This study examined the friendship processes around prosocial and aggressive behaviors and the moderating role of early adolescents' perceived relatedness with teachers. Differences between fifth graders in elementary school and sixth graders in middle school were examined. The sample was from 48 classrooms (N = 879, 51% girls at Wave 1, N = 859,…

Multiple, simultaneous stressors in the family context during early childhood may compromise healthy adjustment to school, with potential long-term implications. Moreover, stressors across multiple contexts (e.g., home and school) can exacerbate the negative influences of stress on children's functioning. We investigated associations between…

Peer nominations and teacher ratings were used to examine age and sex differences in behaviors associated with perceived coolness during middle childhood. Participants were 470 students in Grades 1, 3, and 5. Participants nominated peers whom they perceived as cool; separate scores were calculated for samesex coolness and cross-sex coolness (i.e.,…

Studies examining the link between psychological control and peer victimization are limited. The current study extends knowledge of the role of parental psychological control in predicting children's experiences of peer victimization by longitudinally evaluating the moderating role of emotion inhibition. Gender differences in this effect were also…

For the first time, we investigate associations between overprotective behavior within the context of adolescent friendships and psychosocial outcomes. Young adolescents participating in two studies (Ns = 270 and 179; 49% boys) completed self-report measures of psychological functioning, social problems (also assessed with peer nominations), and…

This study investigated longitudinal associations between mathematics- and literacy-related causal attributions and self-concepts of ability among Finnish adolescents (N = 237). Questionnaires were administered to adolescents in Grades 7 and 9 to obtain information on their causal attributions and self-concepts of ability. The results showed that…

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine if autonomic nervous system reactivity moderated the association between relational victimization and two established outcomes of peer maltreatment, anxious/depressive symptoms and anxious rejection sensitivity. A total of 119 female (M[subscript age] = 12.47, SD[subscript age] = 1.96)…

This study investigated patterns of reasoning regarding different types of moral transgressions and different measures of moral development in children 6-8 years of age (N = 130). The findings documented different patterns of reasoning for each measure and for transgressions including different moral principles. Children distinguished between…

Although the effect of physical and relational (i.e., traditional) victimization on psychopathology is established, the interdependent contribution of cybervictimization is unclear. We test a longitudinal path model theorizing that (a) children's physical and relational victimization in Grade 4 or 5 is associated with more cybervictimization…

This study examined the prospective links between maladaptive anger regulation and aggressive behavior in middle childhood over a 10-month period, analyzing the mediating influence of peer problems. Participants were 599 elementary school children in Germany, aged 6-10 years at Time 1 (T1) and 7-11 years at Time 2 (T2). Anger regulation at T1 was…

Consistent with a holistic perspective emphasizing the integration of multiple individual characteristics within child systems, it was hypothesized that subgroups of anxious solitary (AS) children differentiated by agreeable, normal, attention-seeking, and externalizing behaviors would demonstrate enduring heterogeneity in peer relations over the…

In this two-wave longitudinal study, concurrent and longitudinal relations among teacher-reported shyness, peer acceptance, and academic achievement were examined (Ns = 162 and 155; and Ms[subscript age] = 6.09 and 7.07 years). Concurrently, at both times, shyness was negatively related to peer acceptance and academic achievement, and peer…

This study examined aspects of peer clique participation that mitigated victimization by peers over a school year. Participants were 1,033 children age 8-14 years (M[subscript age] = 11.81; 444 boys and 589 girls), including 128 (66 boys) victimized children. Cliques (N = 162) and clique participation were assessed by using the Social Cognitive…

Although relationship expectations are thought to influence all social interactions, little is known about the function of children's friendship expectations. This study examined the associations among children's friendship expectations and their behavior within their friendships, their friendship adjustment, and their socioemotional functioning.…

Although the ability to forgive offending peers may be crucial for maintaining long-term friendships in childhood, little is actually known about forgiveness among peers in childhood. In the present research, we examined whether forgiveness among children is related to enhanced psychological well-being. Importantly, we hypothesized that this…