Emotion regulation as a potential moderator for the association between peer victimization and student engagement

The peer victimization literature is vast and identifies numerous potential risk factors for and outcomes of victimization. One important and previously examined risk factor is emotion regulation ability. A significant outcome of victimization previously discussed in the literature is student disengagement at school. One growing focus of peer victimization research is to examine possible protective factors and areas for intervention. Because it is a trainable skill set, emotion regulation is a ripe area for investigation as both a protective factor and an area for intervention. The negative association between peer victimization and student engagement may result, in part, from poor emotion regulation skills. Inability to regulate one's emotions adaptively is associated with worsened outcomes following instances of victimization. Ruminating on the negative emotions associated with victimization may detract attention and resources away from student engagement. Strong emotion regulation ability, however, would allow students to redirect or reappraise following instances of peer victimization and remain engaged in school. The current study aimed to examine the associations among difficulty in six different components of emotion regulation and the frequency of relational and physical victimization. Furthermore, the current study explored emotion regulation as a potential moderator of the association between peer victimization and three types of student engagement. Finally, the emotion regulation profiles of victims of physical and relational aggression were compared and distinct patterns of difficulty were analyzed.