A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Are victims of bullying primarily social outcasts? Person‐group dissimilarities in relational, socio‐behavioral, and physical characteristics as predictors of victimization
Authors: Kaufman Tessa, Laninga-Wijnen Lydia, Lodder Gerine
Publisher: Child Development
Publication year: 2022
Journal acronym: cdev
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13772
Existing literature has mostly explained the occurrence of bullying victimization by individual socioemotional maladjustment. Instead, this study tested the person-group dissimilarity model (Wright et al., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50: 523–536, 1986) by examining whether individuals’ deviation from developmentally important (relational, socio-behavioral, and physical) descriptive classroom norms predicted victimization. Adolescents (N = 1267, k = 56 classrooms; Mage = 13.2; 48.7% boys; 83.4% Dutch) provided self-reported and peer-nomination data throughout one school year (three timepoints). Results from group actor– partner interdependence models indicated that more person-group dissimilarity in relational characteristics (fewer friendships; incidence rate ratios [IRR]T2 = 0.28, IRRT3 = 0.16, fewer social media connections; IRRT3 = 0.13) and, particularly, lower disruptive behaviors (IRRT2 = 0.35, IRRT3 = 0.26) predicted victimization throughout the school year.