Associations between poor gross and fine motor skills in pre-school and peer victimization concurrently and longitudinally with follow-up in school age - results from a population-based study.

Abstract

Children with poor motor skills are at increased risk of peer victimization. However, it is unclear whether poor gross and fine motor skills are differently linked to peer victimization among pre-school and schoolchildren. To investigate associations between poor gross and fine motor skills measured in pre-school and the associations to peer victimization measured concurrently and in school age. Data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway were used. Participants with complete questionnaires at 3, 5, and 8 years (n = 23 215) were included. A longitudinal design and an autoregressive cross-lagged model were used to investigate if poor gross and fine motor skills at 3 and 5 years predicted peer victimization at 5 and 8 years. Because emotional difficulties are associated with both motor skills and peer victimization, the results were adjusted for emotional difficulties. Only poor fine motor skills at 3 years had a significant association to peer victimization at 5 years. Poor gross motor skills at 5 years had a stronger association to peer victimization measured concurrently compared to poor fine motor skills, and only poor fine motor skills at 5 years was significantly linked to peer victimization at 8 years. No gender difference was found between these paths. Teachers and parents should be aware that motor skills predict peer victimization, and that poor gross and fine motor skills have different associations to peer victimization measured at different ages.