“…Similarly, 13-22% of United States children and adolescents experience a mental health disorder every year, a rate that has been increasing over time (Costello, Mustillo, Erkanli, Keeler, and Angold 2003;Merikangas et al 2010). Not surprisingly, research suggests a relationship between victimization and behavioral or mental health concerns, including internalizing behaviors (Hawker and Boulton 2010), externalizing behaviors (Reijntjes et al 2011), loneliness (Qualter et al 2013), suicidal ideation and attempts (Gini and Espelage 2014), and later psychotic symptoms (Wolke, Lereya, Fisher, Lewis, and Zammit 2014). Middle childhood is an important developmental period for the study of victimization, as prevalence research shows that victimization becomes fairly common at about ages 6-9 years, with one quarter of children in this age range reporting emotional victimization (Turner, Finkelhor, Hamby, Shattuck, and Ormrod 2011).…”