Doing Nothing is Sometimes Worse: Comparing Avoidant versus Approach Coping Strategies with Peer Victimization and Their Association to Depression and Suicide Ideation

Joy Benatov*, Anat Brunstein Klomek, Barzilay Shira, Alan Apter, Vladimir Carli, Camilla Wasserman, Christina W. Hoven, Marco Sarchiapone, Juit Balazs, Julio Bobes, Romuald Brunner, Paul Corcoran, Doina Cosman, Christian Haring, Jean Pierre Kahn, Helen Keeley, Agnes Kereszteny, Tina Podlogar, Vita Postuvan, Pilar A. SaizMerike Sisask, Airi Varnik, Danuta Wasserman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Peer victimization is a major stressor adolescents often face in the school environment, and has been linked to depression and suicidal risk. This study analyzed the associations between three behavioral coping strategies (avoidance, seeking social support from adults/peers, and retaliation) and depression and suicidal ideation. Participants included 4,254 victimized students who were part of the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) study that compared three school-based prevention interventions and collected information on health risk behaviors in adolescents from 11 European countries. Results showed behavioral avoidance to be associated with an increase in levels of depression, as compared to the other coping strategies (adult social support, peer social support, retaliation). Seeking social support from adults was associated with lower depression and suicidal ideation rates. A more than 25% increase in suicidal ideation was associated with behavioral avoidance, compared to seeking social support from adults. By contrast, retaliation to peer victimization was not found to be associated with increased depression or suicidal ideation. The findings support the Coping Deficit model and may suggest that abstaining by doing nothing when victimized can be associated with certain adverse emotional outcomes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)456-469
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of School Violence
Volume19
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2020

Funding

FundersFunder number
Research Authority at the College of Management Academic Studies
Seventh Framework ProgrammeHEALTH-F2-2009-223091

    Keywords

    • Coping
    • SEYLE
    • depression
    • peer-victimization
    • suicide ideation

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