Eisenberg Marla E, McMorris Barbara J, Gower Amy L, Chatterjee Debanjana
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 717 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA.
School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
J Psychosom Res. 2016 Jul;86:13-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2016.04.007. Epub 2016 Apr 22.
The present study examines whether the prevalence of vulnerable peers in school protects the emotional health of youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning (LGBQ), overweight, or have a disability, and if the adverse emotional effects of bullying victimization are mitigated by the presence of these peers.
Survey data come from a large school-based sample of adolescents attending 505 schools. The primary independent variable was the percent of students in school with each vulnerability characteristic. Multilevel logistic regression models estimated the odds of internalizing problems, self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among students who were LGBQ, overweight or had a disability. Cross-level interaction terms were added to determine if the association between being victimized and emotional distress was moderated by the presence of vulnerable peers.
Greater presence of similar students was, on average, protective against emotional distress for LGBQ girls and overweight boys. In contrast, greater presence of students with a disability was, on average, a risk factor among girls with a disability. Several tests of effect modification indicated that odds of emotional distress for those who had been victimized were lower in schools with a higher proportion of vulnerable youth.
The presence of a similar peer group may increase the likelihood that a bystander or witness to bullying will react in a helpful way. School personnel, health care providers and other youth service professionals should inquire about social relationships at school, including experiences of harassment and perceptions of peer support, to buffer negative experiences.
本研究探讨学校中弱势同伴的存在是否能保护女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋或性取向存疑（LGBQ）、超重或有残疾的青少年的情绪健康，以及这些同伴的存在是否能减轻欺凌受害的不良情绪影响。
调查数据来自对505所学校的大量青少年进行的基于学校的抽样调查。主要自变量是具有每种脆弱特征的在校学生百分比。多水平逻辑回归模型估计了LGBQ、超重或有残疾的学生出现内化问题、自我伤害、自杀意念和自杀未遂的几率。添加了跨水平交互项，以确定受欺负与情绪困扰之间的关联是否因弱势同伴的存在而受到调节。
平均而言，类似学生的更多存在对LGBQ女孩和超重男孩的情绪困扰具有保护作用。相比之下，残疾学生的更多存在平均而言是残疾女孩中的一个风险因素。几项效应修正测试表明，在弱势青少年比例较高的学校中，受欺负者出现情绪困扰的几率较低。
类似同伴群体的存在可能会增加旁观者或欺凌目击者以有益方式做出反应的可能性。学校工作人员、医疗保健提供者和其他青少年服务专业人员应询问学校中的社会关系，包括骚扰经历和同伴支持的感知，以缓冲负面经历。
