Citation

Pinquart M, Pfeiffer JP. Br. J. Vis. Impair. 2011; 29(3): 163-176.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Association for the Education and Welfare of the Visually Handicapped, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0264619611415332

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The present study analysed bullying in German adolescents with and without visual impairment. Ninety-eight adolescents with vision loss from schools for students with visual impairment, of whom 31 were blind and 67 had low vision, were compared with 98 sighted peers using a matched-pair design. Students with low vision reported higher levels of peer-victimization and relational victimization in particular than sighted students. In addition, students with low vision reported higher levels of overall victimization and relational victimization by peers in particular than students who are blind, as well as higher levels of overt aggression towards their peers. Support from peers buffered the effects of victimization on psychological adjustment in adolescents with vision loss but not in their peers without vision loss. It is concluded that increasing support from peers may be an effective way of reducing negative effects of victimization of adolescents with visual impairment.