Do My Reactions Outweigh My Actions? The Relation between Reactive and Proactive Aggression with Peer Acceptance in Preschoolers.

Aggressive behaviors negatively impact peer relations starting from an early age. However, not all aggressive acts have the same underlying motivations. Reactive aggression arises as a response to an antecedent behavior of someone else, whereas proactive aggression is initiated by the aggressor and is instrumental. In this study, we aim to understand the relation between reactive and proactive aggression and peer acceptance in preschoolers. Parents of 110 children aged between 3 and 6 years old rated their children's manifestation of reactive and proactive aggressive behaviors. To assess the children's peer acceptance score within their class, they completed a paired comparisons task. The outcomes confirmed that reactive aggression in particular is negatively related to peer acceptance at the preschool age. Our results provide insights for the needs and directions of future research and interventions.

Emotion-Driven Eating and Overeating Among Fourth Graders: The Roles of Body Image, Academic Achievement, and Peer and School Factors.

BACKGROUND: Eating patterns such as breakfast consumption and fruit and vegetable intake have been associated with academic achievement and cognitive function. METHOD: The purpose of this study was to learn more about psychological (emotion-driven eating) and behavioral (over-eating) eating patterns and motives, and the roles of body image, academic achievement (reading and math), and social supports (peer acceptance and school attachment), among 378 fourth-grade students (55% boys) from 14 classrooms across 6 schools within a large Midwestern urban area. RESULTS: Results were analyzed through a 2-group (male and female) path analysis. Boys' overeating (R2 = 9%) was not significantly predicted. Their emotional eating (R2 = 22.2%) was negatively, significantly predicted by peer acceptance and interaction of peer acceptance and school attachment. Girls' overeating (R2 = 13.6%) was negatively, significantly predicted by positive body image. Girls' emotional eating (R2 = 24.1%) was negatively significantly predicted by positive body image, math scores, and peer acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: Boys' and girls' eating patterns are differentially affected by their school experiences.

Lunchroom-Specific Peer Acceptance and Children's Internalizing Symptoms.

Prior research suggests the elementary school lunchroom is an important context for children's social development. Using a sample of 659 fourth-grade students in 10 public schools (50.7% female; 42.7% Hispanic/Latinx, 30.3% White, 10% Pacific Islander, 7.8% bi/multiracial, 2.2% American Indian, 2.2% Black, 1.9% Asian, and 2.9% other), we examined the association between lunchroom-specific peer acceptance and internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression and social anxiety symptoms). We hypothesized that lunchroom peer acceptance would predict self-rated depression and social anxiety symptoms when controlling for social preference scores. Using hierarchical linear modeling, results indicated self-rated lunchtime peer acceptance scores in December significantly predicted depression symptoms in May when controlling social preference scores and accounted for changes in depression scores across a school year. However, some significant gender differences emerged. Results suggest that elementary school lunchroom interventions should attend to children's perceptions of lunchroom likability and their experiences of depression symptoms.

Bullying perpetration and social status in the peer group: A meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Associations between bullying perpetration and social status vary, not only between different facets of social status but also between bullying in primary versus secondary school. The main aim of the present study was to meta-analyse existing evidence regarding the prospective associations between bullying perpetration and various facets of social status, that is, popularity, peer acceptance, peer rejection, and social preference. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched to identify studies on bullying perpetration and later social status published up to January 17, 2022. Multilevel random effects models were performed using Metafor and differences in effect sizes as a function of substantive and methodological moderators were tested. RESULTS: In total, 116 effects were included from 18 publications, reporting on 17 different samples and more than 15,000 participants (mean age bullying assessment = 11.57 years, on average 51% female participants). Most samples were from the United States (7) or Europe (7). Overall, bullies were more popular, but also more rejected and scored lower on social preference compared with non-bullies. These associations remained when effects were adjusted for previous social status and other confounders. No link between bullying perpetration and acceptance was found. There was little evidence that effect sizes differed as a function of moderators. CONCLUSIONS: Bullies become more popular over time, but also have a higher risk of being rejected and being less socially preferred. Bullying perpetrators are more popular but also more rejected by their peers. There is no evidence that these links differ depending on sex or age at which perpetrators bully, reporter or type of bullying.

Bidirectional Associations of Prosocial Behavior with Peer Acceptance and Rejection in Adolescence.

As most studies on the link between peer status and prosocial behavior are cross-sectional, conducted with children, and operationalize status as the difference between acceptance and rejection, it remains unclear whether peer acceptance and rejection are consequences or prerequisites of prosocial behavior in adolescence. To fill this gap, this study examines the bidirectional associations of prosocial behavior with peer acceptance and peer rejection with data collected at 3 time points, 6 months apart, in a sample of 660 early Chilean adolescents (M = 12.94, SD = 0.62; 55.1% boys). Cross-lagged panel analyses showed that prosocial behavior positively predicted future peer acceptance, whereas peer acceptance had no significant effect on future prosocial behavior. The association between rejection and prosocial behavior was negative and bidirectional between Time 1 and Time 2. When a new academic year began, between Time 2 and Time 3, prosocial behavior negatively predicted rejection, whereas rejection in the previous grade level was positively associated with prosocial behavior at the beginning of the next grade. Multi-group panel analyses did not detect significant differences between boys and girls in the cross-lagged associations of prosociality with peer acceptance and peer rejection. The results suggest that acting prosocially can make adolescents better liked by their peers and highlight the possible importance of the transition to a new academic year for the prosocial behavior of previously rejected students. Implications for future research on peer relations are discussed.

Off on the Wrong Foot: Task Avoidance at the Outset of Primary School Anticipates Academic Difficulties and Declining Peer Acceptance.

The present study examined the academic antecedents of declining peer social status. Participants included 545 (311 boys, 234 girls) Finnish students followed from the 1st through the 4th grade (ages 6-8 at outset). Each year, teachers completed assessments of academic task avoidance and students completed standardized measures of reading and math achievement. Acceptance was assayed through peer nominations. Supporting the hypothesized model, the results indicated that a lack of interest and motivation at the outset of primary school leads to a downward spiral of academic difficulties and diminished peer acceptance. Specifically, academic task avoidance in 1st and 2nd grade anticipated declining math and reading achievement one year later, which in turn, anticipated decreases in peer acceptance the following year. The findings held after controlling for factors known to contribute to school and peer difficulties, such as friendlessness, school readiness, and emotional and behavioral problems.

La provisión de apoyos fuera del aula como medida de atención a la diversidad y sus efectos en la inclusión educativa / The Provision of out-of Classroom Supportsas a Measure of Attention to Diversityand its Effects on Inclusion

Este estudio analiza el impacto del apoyo fuera del aula como medida de atención a la diversidad en el alumnado de primaria, además de las nominaciones positivas y negativas que emiten y reciben, así como sus perfiles sociométricos. La muestra representa a 20 colegios ordinarios de la región de Extremadura (España). Participaron 881 alumnos (de 6 a 12 años) pertenecientes a 43 aulas de primaria, de primero a sexto curso; de estos, 98 alumnos (11,12 %) presentaban necesidades específicas de apoyo educativo. Como instrumento se utilizó un cuestionario sociométrico basado en el método de nominación de iguales y la asociación de atributos. Los resultados muestran que los alumnos con necesidades específicas de apoyo educativo (ACNEAE) obtienen más rechazo y que este aumenta a medida que lo hace el nivel educativo. Además, estos alumnos reciben más nominaciones por parte de sus iguales con NEAE. Los alumnos con y sin NEAE muestran perfiles sociométricos distintos que denotan perfiles comportamentales diferentes. Los resultados muestran que la provisión de apoyos fuera del aula parece actuar como factor inhibidor de la inclusión educativa. (AU)

This study analyzes the impact of out-of-classroom supports as diversity attention measures on primary school students as well as determining the choices and rejections they make and receive, and their sociometric profiles. The sample represents 20 ordinary school of the region Extremadura in Spain. A total of 881 students (6 to 12 years old) from 43 primary school classrooms from first to sixth grade participated; of whom, 98 students (11,12 %) had specific educational support needs. A sociometric questionnaire based on the method of peer nomination and attribute association was used for data collection. The results show that students with specific educational sup-port needs (SEN) are subject to greater rejection and that this rejection increases as the educational level goes up. These students also receive more choices and rejections from their peers who also have SEN. Students with and without SEN show different soci-ometric profiles that denote different behavioral profiles. These results show that the provision of out-of-classroom supports seems to act as a hindering factor of educational inclusion. (AU)

The Interchangeability of Liking and Friend Nominations to Measure Peer Acceptance and Friendship.

Two studies examine the convergence between measures of friendship and measures of liking in the assessment of friendship and peer acceptance. In the first study, 551 (301 boys and 250 girls) Canadian primary school children (ages 8 to 11) nominated friends and liked-most classmates. In the second study, 282 (127 boys and 155 girls) U.S. primary school children (ages 9 to 11) nominated friends and rated classmates on a sociometric preference scale. The results revealed considerable convergence in the assessment of friendship. Most 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranked friends were also nominated and rated as liked-peers, suggesting that when measures of liking are used to identify friends, few top-ranked friendships are overlooked. There was less convergence in assessments of peer acceptance. Peer acceptance scores derived from friend nominations were more strongly correlated with peer acceptance scores derived from liking nominations than with those derived from sociometric preference ratings. We conclude that liking nominations accurately capture friendships, particularly best friendships. Friend nominations may be a suitable substitute for assessments of liking, but they are a poor substitute for assessments of sociometric preference.

Adolescents' Characteristics and Peer Relationships in Class: A Population Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate differences in adolescents' social relationships with classmates of diverse gender, socioeconomic status, immigrant background, and academic achievement. METHODS: A population of 10th-grade students (N = 406,783; males = 50.3%; Mage = 15.57 years, SDage = 0.75) completed the Classmates Social Isolation Questionnaire (CSIQ), an instrument specifically designed to measure two distinct but correlated types of peer relationships in class: peer acceptance and peer friendship. To obtain reliable comparisons across diverse adolescent characteristics, the measurement invariance of the CSIQ was established by means of CFAs and then latent mean differences tests were performed. RESULTS: Immigrant background, academic achievement, and socioeconomic status all proved to be important factors influencing relationships with classmates, while being a male or a female was less relevant. Being a first-generation immigrant adolescent appears to be the foremost risk factor for being less accepted by classmates, while having a low academic achievement is the greatest hindrance for having friends in the group of classmates, a finding that diverges from previous studies. CONCLUSIONS: This population study suggests that adolescent characteristics (especially immigrant background, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement) seem to affect social relationships with classmates.

Connecting the dots: social networks in the classroom and white matter connections in the brain.

BACKGROUND: Peer connections in school classrooms play an important role in social-emotional development and mental health. However, research on the association between children's peer relationships and white matter connections in the brain is scarce. We studied associations between peer relationships in the classroom and white matter structural connectivity in a pediatric population-based sample. METHODS: Bullying and victimization, as well as rejection and acceptance, were assessed in classrooms in 634 children at age 7. White matter microstructure (fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD)) was measured with diffusion tensor imaging at age 10. We examined global metrics of white matter microstructure and used Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) for voxel-wise associations. RESULTS: Peer victimization was associated with higher global FA and lower global MD and peer rejection was associated with lower global MD; however, these associations did not remain after multiple testing correction. Voxel-wise TBSS results for peer victimization and rejection were in line with global metrics both in terms of direction and spatial extent of the associations, with associated voxels (pFWE <.05) observed throughout the brain (including corpus callosum, corona radiata, sagittal stratum and superior longitudinal fasciculi). CONCLUSIONS: Although based only on cross-sectional data, the findings could indicate accelerated white matter microstructure maturation in certain brain areas of children who are victimized or rejected more often. However, repeated measurements are essential to unravel this complex interplay of peer connections, maturation and brain development over time.

Functions of Aggression and Peer Likeability in Elementary School Children Across Time.

We examined associations between proactive and reactive aggression and peer likability across two academic years. Analyses were based on a sample of 442 elementary school children. Proactive and reactive aggression were assessed through self-report and peer likability was assessed via a peer nomination inventory. Data were collected in the fall and spring of two academic years. Findings from cross-lagged multiple group longitudinal panel models where pathways were freely estimated for boys and girls provided evidence that the relation between reactive aggression and reciprocated liking and received only liking nominations was negative and transactional for girls. Proactive aggression had mixed associations with likability between boys and girls. Our findings suggest that preventative interventions that focus on reducing reactive aggression or increasing peer likability have the potential to shift children away from trajectories of long-term maladjustment.

Peer Status as a Potential Risk or Protective Factor: A Latent Profile Analysis on Peer Status and Its Association with Internalizing Symptoms in Adolescents with and without Parental Physical Abuse Experience.

Research has well established that parental physical abuse experiences can lead to devastating consequences for adolescents, with peer relationships acting as both protective and risk factors. With the person-centered latent profile analysis (LPA), we analyzed questionnaire data from a cross-sectional study in 2020 composed of a sample of 1959 seventh-grade high school students from Switzerland. This study investigated and compared peer-status profiles combining peer acceptance and peer popularity for adolescents with and without parental physical abuse experiences. We conducted a multinomial logistic regression analysis to investigate further depression, anxiety, and dissociation as predictors of profile membership. With LPA, we identified three distinct profiles for adolescents within the subgroup with experiences of parental physical abuse (n = 344), namely liked, liked-popular, and rejected-unpopular. Within the subgroup of adolescents without parental physical abuse experiences (n = 1565), LPA revealed four profiles, namely liked, liked-popular, rejected-unpopular, and average. For adolescents with parental physical abuse experiences, higher levels of dissociation significantly indicated they were more likely to belong to the rejected-unpopular group than belong to the liked group. Anxious students without experiences of parental physical abuse were more likely to belong to the rejected-unpopular and liked profiles than belong to the liked-popular and average profiles. These findings clearly argue for a deeper understanding of the role of parental physical abuse when analyzing the relationship between dissociation and anxiety and peer status. Operationalizing peer status with the four individual dimensions of likeability, rejection, popularity, and unpopularity was valuable in that the role of peer rejection with respect to different internalizing symptoms became apparent.

Disaggregating the Between-Person and Within-Person Associations Between Peer Acceptance and Academic Achievement in Early Elementary School.

We examined the between-person and within-person associations between peer acceptance and academic achievement in early elementary school years. Drawing on a sample of 784 academically at-risk students, the random intercept cross-lagged panel model was implemented to disaggregate the between- and within-person associations between peer acceptance and academic achievement from Grades 1 to 3. Academic achievement was measured using standardized achievement tests and teacher reports. Peer acceptance was measured using sociometric ratings. Positive associations between peer acceptance and academic achievement were found at the between-person level. At the within-person level, peer acceptance was not associated with standardized achievement test scores, and it was negatively predicted by teacher-reported academic achievement. These findings reveal the heterogeneous associations between peer relation and academic achievement at different levels of analyses and highlight the importance of disaggregating the between- and within-person associations for a better understanding of the nature of this developmental relation.

Children's autistic traits and peer relationships: do non-verbal IQ and externalizing problems play a role?

BACKGROUND: Children with autism have difficulties in understanding relationships, yet little is known about the levels of autistic traits with regard to peer relationships. This study examined the association between autistic traits and peer relationships. Additionally, we examined whether the expected negative association is more pronounced in children with a lower non-verbal IQ and in those who exhibit more externalizing problems. METHOD: Data were collected in a large prospective birth cohort of the Generation R Study (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) for which nearly 10,000 pregnant mothers were recruited between 2002 and 2006. Follow up data collection is still currently ongoing. Information on peer relationships was collected with PEERS application, an interactive computerized task (M = 7.8 years). Autistic traits were assessed among general primary school children by using the Social Responsiveness Scale (M = 6.1 years). Information was available for 1580 children. RESULT: Higher levels of autistic traits predicted lower peer acceptance and higher peer rejection. The interaction of autistic traits with externalizing problems (but not with non-verbal IQ or sex) was significant: only among children with low externalizing problems, a higher level of autistic traits predicted less peer acceptance and more peer rejection. Among children exhibiting high externalizing problems, a poor peer acceptance and high level of rejection is seen independently of the level of autistic traits. CONCLUSION: We conclude that autistic traits-including traits that do not classify as severe enough for a clinical diagnosis-as well as externalizing problems negatively impact young children's peer relationships. This suggests that children with these traits may benefit from careful monitoring and interventions focused at improving peer relationships.

Association Between Dynamic Parasympathetic Reactivity to Frustration and Children's Social Success with Peers in Kindergarten.

The inability to regulate affective arousal in the context of frustration may jeopardize children's ability to form successful friendships, especially as new peer groups are formed during the transition to kindergarten. While substantial research has utilized teacher reports of children's socioemotional behavior, there is less empirical evidence on the peer perspective. The present study utilized data from n = 235 kindergarteners (54% high in disruptive behavior) recruited for a multicomponent intervention. We examined whether physiological reactivity to frustration was associated with children's social success. Peer nominations of liking or disliking to play with the child were used to compute a social preference score, where negative values reflect greater rejection than acceptance. Multilevel growth modeling was employed to capture changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity across a manipulated inhibitory control task administered in 3 blocks, with differing algorithms embedded to induce affect: points were earned in the 1st and 3rd blocks (reward) and lost during the 2nd block (frustration). Groups did not differ in RSA reactivity during the 1st block, but children who experience greater peer rejection showed significant decreases in RSA (increases in arousal) across frustration. This increased arousal persisted across the 3rd block despite the reinstatement of reward, indicating a greater degree of reactivity and a lack of recovery relative to peer-accepted children. Teacher screenings of disruptive behavior only partially aligned with peer ratings of acceptance, highlighting the benefits of leveraging peer report to capture regulatory functioning and identify children for intervention recruitment.

Bullying Experiences and Nonsuicidal Self-injury among Chinese Adolescents: A Longitudinal Moderated Mediation Model.

Bullying experiences play an important role in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, little is known about how and in what conditions different bullying experiences (i.e., experiences of being pure bullies, pure victims, and bully-victims) may influence NSSI. Guided by the transactional model of development and the integrated model of NSSI, the current study investigated two potential mediators (i.e., peer acceptance and depressive symptoms) and one potential moderator (i.e., psychological resilience) of the relations between different bullying experiences and NSSI. Participants were 812 Chinese adolescents (43% female; Mage at Wave 1 = 13.15 years) from a two-wave longitudinal study with data spanning 1 year. The results show that all three types of bullying experiences can relate to a higher likelihood of NSSI through two indirect pathways: (a) lower peer acceptance to more depressive symptoms, or (b) more depressive symptoms. These indirect effects were weaker for adolescents with higher (versus lower) levels of psychological resilience. Moreover, when bully-victims were distinguished from pure bullies and pure victims and the unique effects for all three groups were tested, the direct and indirect effects were most evident among bully-victims. These findings imply that it is necessary to distinguish bully-victims from pure bullies and pure victims. The results indicate that NSSI may be effectively reduced if interventions focus on promoting peer acceptance and reducing adolescent depressive symptoms, particularly for bully-victims with lower levels of psychological resilience.

Prospective associations between peer functioning and social anxiety in adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: During adolescence, peer relationships take precedence and there is a normative increase in social anxiety. Although prospective studies have suggested peer functioning and social anxiety can influence each other, their findings have not been examined systematically. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies to examine the bidirectional relationship between peer functioning and social anxiety in adolescence. METHODS: EMBASE, PsycINFO, Medline, and PubMed were searched to identify relevant articles. Meta-analysis was conducted to examine the mean effect sizes of prospective associations between social anxiety and four dimensions of peer functioning. Moderator analysis was performed, with age, gender, time interval between baseline and follow-up assessment, and publication year as moderators. RESULTS: Meta-analyses of 23 studies showed that friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r =-.06), and peer victimization (r =.23) were each associated with later social anxiety, but peer acceptance was not (r =-.11). Social anxiety at baseline was associated with prospective levels of friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r=.09), and peer victimization (r =.17), but not peer acceptance (r =-.14). Age moderated the association between friendship quality and prospective social anxiety. Other moderator effects were statistically non-significant. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include different classifications of peer functioning, the use of self-report measures, heterogeneity between studies, and underrepresentation of clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS: A significant bidirectional association was found with social anxiety across three dimensions of peer functioning. Psychological prevention and intervention targeting peer functioning and social anxiety are indicated.

Co-occurring Trajectories of Direct Aggression and Prosocial Behaviors in Childhood: Longitudinal Associations With Peer Acceptance.

This study examined the longitudinal associations among children's direct (physical and verbal) aggression, prosocial behaviors, and peer group acceptance in middle childhood (Grades 1 to 4). Children's co-occurring aggressive and prosocial behaviors were assessed in order to identify distinct trajectory subgroups. Subsequently, variations in the development (i.e., continuity and changes) in peer acceptance were examined for each of the identified subgroups. The sample consisted of 784 children who were ethnically and socioeconomically diverse (47% girls, 37.4% Latino or Hispanic, 34.1% European American, and 23.2% African American; about 65% low SES) who were followed longitudinally from Grades 1 to 4 (M age = 6.57 years old in Grade 1). Results revealed several distinct trajectory subgroups, including children who were primarily aggressive or prosocial, as well as children who exhibited co-occurring aggression and prosocial behaviors. Comparing these subgroups, the use of co-occurring prosocial behaviors appeared to have some protective effect on aggressive children's peer acceptance. However, aggression was nonetheless associated with lower peer acceptance. The findings provide insights pertaining to the heterogeneity among aggressive children, the protective effects of prosocial behaviors on peer acceptance, and the differential effects of moderate versus high aggression.

Bidirectional effects between expressive regulatory abilities and peer acceptance among Chinese adolescents.

The current study examined potential bidirectional effects between adolescents' expressive regulation (the ability to enhance and suppress overt emotional behavior in line with situational demands) and peer interactions via two experiments. Experiment 1 tested the hypothesis that adolescents' expressive regulation affects their social acceptance from peers. Participants (N = 147) were randomly divided into three conditions and watched video clips in which a same-sex partner differed in his or her levels of expressive enhancement and suppression abilities. Results showed that participants reported greater liking of the partner when he or she was able to flexibly enhance and suppress emotional expressions in line with situational demands compared with when either one of these abilities was impaired. Experiment 2 then examined whether peer rejection reduced participants' enhancement and suppression abilities. We manipulated participants' feelings of rejection through a virtual Cyberball game. Following this manipulation (N = 100; Inclusion vs. Exclusion), we tested participants' expressive enhancement and suppression abilities, as well as their natural expressivity, via an observational task. Peer exclusion resulted in lower levels of enhancement ability and natural expressive behaviors but did not impair suppression ability. The results of these experiments suggest that both expressive enhancement and expressive suppression are important for adolescents to obtain higher peer acceptance. In addition, peer exclusion also caused impairments in expressive regulation, specifically reduced enhancement abilities. In summary, these results evidenced the bidirectional effects between expressive regulation and peer acceptance.

Effects of Gender and Body Weight on Children's Peer Choice During Physical Activities.

The present study investigated possible effects of gender and body weight on children's peer choices during physical activities. Twenty-four school-aged children (12 overweight and 12 non-overweight) were observed during 2 play sessions: the 1st session consisted of 2 tests that required agility (A) and 1 that required strength (S) in an A-S-A design; the 2nd session consisted of 2 strength tests and 1 agility in an S-A-S design. Before each session, 2 participants were asked to choose members for their teams. Results suggest that peer gender is a stronger predictor of children's playmate choices than their body weight. More specifically, children preferred to choose a peer of the same gender who was overweight rather than a peer of the opposite gender who was not overweight. However, when there was a choice between an overweight peer and a non-overweight peer of the same gender, the non-overweight child was favored.