Peer victimization, environmental and psychological distress, and academic performance among children in China: A serial mediation model moderated by migrant status

Abstract

BackgroundDespite robust evidence indicating the adverse academic, psychological, and school-related impacts of being victimized, the ways in which peer victimization indirectly affects children's academic performance by psychological and environmental distress remain poorly understood, especially in China. ObjectiveWe sought to investigate how peer victimization negatively impacts academic performance via the serial mediation effects of environmental and psychological distress among migrant versus non-migrant children in China. Participants and settingParticipants were selected by multistage stratified cluster sampling, and data were collected with a cross-sectional survey administered in Nanjing and Guangzhou, China. The sample included 1747 students in Grades 4 to 9 (boys = 54.7 %, mean age = 11.7 years). MethodsStructural equation modeling and group comparison analysis were conducted to examine the hypothesized model. ResultsChildren's experiences with peer victimization significantly affected their academic performance and in relationships partially mediated by environmental distress (i.e., perception of school safety), followed by psychological distress (i.e., anxiety) (95 % CI: [−0.010, −0.001], B = −0.005, p < .01). The serial mediation model applied to non-migrant children only (95 % CI: [−0.026, −0.001], B = −0.008, p < .05), however, whereas environmental distress exerted a single mediating effect on the association between peer victimization and academic performance among migrant children only (95 % CI: [−0.125, −0.044], B = −0.076, p < .001). ConclusionEnvironmental and psychological distress exerted serial mediating effect on the association between peer victimization and academic performance. School-based comprehensive intervention programs designed for migrant versus non-migrant children are recommended.