Effect of peer harassment on self-concept.

Abstract

Past studies have examined a variety of factors involved in the harassment of peers such as age, gender, education, and the role of the aggressor, but not the self-concept of students who have been harassed by their peers. This study investigated whether a student who has been harassed would have a lower self-concept than a student who has not been harassed. For the purpose of this study, self-concept and harassment of college freshman and sophomores were examined. One hundred twenty-five students were given a short demographic survey and the Assessment of Interpersonal Relations (AIR). This instrument evaluated the quality of relationships adolescents have with the most significant individuals in their lives on a four point Likert-formatted scale. A 2 by 2 analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed with gender and the presence or absence of harassment as the independent variables. No significant main effects or interactions were found between gender and harassment. Further research could benefit from a larger sample size of students who have been harassed. Also, recruiting participants from high school and middle school might provide a different picture of peer relationships while harassment is occurring.