Examining the Relative Influence of Peer and Parental Attachment on School Victimization

Abstract

There is considerable evidence showing that attachment to parents and peers serves as a protective factor against adolescent anti-social behavior. However, less is known about whether the strength of these attachments serves as a protective factor against being victimized at school. Furthermore, no study has examined the relationship between primary language spoken at home and victimization experienced at school. In a sample of 1200 middle and high school students from an urban-fringe school district, the current investigation examined links between the strength of attachments to parents and peers and the frequency of victimization reported by students. Participants completed surveys in their classrooms as part of a random stratified sampling of classrooms from 6th-12th grades, which included self-report measures of the strength of attachment to primary caregivers and peers, frequency of victimization experienced at school, and primary language spoken in the home. Students who reported stronger attachments to parents and peers, reported less frequent victimization, though results appear to be clinically insignificant. Furthermore, students who reported speaking a language other than English in the home reported more frequent victimization, though attachment did not mediate this finding. These findings suggest the need for interventions which foster the development of strong attachments, and which address improving tolerance for students who speak languages other than and in addition to English.