Publication Date

2019

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Demaray, Michelle K.

Degree Name

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

Bullying victimization is relatively prevalent within schools and a significant number of White students (23%) and Latino students (16%) have reported being bullied at school. Research on bullying victimization has found that students who experience bullying victimization are more likely to experience negative internalizing, externalizing, and academic outcomes. Research on familismo (i.e., an individual’s strong identification with and attachment to their family that involves feelings of loyalty, reciprocity, and solidarity to the family) suggests that this cultural value may play a bigger role within the outcomes of Latinos because of its importance within Latino culture. The current study examined whether experiences with bullying victimization are related to internalizing and externalizing behaviors in 725 sixth through eighth grade European American and Latino students. This study also examined whether students’ perceived level of family social support (i.e., parent and/or sibling) moderates the relation between bullying victimization and their level of internalizing and externalizing distress. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to examine gender, grade-level, and school differences on each of the variables. Results indicated that there were school differences in students’ perceived bullying victimization and externalizing distress. It was also found that there were gender differences in students’ perceived internalizing distress, as well as gender by grade-level differences in students’ perceived parent social support. Finally, there was no support for the hypothesis that family social support (i.e., parent and/or sibling support) moderates the relation between bullying victimization and internalizing or externalizing distress in Latino and European American students. Specifically, it was found that higher levels of bullying victimization were related to higher levels of internalizing and externalizing distress and that higher levels of parent social support were related to lower levels of internalizing and externalizing distress. However, the interaction between bullying victimization and parent social support did not significantly impact students’ perceived internalizing or externalizing distress.

Extent

134 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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