Childhood aggression, depressive symptoms, and the experience of peer rejection

Abstract

The goal of the current study was to investigate whether the overall experience of peer rejection, as assessed through measures of peer rejection and peer victimization, mediated the relation between children's aggressive behaviors and depressive symptoms. Participants were 448 fourth- and fifth-grade children (252 girls and 196 boys). Data on aggression and peer rejection were collected through teacher and peer report, whereas data on peer victimization and depressive symptoms were collected through self, teacher, and peer report. Through testing two competing structural models, results revealed that peer rejection and peer victimization jointly mediated the relation between aggression and depressive symptoms, although this mediation was only partial. Suggestions for other variables that contribute to this relation are provided, and implications for intervention are discussed.