Peer Victimization and Internalizing Distress in Youth: The Moderating Role of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

Children who are chronic victims of school bullying are at an increased risk for developing anxiety and depression during later childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, but some children who are chronically bullied appear resilient to the emotional consequences of this significant social stressor. The present study examined whether 4th and 5th grade children who scored higher on mindful stance or self-compassion were less likely to experience anxiety or depression as a consequence of peer victimization. The study also examined whether difficulties with emotion regulation, inhibitory control, and rumination – three factors that are generally positively associated with victimization and internalizing distress but negatively associated with mindfulness and self-compassion – mediated this moderation relationship. Data was collected in the fall of one academic year with 311 children. Children’s peer victimization was assessed through self-, peer-, and teacher-report, and the remaining constructs were assessed via child self-report. Results suggest that mindful stance and self-compassion were both negatively associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. As children scored higher on mindful stance, the relationship between peer victimization and both anxiety and depression was no longer significant. Similarly, among children who were more self-compassionate, the link between peer victimization and depression was no longer significant. However, children scoring higher on self-compassion were more likely to feel anxious in the face of peer victimization. These results suggest that mindful stance may serve as a protective factor and that self-compassion can be protective as well, but only with respect to depression. Additionally, rumination partially mediated the association between peer victimization and both anxiety and depression across several models. These results again generally suggest that mindful stance and self-compassion may disrupt the typical pathway from peer victimization to rumination to internalizing distress. Implications are further explored in the discussion