Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

School Psychology

Committee Chair

Randy Floyd

Committee Member

Xu (Lilya) Jiang

Committee Member

Robert Cohen

Committee Member

Yonghong (Jade) Xu

Abstract

The adverse effects of peer victimization in adolescent development have been consistently shown, including but not limited to internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and reduced life satisfaction. Emotion regulation, a critical individual level factor to the stress-coping process, potentially affects mental health in the context of peer victimization through different mechanisms. Based on theories and relevant empirical research, in the current study, the first mechanism was examined through mediation models, in which emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) were mediators in the relations between peer victimization and mental health. The second mechanism was tested via moderation models to examine the potential moderating role of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression in the relation between peer victimization and mental health. Data were from self-report surveys completed by 392 high school students. Results showed that neither cognitive reappraisal nor expressive suppression were significant mediators; however supplemental analyses of alternative models showed that mental health variables mediated the association between peer victimization and emotion regulation. Regarding moderation, there were significant interaction effects. First, at the highest level of cognitive reappraisal, there was a strong, positive relation between peer victimization and life satisfaction. Second, as expressive suppression levels increased, the negative association between peer victimization and life satisfaction weakened. No significant moderation effects were found for the internalizing or externalizing problems outcomes. Future studies should include an environmental factor in conjunction with an individual level factor like emotion regulation. Implications of these results further the understanding of emotion regulation in the context of peer victimization and mental health in high schoolers.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

Notes

Open Access

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