Emotional clarity and responses to peer victimization as predictors of youth aggression.

During the transition to middle school, difficulties understanding and identifying emotions may place youth at risk for maladaptive responses to peer victimization. In turn, maladaptive responses to victimization may increase the likelihood of engaging in aggressive behaviors. In a prospective, multi-informant study of 636 youth (338 girls; in fourth grade = 9.94 years; 66.7% White; 34.75% receiving subsidized lunch) from fourth to sixth grades (2008-2011), we examined the indirect pathways from emotional clarity to aggressive behavior via responses to peer victimization. Results revealed that poor emotional clarity predicted less effortful engagement and more involuntary disengagement responses to peer victimization, which predicted more aggressive behaviors. These results highlight the importance of promoting emotional understanding to enhance effective coping with victimization and reduce aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).