Social-Contextual Predictors of Early Adolescents’ Responses to Peer Victimization: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

How youth cope with peer victimization affects their psychosocial adjustment. Although coping processes can be facilitated or hindered by the relational context, social-contextual correlates of coping largely have been overlooked in the peer victimization literature. This special issue addresses this gap by bringing together a series of empirical papers that examine the roles of teachers, peers, and parents in youths’ responses to peer victimization. Multiple methodologies and perspectives are presented, providing a rich foundation for future research. We conclude this special issue with a conceptual paper that explores how different kinds of parental responses to peer victimization influence youths’ ability to cope with peer victimization, as well as their psychosocial development more broadly.