Keep Your Friends Close: Exploring the Associations of Bullying, Peer Social Support, and Social Anxiety

The current study investigated the relationship between victimization experiences (including traditional and cyber-victimization) and social support from two different groups of peers (classmates and close friends) in relation to social anxiety during adolescence. Specifically, this study investigat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:California school psychologist 2021-06, Vol.25 (2), p.230-242
Main Authors: Coyle, Samantha, Malecki, Christine K., Emmons, Jonathan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Bullying
Child and School Psychology
Child development
Computer Mediated Communication
Correlation
Cyberbullying
Educational Environment
Educational Psychology
Fear & phobias
Friendship
Gender Differences
Mental health
Peer Relationship
Peer relationships
Peers
Physical Education
Psychology
School environment
Social anxiety
Social networks
Social support
Social Support Groups
Student Attitudes
Students
Teenagers
Victimization
Victims
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Summary:The current study investigated the relationship between victimization experiences (including traditional and cyber-victimization) and social support from two different groups of peers (classmates and close friends) in relation to social anxiety during adolescence. Specifically, this study investigated the social deterioration hypothesis to understand whether the experience of victimization, both in person and online, would influence student perceptions of support from their general classmates and close friends and, whether through this relationship, influence student reports of social anxiety. Six hundred and sixty nine students completed the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS; Malecki, Demaray, & Elliott 2000 ), the Cyberbullying and Victimization Survey (CVS; Brown, Demaray, & Secord 2014 ), the Bullying Participant Behavior Questionnaire (BPBQ; Demaray, Summers, Jenkins, & Becker 2014 ), and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS; La Greca and Lopez 1998 ). Results found support for the social deterioration hypothesis. In other words, student reports of victimization experiences were associated with reports of support from classmates. However, important gender differences in these relationships emerged, and greater support for this hypothesis was found for girls than for boys. Implications of the current study are discussed within the context of school-based mental health support services.
ISSN:2159-2020
2161-1505
DOI:10.1007/s40688-019-00250-3