The bidirectional relationship between peer relationships and bullying: Evidence from cross‐lagged analyses among Chinese children.

BULLYING & psychology; SELF-evaluation; VICTIMS; CYBERBULLYING; RESEARCH funding; ELEMENTARY schools; AFFINITY groups; SEX distribution; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; LONGITUDINAL method; SOCIAL dominance; INTERPERSONAL relations; TIME; SOCIAL isolation

Background: In the digital age, bullying manifests in two distinct forms: traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Children's peer relationships are important predictors of bullying, and bullying in turn predicts peer relationships. However, few researchers have noted the bidirectional relationship between peer relationships and bullying. Methods: The present study used a two‐wave cross‐lagged longitudinal design to fill this gap. The potential sex differences were also examined in this relationship. The sample consisted of 527 Chinese children aged 8 to 12 years (M = 9.69, SD =.96; 53.5% female). Participants completed peer nominations for peer acceptance, peer rejection and social dominance, as well as self‐reports of traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Results: Results showed that peer rejection at the first time point (T1) significantly and positively predicted traditional bullying perpetration, cyberbullying perpetration and cyberbullying victimization at the second time point (T2). Traditional bullying victimization at T1 significantly and negatively predicted peer acceptance and social dominance at T2. The results also revealed significant male and female differences. For instance, among boys, peer acceptance at T1 significantly and negatively predicted cyberbullying victimization at T2. In contrast, this relationship was not observed among girls. The present findings have important implications for understanding the cyclical relationship between peer relationships and bullying and providing practical guidance for improving peer relationships and reducing bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Child: Care, Health & Development is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)