Adults make a difference: the protective effects of parent and teacher emotional support on emotional and behavioral problems of peer‐victimized adolescents

Abstract This longitudinal study investigated the associations between peer victimization and maladaptive outcomes (emotional and behavioral problems) among 580 adolescents concurrently and across a 2‐year period, and proposed that adult emotional support moderated this association. Peer victimization and maladaptive outcomes were assessed from adolescents' self‐reports. Adult emotional support was measured from adolescents' ratings of parent and teacher emotional support. Adolescents who were physically or relationally victimized by their peers were at risk of emotional and behavioral problems. Higher levels of father and teacher emotional support were associated with lower levels of adolescents' emotional and behavioral problems concurrently and across time. Higher levels of mother emotional support were associated with lower levels of emotional problems and moderated the effects of physical victimization on maladjustment for concurrent assessments only. Teacher emotional support moderated the association between relational victimization and emotional and behavioral problems across time. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.