Victimization in South Korean children's peer groups - Abstract

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology,  April, 2002  by David Schwartz,  JoAnn M. Farver,  Lei Chang,  Yoolim Lee-Shin

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Apart from issues related to the complexity of conducting research in this setting, there is a need for investigations that incorporate a developmental perspective. The social meaning of some classes of behavior may change over the course of development. In Western settings, there is evidence that subtypes of inhibition gradually become less distinct in the middle years of childhood so that solitary-passive behaviors become more closely associated with peer group rebuff by early adolescence (Asendorpf, 1991; Coplan et al., 1994). Other researchers have suggested that attitudes toward aggression begin to shift in a positive direction during early adolescence (for related comments; see Graham & Juvonen, 1998b).

On a more theoretical level, understanding of processes underlying developmental trajectories toward maladjustment could be enhanced by integration of cross-cultural perspectives on children's social functioning and psychopathology. In Western contexts, social difficulties with peers are a powerful marker of later disorder (Parker & Asher, 1997). Extreme subgroups of bullied children (e.g., children who are concurrently victimized and aggressive) may be at particularly high risk for psychosocial difficulties (Schwartz, 2000). Conversely, more positive social interactions with peers (i.e., friendships) can play an important role in buffering children against developmental insults (Schwartz et al., 2000). However, models that incorporate interactions and transactions between peer relationships and psychopathological states have not yet been widely applied to research conducted outside the context of Western culture.

In summary, this study sought to extend the existing bully-victim research by providing descriptive information on the correlates of victimization in South Korean children's peer groups. As expected, South Korean children who were frequently bullied by peers were characterized by submissive--withdrawal, aggression, and low rates of assertive-prosocial behavior. Furthermore, in this cultural context, peer victimization was associated with academic failure, loneliness, and peer rejection. Overall, our findings were highly consistent with the results of research conducted in Western children's peer groups.