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Reciprocal Links Between Teacher-Student Relationships and Peer Victimization: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study in Early Adolescence

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Abstract

Although teachers play a central role in tackling peer victimization at school, no study so far has investigated transactional associations between positive and negative teacher-student relationship dimensions and peer victimization in early adolescence. Investigating both dimensions simultaneously in upper elementary school allows to examine differential effects on peer victimization (and vice versa) and could aid tailored prevention and intervention efforts. At three time points within one school year, self-reported teacher-student closeness and conflict and self- and peer-reported peer victimization were assessed in a sample of 930 fourth to sixth grade students (Mage = 10.55 years, 53.1% girls). Cross-lagged models revealed negative within-time associations between closeness and self-reported peer victimization, and positive within-time associations between conflict and self-reported peer victimization at most time points. Whereas closeness and conflict negatively predicted each other across the school year, no bidirectional longitudinal effects were found between teacher-student relationships and peer victimization. The current findings highlight the need for early prevention and intervention efforts to tackle peer victimization, build positive teacher-student relationships, and especially reduce negative teacher-student relationships.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants of the study and the master students of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at KU Leuven who assisted in the data collection.

Author contributions

I.t.B. conceived the study, created the hypotheses, coordinated the data collection, performed the statistical analysis, interpreted the results, and drafted the manuscript; K.V. conceived the study, created the hypotheses, interpreted the results, and helped to draft the manuscript; K.D. coordinated the data collection, assisted with the statistical analysis, and gave feedback on the manuscript; F.v.G. coordinated the data collection and gave feedback on the manuscript; H.C. conceived the study, created the hypotheses, interpreted the results, and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

Grants from Research Foundation Flanders (G071317N) and KU Leuven Research Fund (C24/17/026) supported this study.

Data Sharing and Declaration

The data sets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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  1. School Psychology and Development in Context, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 box 3717, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Isabel M. ten Bokkel, Karine Verschueren, Karlien Demol, Fleur E. van Gils & Hilde Colpin

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  1. Isabel M. ten Bokkel
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Correspondence to Isabel M. ten Bokkel.

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ten Bokkel, I.M., Verschueren, K., Demol, K. et al. Reciprocal Links Between Teacher-Student Relationships and Peer Victimization: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study in Early Adolescence. J Youth Adolescence 50, 2166–2180 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01490-4

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