Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology
VOL 15 NO 2 JUNE 2026

Beyond Bullying: Unpacking The Psychological Toll of Peer Victimization in Higher Education

Moh Fakhri (Department of Islamic Guidance and Counseling Universitas Islam Negeri Mataram)
Muhammad Mugni Assapari (Department of English and Education Universitas Islam Negeri Mataram)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 May 2026

Abstract

Peer victimization remains a prevalent yet underexamined phenomenon in higher education, particularly within Indonesian Islamic university contexts. This quantitative cross-sectional study investigated the psychological impact of peer victimization on 341 undergraduate students at Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Mataram, focusing on depression, anxiety, and stress as measured by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) and the adapted Mynard and Joseph Peer Victimization Scale. Results demonstrated that peer victimization was a statistically significant positive predictor of all three psychological outcomes: depression (β = .542, R² = .294, p < .001), anxiety (β = .497, R² = .247, p < .001), and stress (β = .461, R² = .213, p < .001). Pearson correlation analyses confirmed moderate-to-large effect sizes across all associations (r = .461–.542, all p < .01). The mean peer victimization score (M = 21.38, SD = 6.94) indicated moderate exposure, with 57.5% of respondents endorsing at least moderate victimization. These findings extend existing theoretical frameworks by contextualizing cumulative trauma theory within a socio-religiously stratified Islamic higher education environment, revealing that hierarchical social dynamics and cultural silence amplify the psychological burden of non-physical peer aggression. The study offers empirical groundwork for institution-specific mental health interventions aligned with the socio-cultural values of Indonesian PTKIN institutions.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

Psychology

Publisher

Subject

Education Public Health

Description

Journal of Educational, Health, and Community Psychology (JEHCP) published an article, and empirical study that have originality, novelty and fill the gap of knowledge, that focused on educational psychology, health psychology and community psychology. JEHCP is an open access peer reviewed, ...