Peer Rejection and Internalizing Behavior: The Mediating Role of Peer Victimization in Preschool

ABSTRACT

The author examined the relationship among peer rejection, peer victimization, and internalizing behaviors. The author hypothesized that physical and relational victimization would have a different indirect effect on the relationship between peer rejection and internalizing behaviors. Participants were 94 preschool children (37 girls; average age 49.97 months) from two university preschools located in the northern part of the United States. The results indicated that internalizing behaviors predicted the mediating variables only regarding relational victimization. Relational victimization indirectly affected the association between peer rejection and internalizing behaviors. The study provides evidence of the mediating effect of victimization behaviors on the relationship among peer rejection, victimization, and internalizing behaviors.

KEYWORDS:

• Internalizing behavior
• peer rejection
• peer victimization
• preschool

Acknowledgement

I am proud of dedicating this paper to my unrivaled mentors. This article is dedicated to the memory and legacy of Dr. Nicki R. Crick and also dedicated to Dr. Kenneth H. Rubin for inspiring my academic research.