Prospective Associations Between Peer Victimization and Dispositional Mindfulness in Early Adolescence Nathaniel R. Riggs 1 & Samantha M. Brown 2 # Society for Prevention Research 2017 Abstract Peer victimization is associated with several mental health and behavioral problems during childhood and adoles- cence. Identifying prospective associations between victimi- zation and factors known to protect against these problems may ultimately contribute to more precise developmental models for victimization’ s role in behavioral and mental health. This study tested prospective associations between peer victimization and dispositional mindfulness, defined by non-judgmental and accepting awareness of the constant stream of lived experience, during early adolescence. It was hypothesized that victimization would predict lower levels of mindfulness over a 4-month period. Study participants were 152 seventh and eighth grade students (female = 51%, Caucasian = 35%, Hispanic/Latino = 34%, African- American = 13%, and multi-ethnic or other = 18%) participat- ing in a social-emotional learning intervention feasibility trial. A structural equation model tested associations between mindfulness, victimization, and covariates at baseline, and mindfulness and victimization at 4-month posttest. As hypoth- esized, baseline victimization predicted significantly lower levels of mindfulness at 4-month posttest. Baseline mindful- ness did not predict victimization. Results may reflect victim- ized youths’ mindful awareness being recurrently diverted away from the present moment due to thoughts of prior and/ or impending victimization. Study implications may include implementing mindful awareness practices as an intervention strategy for victimized youth to enhance and/or restore this promotive factor. Keywords Victimization . Mindfulness . Adolescence Introduction Peer victimization involves being a target of either direct (e.g., physical or verbal assault) or indirect (e.g., witnessing assault or social exclusion) forms of aggression (Hawker and Boulton 2000). This aggression may be repeated and involve a real or perceived power imbalance (i.e., bullying victimization; Olweus 1994), although the frequency of peer victimization can vary between individuals at any given point, and/or within individuals over time (Rudolph et al. 2011b). Prevalence rates vary widely due, in part, to the population under study, het- erogeneity in victimizing behavior, and varied methods for assessing peer-victimization. However, several studies have estimated past-year prevalence rates among adolescent popu- lations to be between 40 and 80% (e.g., Haynie et al. 2001; Zwierzynska et al. 2013). Research on the consequences of peer victimization pri- marily focuses on its associations with negative academic, mental health, and physical problems including increased anx- iety, depression, sleep disturbances, enuresis, headaches, school adjustment problems, social isolation, and feelings of sadness (e.g., Esbensen and Carson 2009; Hawker and Boulton 2000; Lohre et al. 2011; Nansel et al. 2001; Olweus 1994). Although the majority of this research is cross-section- al, some longitudinal studies have demonstrated prospective associations from peer victimization to negative social, emo- tional, and behavioral outcomes (Smithyman et al. 2014; Stapinski et al. 2015), with the elucidation of some mediating * Nathaniel R. Riggs nathaniel.riggs@colostate.edu 1 Stress, Early Experiences, and Development Research Center, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA 2 Stress, Early Experience, and Development, Research Center, Universities of Colorado and Denver, Denver, CO, USA Prev Sci DOI 10.1007/s11121-017-0750-z