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Peer problems, bullying involvement, and affective decision-making in adolescence
Eirini Flouri1, Efstathios Papachristou1
1Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK.
The British Journal of Developmental Psychology
|April 12, 2019
Summary
Adolescent bullies exhibit altered decision-making, showing increased risk-taking and reward sensitivity. Male bullies demonstrated improvements in risk adjustment over time, suggesting potential for behavioral change.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Neuroscience
- Adolescent behavior
Background:
- Decision-making deficits are linked to social exclusion in adults.
- Previous youth studies on decision-making and bullying were small and cross-sectional.
- Adolescent affective decision-making requires further longitudinal investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the longitudinal association between bullying involvement and peer problems with affective decision-making in adolescents.
- To investigate how bullying status influences changes in decision-making over time.
- To identify potential reward or punishment sensitivity differences in adolescent bullies.
Main Methods:
- A cross-lagged longitudinal design was employed with 13,888 adolescents (ages 11 and 14) from the Millennium Cohort Study.
- Affective decision-making was assessed using the Cambridge Gambling Task.
- Bullying involvement and peer problems were measured via self-report and parent-reported questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Bullying involvement, unlike peer problems, remained significantly associated with decision-making after controlling for confounders.
- Bullies and bully-victims showed improvements in risk adjustment over time compared to 'neutral' peers.
- Bullies across both sexes exhibited higher risk-taking tendencies, suggesting altered reward/punishment sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- Bullying involvement in adolescence is longitudinally linked to affective decision-making, particularly reward sensitivity.
- Specific bullying roles (bully, bully-victim) show distinct developmental trajectories in decision-making.
- Findings highlight the need for further research into the modifiability of decision-making in male bullies.
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