The moderating role of teacher-student relationships on the association between peer victimization and depression in students with intellectual disabilities

Abstract

Background: Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) are at increased risk of peer victimization and depressive symptoms. Little is known about the protective and aggravating factors that influence the association between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among students with ID.

Aims: This study assesses the moderating role of two facets of teacher-student relationships (TSR)-warmth and conflict-on the association between peer victimization and depressive symptoms.

Methods: A sample of 395 students (aged 11-22) with mild and moderate ID was recruited in Canada and Australia.

Results: Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that victimization and TSR conflict were both associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, and that TSR conflict moderated the associations between both TSR warmth and victimization, and depressive symptoms. TSR warmth was related to lower levels of depression only for students who also reported a low level of TSR conflict. Similarly, associations between victimization and depression were weaker among students exposed to more conflictual TSR.

Conclusions: Students with ID are at increased risk of developing depressive symptoms when exposed to negative social relationships (i.e., peer victimization or TSR conflict). For these students, the benefits of TSR warmth were far less important than the consequences of conflict.

Keywords: Conflict; Depressive symptoms; Intellectual disabilities; Peer victimization; Teacher-student relationships; Warmth.