Abstract

Participation in extracurricular activities is associated with positive developmental indicators and wellbeing. However, involvement in some activities may place adolescents at-risk for peer victimization. This study focuses on the effect of participating in sports and academic/arts extracurricular activities on relational victimization, focusing on the role that gender (stereotypical activities for boys and girls) and school norms (proportion of participation) might have in this association. The study uses data from the Chilean National Survey on Violence in the School Context (ENVAE, 2014), considering a national representative sample of 38,286 7th to 12th graders. Results indicate that for boys breaking school social norms is associated with experiencing victimization, whereas for girls breaking gender norms increases their likelihood of being victimized. Implications for research and intervention are discussed.