Editorial Note: The Context of Peer Victimization

Abstract

The high prevalence of peer victimization and the emerging recognition of its serious impact on children and society as a whole have highlighted the public health significance of efforts to prevent bullying and victimization. There is a critical need to build the science base to guide the development of victimization prevention programs that can make a meaningful difference in the lives of children. The expanding science base has made it clear that efforts to prevent victimization ought to be based upon a ecological framework that accounts for the influence of multiple systems (family, school, peer group, community), and the interrelationships among these systems, on child development (Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group, 2002). Coincidentally, three unsolicited manuscripts addressing contextual issues related to peer victimization were recently accepted for publication in School Psychology Review. Each of these articles addresses important ecological considerations with implications for designing programs to prevent peer victimization in schools. As such, these articles have been grouped together to form a special topic for this issue. To highlight important themes related to this topic and to discuss implications for practice and research, I have invited Stephen Leff to offer commentary about this series of articles. The occurrence of bullying and victimization in school is not an isolated set of experiences in the lives of developing children (Finkelhor & Kendall-Tackett, 1997). These experiences are closely connected with the interactions and experiences children have in their families and the community. Melissa Holt and her colleagues in the Family Research Center and Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire introduce the school psychology readership to the construct of developmental victimology, referring to the study of multiple dimensions of victimization throughout the course of child development (Holt, Finkelhor, & Kantor, 2007). Their research demonstrates that children who are the victims of one form of victimization (e.g., child maltreatment, witnessing violence) are at risk for other forms of victimization (e.g., school victimization). Further, their research clearly affirms the need for a comprehensive approach to victimization prevention that addresses issues within the family and community systems. A challenge related to the development of programs to prevent peer victimization is that teachers often have difficulty identifying children who are the victims of aggression (Leff, Kupersmidt, Patterson, & Power, 1999). Catherine Bradshaw and her colleagues at the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence at Johns Hopkins University present research that clearly indicates important differences between students and teachers with regard to bullying and victimization (Bradshaw, Sawyer, & O'Brennan, 2007). Their findings suggest that teachers significantly underestimate the number of children who are victimized in schools, and that students perceive teachers as relatively ineffective in preventing bullying. This study highlights the need for teachers to partner with students to understand the problem of bullying in their schools and to develop effective and developmentally appropriate strategies for addressing these issues. Effective prevention programming includes strategies aimed at reducing risk as well as those for promoting resilience (Doll & Cummings, in press). Lisa Davidson and Michelle Demaray from the University of Northern Illinois highlight the importance of social support for promoting the resilience of students at risk for victimization (Davidson & Demaray, 2007). Their research identifies potential sources of social support that may buffer students from the adverse effects of victimization. …