Ask a Buffalo State Expert: How Peer Aggression Can Lead to Long-Term Consequences in Children

About 20 percent of U.S. adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 reported being bullied, according to a 2019 report by the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Bullying behaviors include insults, rumors, physical attacks, destruction of property, threats, and purposeful exclusion. While incidents of cyberbullying garner the most salacious headlines, with reports of suicide and other horrific outcomes, Kimberly Kamper-DeMarco, an assistant professor of psychology at Buffalo State University, said traditional bullying is still twice as prevalent as online bullying. And its effects can be long-lasting. Kamper-DeMarco recently shared her insights on aggressive behavior and bullying.

Name: Kimberly Kamper-DeMarco

Title: Buffalo State Assistant Professor of Psychology

Kamper-DeMarco received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and an M.A. in psychology from the University at Buffalo and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

A licensed clinical psychologist, Kamper-DeMarco joined the Buffalo State faculty in 2018. Her research focuses on how peer victimization and aggression contribute to the development of psychopathology in children and adolescents.

What exactly is peer aggression?

From my perspective, peer aggression is any behavior intended to harm another individual. In the field prior to the 1990s, when we thought of aggressive behavior, we thought of physical acts—kicking, hitting, punching. In my research, we really focus on relational aggression, using relationships to hurt another person.

How does bullying fit into peer aggression?

Bullying is a subset of aggressive behavior where there tends to be a power imbalance—two against one, bigger against smaller, more social capital against less social capital—with the threat of repetition. In the field, they’re trying to delineate between aggressive behavior and bullying. While they can both be problematic, aggressive behavior is a little less-extreme experience. One thing I’m really interested in in my research is whether it matters. If I feel I’m being victimized, that may mean just as much as if I’m experiencing traditional bullying.

Has bullying among adolescents gotten worse in recent years?

I think it’s talked about much more, particularly with the introduction of cyberbullying, although cyberbullying actually happens at about half the rate of traditional bullying. Research is still coming out post-COVID to see whether there’s been a shift in rates; however, cyberbullying is problematic, especially for someone who is bullied traditionally and then again online. It adds to that child’s chronic stress level.

What is your current research on the subject?

I recently started a research study with my colleague Sarah Blakely-McClure, assistant professor of psychology at Canisius College, with 3- to 5-year-olds in a lab on the Buffalo State campus. We’re really interested in understanding the factors of victimization that set people up for negative outcomes. Once a victimization experience has occurred, we want to ask: How do we interpret that experience? What leads kids to a negative outcome vs. being protected against it? If I think, Oh, that kid is probably having a bad day and that’s why he’s being mean to me vs. I’m a bad person or I’m stupid or he doesn’t like the way I look, I’m more likely to have a better outcome.

Why did you decide to include children in this age group?

We know that aggressive behavior tends to peak at really young ages before language skills fully develop. We start to see relational aggression become observable around this time as well. I remember when I first got into this field, I was doing observations on a playground. I saw a 4-year-old turn to her friend and say, “I won’t be your friend if you don’t carry that basket of toys across the playground for me,” really manipulating that friendship in order to get what she wanted. From my perspective, it’s important to identify what’s going on at these early ages. It’s the easiest time to intervene to prevent negative outcomes later on.

What are some misconceptions about bullying?

I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that physical acts are more detrimental than psychological ones. Research supports that a lot of relational forms of aggression are riskier than physical forms of bullying when it comes to long-term negative effects.

Also, what we see in the news are the most extreme outcomes of bullying, such as suicides, violence, and mass shootings. It’s important to know that bullying can still have harmful effects without those extreme outcomes. Kids who are victims are more likely to get involved with peers who use substances. They are more likely to break rules and get in trouble. It also increases their risk for anxiety and depression.

Instead of focusing on the outcomes, I want to look at the pathways that get children there and provide them with tools that will allow them to become resilient. Also, I focus on teaching bystander-intervention strategies. A lot of research reveals that with bystanders, it’s not that they don’t want to intervene. They just don’t know what to do or even know that bullying is occurring. So, giving kids the tools to help themselves or others will reduce the pathway for negative outcomes.

Photo by Jesse Steffan-Colucci, Buffalo State photographer.