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

Publisher: Blackwell Scientific Publications Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 7602632 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1365-2214 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03051862 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Child Care Health Dev Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Oxford, Blackwell Scientific Publications.

Peer Group* ; Bullying*/psychology ; Crime Victims*/psychology ; Interpersonal Relations*; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; China ; Longitudinal Studies ; Sex Factors ; Cyberbullying/psychology ; Social Dominance ; Child Behavior/psychology ; East Asian People

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.
(© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

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CBA210234 National Social Science Foundation of China

Keywords: bullying; cross‐lagged analyses; peer acceptance; peer rejection; social dominance

Date Created: 20240702 Date Completed: 20240702 Latest Revision: 20240702

20240703

10.1111/cch.13302

38953565