers during an online game called Cyberball. Afterwards, participants reported their distress about the exclusion. Compared to typically developing adolescents, those with ASD displayed less activity in regions previously linked with the distressing aspect of Peer exclusion, including the subgenual anterior cingulate and anterior insula, as well as less activity in regions previously linked with the regulation of distress responses during Peer exclusion, including the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum. Interestingly, however, both groups self-reported equivalent levels of distress. This suggests that adolescents with ASD may engage in differential processing of social experiences at the neural level, but be equally aware of, and concerned about, Peer Rejection. Overall, these findings contribute new insights about how this population may differentially experience negative social events in their daily lives.
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subgenual anterior cingulate responses to Peer Rejection a marker of adolescents risk for depression
Development and Psychopathology, 2011Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Larissa A Borofsky, Kristin Mcnealy, Jennifer H Pfeifer, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:Extensive developmental research has linked Peer Rejection during adolescence with a host of psychopathological outcomes, including depression. Moreover, recent neuroimaging research has suggested that increased activity in the subgenual region of the anterior cingulate cortex (subACC), which has been consistently linked with depression, is related to heightened sensitivity to Peer Rejection among adolescents. The goal of the current study was to directly test the hypothesis that adolescents' subACC responses are predictive of their risk for future depression, by examining the relationship between subACC activity during Peer Rejection and increases in depressive symptoms during the following year. During a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan, 20 13-year-olds were ostensibly excluded by Peers during an online social interaction. Participants' depressive symptoms were assessed via parental reports at the time of the scan and 1 year later. Region of interest and whole-brain analyses indicated that greater subACC activity during exclusion was associated with increases in parent-reported depressive symptoms during the following year. These findings suggest that subACC responsivity to social exclusion may serve as a neural marker of adolescents' risk for future depression and have implications for understanding the relationship between sensitivity to Peer Rejection and the increased risk of depression that occurs during adolescence.
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witnessing Peer Rejection during early adolescence neural correlates of empathy for experiences of social exclusion
Social Neuroscience, 2010Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Jennifer H Pfeifer, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:Neuroimaging studies with adults have begun to reveal the neural bases of empathy; however, this research has focused on empathy for physical pain, rather than empathy for negative social experiences. Moreover, this work has not examined adolescents who may frequently witness and empathize with others that experience negative social experiences such as Peer Rejection. Here, we examined neural activity among early adolescents observing social exclusion compared to observing inclusion, and how this activity related to both trait empathy and subsequent prosocial behavior. Participants were scanned while they observed an individual whom they believed was being socially excluded. At least one day prior to the scan they reported their trait empathy, and following the scan they wrote emails to the excluded victim that were rated for prosocial behavior (e.g., helping, comforting). Observing exclusion compared to inclusion activated regions involved in mentalizing (i.e., dorsomedial prefrontal cortex), particularly among highly empathic individuals. Additionally, individuals who displayed more activity in affective, pain-related regions during observed exclusion compared to inclusion subsequently wrote more prosocial emails to excluded victims. Overall findings suggest that when early adolescents witness social exclusion in their daily lives, some may actually 'feel the pain' of the victims and act more prosocially toward them as a result.
Gary W Ladd - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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development of aggressive victims from childhood through adolescence associations with emotion dysregulation withdrawn behaviors moral disengagement Peer Rejection and friendships
Development and Psychopathology, 2020Co-Authors: Idean Ettekal, Gary W LaddAbstract:At multiple developmental periods spanning from middle childhood through adolescence, we investigated the development of aggressive-victims. Multiple-informant data collected across four grade levels (1, 5, 8, and 11; N = 482; 50% females) was used to perform person-centered analyses including latent profile and latent transition analyses in order to examine the co-occurring development of multiple forms (i.e., physical, verbal, and relational) of aggression and Peer victimization. Results indicated that there were two distinct subgroups of aggressive-victims, one of which was more relational in form (i.e., relational aggressive-victims), and children in these two subgroups were distinguishable with respect to their individual characteristics (emotion dysregulation, withdrawn behaviors, and moral disengagement) and relational experiences (Peer Rejection and friendships). Furthermore, the findings elucidated the mechanisms by which developmental continuity and change (i.e., transitions) among the subgroups occurred across childhood and adolescence.
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costs and benefits of children s physical and relational aggression trajectories on Peer Rejection acceptance and friendships variations by aggression subtypes gender and age
Developmental Psychology, 2015Co-Authors: Idean Ettekal, Gary W LaddAbstract:This study examined the associations between children's co-occurring relational and physical aggression trajectories and their Peer relations (i.e., Peer Rejection, Peer acceptance, and reciprocated friendships) from late childhood (Grade 4; Mage = 10.0) to early adolescence (Grade 8; Mage = 13.9). Using a sample of 477 children (240 girls), the findings indicated there were multiple heterogeneous subgroups of children who followed distinct co-occurring aggression trajectories. For each of these subgroups, multiple indices of their relational development were assessed and findings revealed notable group differences. These results have implications about the potential costs and benefits of aggression, and how its associations with children's Peer relationships may vary as a function of aggression subtype, developmental timing, and gender. (PsycINFO Database Record Language: en
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developmental pathways from childhood aggression disruptiveness chronic Peer Rejection and deviant friendships to early adolescent rule breaking
Child Development, 2015Co-Authors: Idean Ettekal, Gary W LaddAbstract:Childhood aggression–disruptiveness (AD), chronic Peer Rejection, and deviant friendships were examined as predictors of early-adolescent rule-breaking behaviors. Using a sample of 383 children (193 girls and 190 boys) who were followed from ages 6 to 14, Peer Rejection trajectories were identified and incorporated into a series of alternative models to assess how chronic Peer Rejection and deviant friendships mediate the association between stable childhood AD and early-adolescent rule breaking. There were multiple mediated pathways to rule breaking that included both behavioral and relational risk factors, and findings were consistent for boys and girls. Results have implications for better understanding the influence of multiple social processes in the continuity of antisocial behaviors from middle childhood to early adolescence.
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does chronic classroom Peer Rejection predict the development of children s classroom participation during the grade school years
Child Development, 2008Co-Authors: Gary W Ladd, Sarah L Heraldbrown, Mark ReiserAbstract:A sample of 398 children was followed up from ages 5 to 12 to investigate the relation between Peer group Rejection and classroom participation. The participation trajectories of individuals and groups of children who were rejected for differing periods of time were examined both during and after Rejection using piecewise growth curve analyses. The results showed that whereas during periods of Rejection, children exhibited negative or negligible growth in participation, when nonrejected, they manifested positive growth. These findings corroborated the hypothesis that (a) Peer Rejection creates constraints that inhibit children’s classroom participation and (b) the cessation of Rejection enables children to become more active and cooperative participants in classroom activities.
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Peer Rejection aggressive or withdrawn behavior and psychological maladjustment from ages 5 to 12 an examination of four predictive models
Child Development, 2006Co-Authors: Gary W LaddAbstract:Findings yielded a comprehensive portrait of the predictive relations among children's aggressive or withdrawn behaviors, Peer Rejection, and psychological maladjustment across the 5–12 age period. Examination of Peer Rejection in different variable contexts and across repeated intervals throughout childhood revealed differences in the timing, strength, and consistency of this risk factor as a distinct (additive) predictor of externalizing versus internalizing problems. In conjunction with aggressive behavior, Peer Rejection proved to be a stronger additive predictor of externalizing problems during early rather than later childhood. Relative to withdrawn behavior, Rejection's efficacy as a distinct predictor of internalizing problems was significant early in childhood and increased progressively thereafter. These additive path models fit the data better than did disorder-driven or transactional models.
Carrie L Masten - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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neural responses to witnessing Peer Rejection after being socially excluded fmri as a window into adolescents emotional processing
Developmental Science, 2013Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Jennifer H Pfeifer, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:During adolescence, concerns about Peer Rejection and acceptance become increasingly common. Adolescents regularly experience Peer Rejection firsthand and witness these behaviors among their Peers. In the current study, neuroimaging techniques were employed to conduct a preliminary investigation of the affective and cognitive processes involved in witnessing Peer acceptance and Rejection - specifically when these witnessed events occur in the immediate aftermath of a firsthand experience with Rejection. During an fMRI scan, 23 adolescents underwent a simulated experience of firsthand Peer Rejection. Then, immediately following this experience they watched as another adolescent was ostensibly first accepted and then rejected. Findings indicated that in the immediate aftermath of being rejected by Peers, adolescents displayed neural activity consistent with distress when they saw another Peer being accepted, and neural activity consistent with emotion regulation and mentalizing (e.g. perspective-taking) processes when they saw another Peer being rejected. Furthermore, individuals displaying a heightened sensitivity to firsthand Rejection were more likely to show neural activity consistent with distress when observing a Peer being accepted. Findings are discussed in terms of how witnessing others being accepted or rejected relates to adolescents' interpretations of both firsthand and observed experiences with Peers. In addition, the potential impact that witnessed events might have on the broader perpetuation of bullying at this age is also considered.
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associations among pubertal development empathic ability and neural responses while witnessing Peer Rejection in adolescence
Child Development, 2013Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Jennifer H Pfeifer, Natalie L Colich, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:Links among concurrent and longitudinal changes in pubertal development and empathic ability from ages 10 to 13 and neural responses while witnessing Peer Rejection at age 13 were examined in 16 participants. More advanced pubertal development at age 13, and greater longitudinal increases in pubertal development, related to increased activity in regions underlying cognitive aspects of empathy. Likewise, at age 13 greater perspective taking related to activity in cognitive empathy-related regions; however, affective components of empathy (empathic concern and personal distress) were associated with activity in both cognitive and affective pain-related regions. Longitudinal increases in empathic ability related to cognitive and affective empathy-related circuitry. Findings provide preliminary evidence that physical and cognitive-emotional development relate to adolescents' neural responses when witnessing Peer Rejection.
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an fmri investigation of responses to Peer Rejection in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 2011Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Natalie L Colich, Jeffrey D Rudie, Susan Y Bookheimer, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:Peer Rejection is particularly pervasive among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, how adolescents with ASD differ from typically developing adolescents in their responses to Peer Rejection is poorly understood. The goal of the current investigation was to examine neural responses to Peer exclusion among adolescents with ASD compared to typically developing adolescents. Nineteen adolescents with ASD and 17 typically developing controls underwent fMRI as they were ostensibly excluded by Peers during an online game called Cyberball. Afterwards, participants reported their distress about the exclusion. Compared to typically developing adolescents, those with ASD displayed less activity in regions previously linked with the distressing aspect of Peer exclusion, including the subgenual anterior cingulate and anterior insula, as well as less activity in regions previously linked with the regulation of distress responses during Peer exclusion, including the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum. Interestingly, however, both groups self-reported equivalent levels of distress. This suggests that adolescents with ASD may engage in differential processing of social experiences at the neural level, but be equally aware of, and concerned about, Peer Rejection. Overall, these findings contribute new insights about how this population may differentially experience negative social events in their daily lives.
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subgenual anterior cingulate responses to Peer Rejection a marker of adolescents risk for depression
Development and Psychopathology, 2011Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Larissa A Borofsky, Kristin Mcnealy, Jennifer H Pfeifer, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:Extensive developmental research has linked Peer Rejection during adolescence with a host of psychopathological outcomes, including depression. Moreover, recent neuroimaging research has suggested that increased activity in the subgenual region of the anterior cingulate cortex (subACC), which has been consistently linked with depression, is related to heightened sensitivity to Peer Rejection among adolescents. The goal of the current study was to directly test the hypothesis that adolescents' subACC responses are predictive of their risk for future depression, by examining the relationship between subACC activity during Peer Rejection and increases in depressive symptoms during the following year. During a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan, 20 13-year-olds were ostensibly excluded by Peers during an online social interaction. Participants' depressive symptoms were assessed via parental reports at the time of the scan and 1 year later. Region of interest and whole-brain analyses indicated that greater subACC activity during exclusion was associated with increases in parent-reported depressive symptoms during the following year. These findings suggest that subACC responsivity to social exclusion may serve as a neural marker of adolescents' risk for future depression and have implications for understanding the relationship between sensitivity to Peer Rejection and the increased risk of depression that occurs during adolescence.
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witnessing Peer Rejection during early adolescence neural correlates of empathy for experiences of social exclusion
Social Neuroscience, 2010Co-Authors: Carrie L Masten, Naomi I Eisenberger, Jennifer H Pfeifer, Mirella DaprettoAbstract:Neuroimaging studies with adults have begun to reveal the neural bases of empathy; however, this research has focused on empathy for physical pain, rather than empathy for negative social experiences. Moreover, this work has not examined adolescents who may frequently witness and empathize with others that experience negative social experiences such as Peer Rejection. Here, we examined neural activity among early adolescents observing social exclusion compared to observing inclusion, and how this activity related to both trait empathy and subsequent prosocial behavior. Participants were scanned while they observed an individual whom they believed was being socially excluded. At least one day prior to the scan they reported their trait empathy, and following the scan they wrote emails to the excluded victim that were rated for prosocial behavior (e.g., helping, comforting). Observing exclusion compared to inclusion activated regions involved in mentalizing (i.e., dorsomedial prefrontal cortex), particularly among highly empathic individuals. Additionally, individuals who displayed more activity in affective, pain-related regions during observed exclusion compared to inclusion subsequently wrote more prosocial emails to excluded victims. Overall findings suggest that when early adolescents witness social exclusion in their daily lives, some may actually 'feel the pain' of the victims and act more prosocially toward them as a result.
Pol A. C. Van Lier - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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neural correlates of retaliatory and prosocial reactions to social exclusion associations with chronic Peer Rejection
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 2016Co-Authors: Geert-jan Will, Pol A. C. Van Lier, Eveline A Crone, Berna GüroğluAbstract:Social exclusion is a distressing experience and can lead to both retaliatory and prosocial reactions toward the sources of exclusion. The way people react to social exclusion has been hypothesized to be shaped through chronic exposure to Peer Rejection. This functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging study examined associations between chronic Peer Rejection and retaliatory (i.e. punishing) and prosocial (i.e. forgiving) reactions to social exclusion and the neural processes underlying them. Chronically rejected (n=19) and stably highly accepted adolescents (n=27) distributed money between themselves and unknown others who previously included or excluded them in a virtual ball-tossing game (Cyberball). Decreasing the excluders' monetary profits (i.e., punishment) was associated with increased activity in the ventral striatum, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and parietal cortex in both groups. Compared to stably highly accepted adolescents, chronically rejected adolescents exhibited higher activity in the dorsal striatum and lateral prefrontal cortex - brain regions implicated in cognitive control - when they refrained from punishment and shared their money equally with (i.e. forgave) the excluders. These results provide insights into processes that might underlie the maintenance of Peer Rejection across development, such as difficulties controlling the urge to retaliate after exclusion.
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Chronic Childhood Peer Rejection is Associated with Heightened Neural Responses to Social Exclusion During Adolescence
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2016Co-Authors: Geert-jan Will, Pol A. C. Van Lier, Eveline A Crone, Berna GüroğluAbstract:This functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study examined subjective and neural responses to social exclusion in adolescents (age 12–15) who either had a stable accepted ( n = 27; 14 males) or a chronic rejected ( n = 19; 12 males) status among Peers from age 6 to 12. Both groups of adolescents reported similar increases in distress after being excluded in a virtual ball-tossing game (Cyberball), but adolescents with a history of chronic Peer Rejection showed higher activity in brain regions previously linked to the detection of, and the distress caused by, social exclusion. Specifically, compared with stably accepted adolescents, chronically rejected adolescents displayed: 1) higher activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) during social exclusion and 2) higher activity in the dACC and anterior prefrontal cortex when they were incidentally excluded in a social interaction in which they were overall included. These findings demonstrate that chronic childhood Peer Rejection is associated with heightened neural responses to social exclusion during adolescence, which has implications for understanding the processes through which Peer Rejection may lead to adverse effects on mental health over time.
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the role of children s on task behavior in the prevention of aggressive behavior development and Peer Rejection a randomized controlled study of the good behavior game in belgian elementary classrooms
Journal of School Psychology, 2013Co-Authors: Geertje Leflot, Pol A. C. Van Lier, Patrick Onghena, Hilde ColpinAbstract:The role of children's on-task behavior in the prevention of aggressive behavior was assessed among 570 Dutch speaking children followed from second- to third-grade elementary school in Flanders, Belgium. A first objective was to investigate whether individual level variation of on-task behavior moderated the impact of a universal preventive intervention, the Good Behavior Game (GBG), on aggression development, controlling for classroom levels of on-task behavior. The second goal was to study whether improved on-task behavior or reductions in Peer Rejection mediated intervention impact on children's aggression. Second-grade classrooms were randomly assigned to the GBG or a control condition. Results showed that intervention impact was found only among children who had low-level on-task behavior at baseline. These children showed a decrease in aggression when in the GBG condition, which was not found among control group children. The reduction in aggression among low on-task children was mediated by reductions in Peer Rejection. No mediation effect of on-task behavior was found. These results suggest that the effect of a universal preventive intervention may depend upon initial levels of on-task behavior and that improvements in social relations with Peers may explain the reductions in aggression among these low-on task children.
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the role of Peer relationships in the development of early school age externalizing problems
Child Development, 2011Co-Authors: C Sturaro, Pol A. C. Van Lier, Pim Cuijpers, Hans M. KootAbstract:This study investigated the role of Peer Rejection and best friend's externalizing behavior in the development of externalizing behavior in 740 children followed annually from kindergarten (mean age = 6.2, SD = 0.46) to 3rd grade. Consistently across time, children's externalizing problems predicted Peer Rejection. Peer Rejection, in turn, added to the prediction of externalizing problems above and beyond prior levels of problem behavior. Having a best friend with externalizing problems did not add to the prediction of children's externalizing problems. All findings were similar for boys and girls. These results suggest that in early elementary school Peer Rejection, but not yet best friend's behavioral characteristics, has an additive effect on children's externalizing problem development.
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the development of conduct problems and depressive symptoms in early elementary school children the role of Peer Rejection
Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 2011Co-Authors: Evelien M J C Gooren, Pol A. C. Van Lier, Hedy Stegge, Mark Meerum Terwogt, Hans M. KootAbstract:Conduct problems in childhood often co-occur with symptoms of depression. This study explored whether the development of conduct problems becomes indirectly linked to depressive symptoms in a sample of 323 kindergarten children, followed over a period of 2 school years. Results showed that the development of conduct problems was indirectly linked to the development of depressive symptoms via experiences of Peer Rejection. These links were similar for boys and girls. Results underscore that part of the development of childhood symptoms of depression in the early years of school can be explained by a cascade effect in which the development of conduct problems results into poor Peer experiences, which ultimately predict depressive symptoms.
Eric S. Buhs - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Peer exclusion and victimization: Processes that mediate the relation between Peer group Rejection and children's classroom engagement and achievement?
Journal of Educational Psychology, 2006Co-Authors: Eric S. Buhs, Sarah L. HeraldAbstract:Longitudinal data from a study of kindergarten through 5th graders were used to estimate a structural model in which chronic Peer exclusion and chronic Peer abuse were hypothesized to mediate the link between children's early Peer Rejection, later classroom engagement, and achievement. Peer exclusion and abuse were expected to predict changes in 2 forms of school engagement (classroom participation and school avoidance), and changes in both forms of engagement were expected to predict changes in achievement. The model fit the data well and lent support to the premise that distinct forms of Peer maltreatment and classroom engagement mediate the link between early Peer Rejection and changes in children's achievement. Early Peer Rejection was associated with declining classroom participation and increasing school avoidance, but different forms of chronic Peer maltreatment mediated these relations. Whereas chronic Peer exclusion principally mediated the link between Peer Rejection and classroom participation, chronic Peer abuse primarily mediated the link between Rejection and school avoidance. Children's reduced classroom participation, more than gains in school avoidance, anteceded decrements in children's achievement.
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Peer Rejection negative Peer treatment and school adjustment self concept and classroom engagement as mediating processes
Journal of School Psychology, 2005Co-Authors: Eric S. BuhsAbstract:Abstract Data gathered from a short term longitudinal study within fifth grade classrooms (n = 378) were used to evaluate two process-oriented models linking Peer Rejection and negative Peer treatment to children's self-concept, school engagement and adjustment. Both structural models linked Peer Rejection, victimization, and exclusion to children's self-concept, classroom engagement, and change in achievement (fall of fifth grade to the spring). The model evaluations indicated that Peer Rejection predicted both exclusion and victimization and that these forms of Peer treatment, in turn, predicted academic self-competence. Academic self-competence, however, only partially mediated linkages to achievement change. Parallel (i.e. direct) linkages from exclusion and victimization to both academic self-competence and engagement were required for adequate model fit, as were direct links from academic self-concept and engagement to achievement change. An alternative model representing the hypothesis that academic self-concept fully mediated the relationships between the forms of negative Peer treatment and children's engagement and achievement did not fit the data well.
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Peer Rejection as an antecedent of young children s school adjustment an examination of mediating processes
Developmental Psychology, 2001Co-Authors: Eric S. Buhs, Gary W LaddAbstract:A short-term longitudinal design (N = 399) was used to examine Peer relations processes that may mediate the relation between Peer Rejection and children's emotional and academic adjustment during kindergarten. These proposed mediating processes extend the current literature by explicating behavioral pathways via which the attitudinal construct of Peer Rejection may affect adjustment outcomes. Structural equatiton modeling results supported the hypothesis that negative Peer treatment (e.g., victimization, refusal of Peer group entry bids, and exclusion from Peer activities) and classroom participation partially mediate the relationship between Rejection and adjustment outcomes. Rejected children were more likely to experience negative Peer treatment, more likely to show decreases in classroom participation, and more likely to report loneliness, to express a desire to avoid school, and to perform less well on achievement measures.