Cognitive biases and emotional symptomatology as predictors of changes in peer victimization: a longitudinal structural equation modeling study

Abstract

Bullying and peer victimization are major public health concerns among adolescents. In recent years, a bidirectional relationship between emotional symptoms and peer victimization has been proposed. Cognitive theories emphasize the role of cognitive biases (i.e., attention and interpretation) in the onset and maintenance of emotional symptoms. Considering this framework, this study aimed to examine whether cognitive biases predict temporal changes in peer victimization (i.e., physical, verbal-relational, and cyberbullying) by contributing to higher levels of emotional symptomatology. A sample of 179 adolescents aged 13–16 years old (M = 14.5) was assessed at two time points by completing self-report measures of peer victimization (CMIE-IV), depressive and anxious symptoms (SMFQ and GAD, respectively), and an experimental task (SST) for the assessment of cognitive biases of attention and interpretation. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine whether emotional symptoms at T2 mediated the relationship between cognitive biases at T1 and changes in different forms of peer victimization from T1 to T2 (i.e., three months). Results showed an indirect effect of attention bias on changes in different types of peer victimization through interpretation bias and depressive symptoms. Likewise, attention bias had a direct effect on interpretation bias, and interpretation bias had a direct effect on depressive symptoms. These findings support the central role of cognitive biases in understanding the occurrence of depressive symptomatology and its potential impact on adolescents’ higher risk of suffering from different peer victimization experiences.