Examining the Prevalence and Impact of Peer Victimization and Social Support for Rural Youth.

INTRODUCTION: Peer victimization is a common experience in early adolescence often associated with psychosocial issues, following some youth into adulthood. Preliminary findings from a longitudinal study on peer victimization and protective factors were measured in rural elementary youth. Bullying is often seen as a schoolonly issue but research findings suggest the importance of systems outside the school setting as important protective factors for intervention. METHODS: Preliminary data were collected through online questionnaires focused on direct, relational, and electronic victimization. Protective factors, including parent and community support, were also measured. Participants include 307 children (52.8 percent female; 80.4 percent White; mean age = 10) attending the fourth and fifth grade at four rural, South Dakota public school districts. RESULTS: Overall, 91.2 percent of the sample reported at least one peer victimization experience during the first wave of data collection. Traditional victimization results include 57.7 percent citing direct and 89.5 percent relational. Electronic victimization was 25.3 percent. Participants reported high levels of community (94.8 percent) and parent (68.3 percent) support. Community support was significantly, negatively correlated with all types of victimization but parent support was only significant in relation to direct victimization. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide an important baseline of the prevalence of direct, relational, and electronic victimization among rural young adolescents and the importance of community and parent support. Results demonstrate the need for a community wide approach including, health care providers, to take an active role to prevent and assist affected youth.

Peer Victimization in Rural Youth and Why it Matters.

Peer victimization is a major public health concern due to its psychological, emotional, and physical short and potentially long-term effects on children. Research conducted with rural youth have shown heightened peer victimization rates compared to urban and suburban locales. Protective factors, such as social support, are underresearched and less emphasized compared to risk factors, particularly in the context of rural youth. This article will review the literature surrounding the constructs of peer victimization in relation to risk and resiliency factors, with a specific focus on rural children.

Community Perspectives on Emergency Department Use and Care for American Indian Children.

Emergency department (ED) utilization by American Indian (AI) children is among the highest in the nation. Numerous health disparities have been well documented in AI children, but limited information is available on parental experiences of care for AI children in the ED. Our objective was to understand parental attitudes towards ED care for AI children. Focus groups were held with AI parents/caregivers at five sites in the Upper Midwest. Traditional content analysis was used to identify themes. A total of 70 parents participated in ten focus groups. Three main themes were identified: healthcare environment, access to care, and interaction with providers. Healthcare environment issues included availability of specialists, wait times, and child-friendly areas. Transportation and financial considerations were major topics in access to care. Issues in interaction with providers included discrimination, stereotyping, and trust. This is one of the first studies to assess parent perspectives on ED use for AI children. Obtaining parental perspectives on ED experiences is critical to improve patient care and provide important information for ED providers.