Moderators of the Link Between Social Preference and Persistent Peer Victimization for Elementary School Children

Authors

• Jake C. Steggerda, University of ArkansasFollow
• Julia L. Kiefer, University of Arkansas
• Ishan N. Vengurlekar, University of Arkansas
• Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• Freddie A. Pastrana Rivera, The University of Southern Mississippi
• Samantha J. Gregus Slade, Wichita State University
• Melissa Brown, University of Arkansas
• T. Forest Moore, University of Arkansas
• Timothy A. Cavell, University of Arkansas

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Abstract

Objective: Current antibullying programs can reduce overall rates of victimization but appear to overlook processes that give rise to persistent peer victimization. Needed are studies that delineate the interplay between social contextual and individual difference variables that contribute to persistent peer victimization. We examined the extent to which two individual-difference variables–internalizing symptoms (IS) and anxiety sensitivity (AS)–moderated the link between children’s average social preference score across the school year and their status as persistent victims. Method: Participants included 659 4^th-grade students (Mage = 9.31 years, SD = 0.50, 51.8% girls; 42.3% Latinx, 28.9% non-Hispanic White, 10.2% Pacific Islander, 7.7% Bi/Multiracial, 1.9% Black, 1.7% Asian, 1.7% Native American, and 3.4% unreported) from 10 public elementary schools in the U.S. Results: As expected, higher social preference scores predicted a decreased likelihood of being persistently victimized. Conversely, IS and AS were positively linked to persistent victim status. AS significantly moderated the link between social preference and persistent victim status such that for children with high AS, compared to those with AS scores at or below the mean, the negative association between social preference and persistent victim status was attenuated. Conclusions: Findings provide evidence that children who experience high levels of IS and AS are at risk for being persistently victimized by peers and that high AS could signal increased risk for persistent victimization even when children are generally liked by peers. We discuss the implications of these findings for efforts to develop focused interventions for chronically bullied children.

Publication Title

Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology

Volume

55

Issue

3

First Page

416

Last Page

430

Recommended Citation

Steggerda, J., Kiefer, J., Vengurlekar, I., Hernandez Rodriguez, J., Pastrana Rivera, F., Gregus Slade, S., Brown, M., Moore, T., Cavell, T. (2026). Moderators of the Link Between Social Preference and Persistent Peer Victimization for Elementary School Children. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 55(3), 416-430.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/22146