TY - JOUR
T1 - Well-being, school climate, and the social identity process
T2 - A latent growth model study of bullying perpetration and peer victimization
AU - Turner, Isobel
AU - Reynolds, Katherine J.
AU - Lee, Eunro
AU - Subasic, Emina
AU - Bromhead, David
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 American Psychological Association.
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - The present study concerns longitudinal research on bullying perpetration and peer victimization. A focus is on school factors of school climate (academic support, group support) and school identification (connectedness or belonging), which are conceptualized as related but distinct constructs. Analysis of change on these factors as well as individual well-being across time contributes to understanding bullying behavior. Latent growth modeling was employed to examine the predictors of anxiety, depression, 2 school climate factors and school identification in understanding change in physical and verbal bullying behavior. The sample included 492 Australian school students (means age 15 years, 53.5% male) in Grades 7 to 10 who completed measures over 3 years. Academic support and group support were the strongest predictors of change in bullying and victimization. Positive change in school identification also predicted a decrease in bullying behavior over time. An increase in depression or anxiety across time predicted an increase in rates of both bullying and victimization over time. Future research should continue to examine the complex relationship between individual-psychological and social-psychological variables in impacting on incidence of school-based bullying. On a practical note, school-based intervention programs may benefit from an approach that aims to target the school climate, social identity with the school, and promote individual psychological well-being.
AB - The present study concerns longitudinal research on bullying perpetration and peer victimization. A focus is on school factors of school climate (academic support, group support) and school identification (connectedness or belonging), which are conceptualized as related but distinct constructs. Analysis of change on these factors as well as individual well-being across time contributes to understanding bullying behavior. Latent growth modeling was employed to examine the predictors of anxiety, depression, 2 school climate factors and school identification in understanding change in physical and verbal bullying behavior. The sample included 492 Australian school students (means age 15 years, 53.5% male) in Grades 7 to 10 who completed measures over 3 years. Academic support and group support were the strongest predictors of change in bullying and victimization. Positive change in school identification also predicted a decrease in bullying behavior over time. An increase in depression or anxiety across time predicted an increase in rates of both bullying and victimization over time. Future research should continue to examine the complex relationship between individual-psychological and social-psychological variables in impacting on incidence of school-based bullying. On a practical note, school-based intervention programs may benefit from an approach that aims to target the school climate, social identity with the school, and promote individual psychological well-being.
KW - Anxiety
KW - Bullying and victimization
KW - Depression
KW - School climate
KW - School identification
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84925642299&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/spq0000074
DO - 10.1037/spq0000074
M3 - Article
SN - 1045-3830
VL - 29
SP - 320
EP - 335
JO - School Psychology Quarterly
JF - School Psychology Quarterly
IS - 3
ER -