Moderating Effects of Group‐ and Self‐Orientations on the Relations Between Peer Victimization and Adjustment in Chinese Adolescents

ABSTRACT This 1‐year longitudinal study examined the moderating effects of group‐ and self‐orientations on the relations between peer victimization and social, academic, and psychological adjustment in Chinese young adolescents. Participants included 323 sixth‐grade students (165 boys, initial M age = 12.5 years) in middle schools. Data on peer victimization, group‐ and self‐orientations, and adjustment were obtained from multiple sources, including peer nominations, self‐reports, teacher ratings, and school records. It was found that peer victimization was positively associated with later teacher‐rated learning problems and self‐reported loneliness and negatively associated with later teacher‐rated school competence, academic achievement, and perceived self‐worth among adolescents who were high on group‐orientation or low on self‐orientation, but not among those with low group‐orientation or high self‐orientation. The results suggest that group‐orientation may be a vulnerability factor, whereas self‐orientation may be a protective factor in the development of adolescents who experience peer victimization.