Measurement of peer and friend relational and physical victimization among early adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: Peer victimization has been widely examined among children and adolescents; however, the majority of studies in the area of research have been conducted in Western cultures. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the utility of measures that assess different forms of victimization (physical and relational victimization; a two-factor model) against a global form of victimization (combined victimization; a one-factor model) in the peer groups and friendships among Japanese adolescents. It was hypothesized that peer and friend relational victimization would be conceptually distinct from peer and friend physical victimization in Japan.

Methods: The participants were fourth and fifth graders (n = 222, 50% females, age 9-11) and their classroom teachers in Japanese elementary schools. The data were drawn from a short-term longitudinal study.

Results: Results showed, as hypothesized, that peer and friend relational victimization was conceptually and empirically different from peer and friend physical victimization.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that children and teachers view peer and friend relational victimization and peer and friend physical victimization differently. Examining forms of victimization separately is promising for future peer relations research in Japan.

Keywords: Culture; Measurement; Peer and friend victimization; Relational and physical victimization.