@article{ref1,
title="Avoidant coping as a mediator between appearance‐related victimization and self‐esteem in young Australian adolescents",
journal="British journal of developmental psychology",
year="2007",
author="Lodge, J. and Feldman, S. Shirley",
volume="25",
number="4",
pages="633-642",
abstract="Peer victimization, especially appearance-related bullying, is a highly stressful experience for a young person and is associated with significant negative outcomes. Perhaps, the most common consequence of peer victimization in adolescence is lowered self-esteem. Evidence supports the role of low self-esteem as a non-specific risk factor and high self-esteem as a protective factor in the development of mental disorders and social problems in adolescence. Moreover, the literature indicates a robust negative relationship between avoidant coping (i.e. distracting oneself, wishing the situation would go away) and psychological well-being. In this paper, we test a mediational model of the associations between appearance-related victimization, avoidance coping and self-esteem in young Australian adolescents. Boys (N = 194) and girls (N = 185) with a mean age of 11 years completed measures assessing self-esteem, appearance-related victimization and styles of coping. The results showed that avoidant coping partially mediates the association between appearance-related bullying problems and self-esteem among young adolescents. This finding provides a specific target for psychosocial interventions in schools.<p />",
language="",
issn="0261-510X",
doi="10.1348/026151007X185310",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/026151007X185310"
}