Associations between peer victimization and depression and anxiety disorders during adolescence: A population-representative study

Despite evidence that peer victimization is associated with greater symptoms of anxiety and depression, it is less clear whether these associations extend to clinically significant disorders characterized by impairment and distress. It is also unclear whether specific forms of peer victimization are uniquely associated with internalizing disorders. To address these gaps, we examined whether (a) peer victimization was associated with major depression and anxiety disorders, classifications informed by whether symptoms were associated with impairment and distress, and (b) different types of victimization showed unique associations with certain disorders. A population-representative sample of 2278 adolescents (M_age=14.55 years, 49.0 % boys) from the Ontario Child Health Study participated in diagnostic interviews to assess major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia (SoP), specific phobia, and separation anxiety disorder. Adolescents also reported on physical, verbal, relational, and cyber-victimization. Logistic regression models tested associations between victimization and disorders. Relational victimization was independently associated with GAD, SoP, and any anxiety disorder, and verbal victimization was independently associated with GAD and any anxiety disorder. All forms of victimization, including cyber-victimization, were associated with MDD, but none independently predicted after adjusting for other types of victimization. Overall, peer victimization was associated with MDD and anxiety disorders, indicating that this experience is linked to elevated mental health symptoms associated with distress and impairment. No form of victimization was uniquely associated with MDD; however, relational victimization was independently associated with GAD, SoP, and any anxiety disorder, highlighting this experience as a specific, key challenge for adolescents with anxiety disorders.