Teacher relationships, peer victimization, and family support: Pathways to adolescent psychological adjustment

This study examined how peer victimization functions as a mediating mechanism and how perceived family support operates as a moderating condition in the association between teacher–student relationship quality and psychological difficulties in early adolescence. Drawing on a sample of Italian middle school students (N = 694; Mage = 12.28 years, SD = 0.95), participants completed validated measures assessing teacher–student closeness and conflict, peer victimization, family support, and psychological symptoms. A moderated mediation model indicated that peer victimization explained part of the association between both teacher–student closeness and conflict and students’ psychological difficulties (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and hyperactivity). Furthermore, family support altered the strength of these indirect associations, buffering the negative impact of conflictual teacher–student relationships on psychological distress. These findings highlight the importance of integrated, multi-systemic interventions addressing teacher, peer, and family dynamics to promote adolescent psychological adjustment within school settings.