ABSTRACT

Objective

Bullying perpetration has been proposed to be a strategic behavior used by adolescents to compete for social resources, yet the co-development of bullying perpetration and trait hypercompetitiveness is understudied. The joint developmental trajectories of self-rated bullying perpetration and parent-rated hypercompetitiveness were investigated in a sample of adolescents and childhood social, emotional, and physical predictors were explored.

Method

In a sample of 607 adolescents (M_age = 13.02 years in Grade 7 [SD = 0.38]; 54.4% girls; 76.4% White) self-rated bullying perpetration and parent-rated hypercompetitiveness were assessed across six years of development (Grades 7 to 12). Childhood (i.e., Grades 5 and 6) social, emotional, and physical predictors of trajectory group membership were also examined.

Results

Using latent class growth analyses, the three expected joint trajectory groups of primary interest were found: (1) a pattern of moderate stable bullying perpetration and high increasing hypercompetitiveness (high-risk group), (2) a pattern of low decreasing bullying and high increasing hypercompetitiveness (hypercompetitive only group), and (3) a pattern of low decreasing bullying and low stable hypercompetitiveness (low-risk group). Adolescents reflecting the high-risk joint trajectory pattern were differentiated from adolescents reflecting the other two trajectory patterns by having more adverse childhood social, emotional, and physical predictors.

Conclusions

Findings indicate that bullying is a developmental and context-dependent behavior that can reflect trait hypercompetitiveness. Bullying prevention efforts should focus on reducing emphasis on outcompeting peers and instead facilitate a sense of self-acceptance, awareness, and accomplishment within prosocial school and family environments.

中文翻译：

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青少年联合轨迹的童年预测因素：关于欺凌行为和过度竞争的多线人研究

摘要

客观的

欺凌行为已被认为是青少年用来争夺社会资源的一种战略行为，但欺凌行为与特质过度竞争的共同发展尚未得到充分研究。在青少年样本中调查了自我评价的欺凌行为和父母评价的过度竞争的联合发展轨迹，并探索了儿童社会、情感和身体预测因素。

方法

在 607 名青少年样本中（ 7 年级M_年龄 = 13.02 岁 [ SD  = 0.38]；54.4% 女孩；76.4% 白人）在六年的发展过程中（7 年级至12). 还检查了童年（即 5 年级和 6 年级）轨迹组成员的社会、情感和身体预测因素。

结果

使用潜在类别增长分析，发现了三个主要关注的预期联合轨迹组：(1) 中度稳定的欺凌行为模式和高度增加的过度竞争（高风险组），(2) 低减少欺凌和高的模式增加过度竞争（仅过度竞争组），以及（3）低减少欺凌和低稳定过度竞争模式（低风险组）。反映高风险关节轨迹模式的青少年与反映其他两种轨迹模式的青少年的区别在于具有更不利的童年社会、情感和身体预测因素。

结论

调查结果表明，欺凌是一种发展和环境相关的行为，可以反映特质的过度竞争。预防欺凌的工作应侧重于减少对竞争激烈的同龄人的重视，而是促进亲社会学校和家庭环境中的自我接纳感、意识和成就感。