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Published on: September 19, 2019
Relational Victimization, Characterological Self-Blame, and Adjustment in Young Children
Sarah J Blakely-McClure1, Jamie M Ostrov2
1Department of Psychological Sciences, Canisius College, 2001 Main Street Buffalo, 14208 NY, Buffalo, NY, USA. blakelys@canisius.edu.
Abstract:
The associations between relational victimization, self-blame attributions, and internalizing problems in early childhood has not previously been examined. Using a sample of 116 preschool children, average age 44.05 months (SD = 4.23), multiple informants, multiple methods, and a longitudinal design, path analyses were conducted to explore the associations between relational victimization, self-blame attributions (Characterological Self-Blame[CSB] and Behavioral Self-Blame[BSB]), and maladjustment in early childhood. Concurrent significant associations were found between relational victimization and internalizing problems. The initial longitudinal models revealed some significant effects that were consistent with predictions. Importantly, follow-up tests decomposing internalizing problems, indicated that anxiety at Time 1 was positively and significantly associated with CSB at Time 2. Depression at Time 1 was negatively and significantly associated with CSB at Time 2. Implications of this work are discussed.
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