Disentangling the effects of peer status and peer victimization on perceived physical health in adolescence

Although exposure to peer victimization during adolescence has been linked to poorer (perceived) physical health, little is known about how multiple peer stressors may independently and conjointly be related with adolescent physical health outcomes. The current study investigated the unique, interactive, and cumulative effects of peer victimization and two types of peer status (i.e., peer preference and peer popularity) on adolescent perceived physical health, while separating between- and within-person effects.

Two hundred and thirty-three adolescents (M_age  = 12.7 years; 47.2% females) enrolled in two secondary schools in the Netherlands completed self-report measures and sociometric nominations of peer status four times, every 6 months, during the first 2 years of secondary school.

Multilevel analysis showed that adolescents who reported higher levels of peer victimization than their peers also reported more perceived physical health problems. Moreover, when adolescents were exposed to higher levels of peer victimization (as compared with their own average levels), they also reported poorer perceived physical health (as compared with their own average levels). No main or interactive effects of peer status were found and the effect of a cumulative peer stress score emerged to be driven by peer victimization.

Findings revealed both between- and within-person effects of peer victimization on perceived physical health, suggesting that peer victimization may be the most salient peer stressor to affect physical health outcomes in adolescence.