Discrepancies Between Retrospective and Actual Self-Reports of Peer Victimization Six Years Earlier.

Retrospective peer victimization reports may be inaccurate. With an ethnically and sexually diverse sample, this study compared adolescents' self-reported peer victimization in 6th grade to their own retrospective reports of 6th-grade victimization when they were in the 12th grade, controlling for past and current adjustment. Overall, 12th graders' retrospective victimization reports correlated with their own earlier 6th-grade self-reports and there was a general tendency to underreport retrospectively. Underreporters were distinguished by worse past 6th-grade adjustment, whereas overreporters were distinguished by worse current (12th-grade) adjustment. Higher current depressive symptoms and social anxiety, and lower current self-worth may be important control variables when collecting retrospective reports of victimization because current adjustment may augment participants' recollection of past experiences.