Relational and physical aggression, peer victimization, and adjustment problems in Asian American and European American children.

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of ethnicity in the associations between forms of aggression or experiences of peer victimization and externalizing and internalizing problems. The sample consisted of 232 (146 European American and 86 Asian American) children who were in the fourth grade (ages 9–10). Asian American children were in the visible minority group based on the demographic information regarding the neighborhoods, school districts, and school diversity. Results demonstrated that relative to European American children, Asian American children displayed lower levels of relational and physical aggression and experienced less relational and physical victimization. Moreover, the associations of relational aggression and relational victimization with internalizing adjustment problems were moderated by the ethnicity of children, such that the magnitude of these associations was stronger for Asian American children. In contrast, the relations of physical aggression and physical victimization with externalizing adjustment problems were evidenced only for European American children. Cross-ethnic differences in the links between forms of aggression or peer victimization and the development of psychopathology are discussed.