Peer victimization and adjustment: Moderation by perceptions of same-race and other-race classmates' behavior

Drawing on the "social misfit" hypothesis, this study tested whether peer victimization is more predictive of maladjustment when children have many same-race classmates who they view as low in aggression. Also accounted for were children's race, the racial composition of the classroom, and children's perceptions of other-race peers. Data were collected in the fall, winter, and spring of a school year from 1,424 4^th and 5^th grade children (M_age = 10.06; SD_age = 0.67; Range_age = 8.43-13.03; 683 girls; 741 boys; 39.61% Black; 60.39% White) in the Southeastern United States. Measures included children's ratings of the aggressiveness of their participating Black and White classmates; teacher-reports of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and social withdrawal; and peer-reports of peer victimization, aggression, and prosocial behavior. Consistent with the social misfit hypothesis, when children viewed same-race classmates as low in aggression, peer victimization was more strongly associated with internalizing problems in the fall for Black children (R²: 0.05-0.16) and with heightened anxiety in the spring for White children with many same-race classmates (R² = 0.09). Although some protective effects of viewing other-race classmates as aggressive emerged, associations with heightened anxiety (R²: 0.06-0.09) underscored the need to promote positive interracial relationships to optimize children's mental health.