Coping strategy usage as a moderating variable between peer victimization and posttraumatic stress symptomatology

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study:

Peer victimization, a growing concern in schools across the country, has been associated with a number of negative psychological sequelae. An area of particular concern with limited research is that of the presence of posttraumatic stress symptomatology in some victims. This study examines the relationship between reported victimization and posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Of further interest is the moderating impact of coping strategy usage on this relationship. Data were elicited from a sample of 244 fifth through eighth grade students in two rural Oklahoma and Texas schools, and examined through a series of moderated hierarchical regression models.

Findings and Conclusions:

Consistent with the relatively few studies in the extant literature, peer victimization was positively related to posttraumatic stress. Further, the results supported the conceptualization of coping strategy usage as a moderating variable between peer victimization and posttraumatic stress symptomatology. However, both avoidant and approach coping strategies were positively related to victimization and posttraumatic stress. These findings are discussed within the context of school climate and the individual psychosocial functioning of victims. Suggestions for further research and implications for practice are discussed.