Situational and interpersonal correlates of anxiety associated with peer victimisation

InStudy One the nature of peer bullying among 353 Australian primary school children from years three to seven was studied with a view to understanding the anxiety generated by victimisation. Over one-third of the sample reported feeling unsafe from bullying at school and over half of the sample believed that the reason children did not ask for help from bullying was that they were too afraid. InStudy Two 114 primary school students from a second school were assessed for social-evaluative anxiety associated with peer victimisation at school. The findings indicated that victimisation was associated with fear of negative evaluation amongst males and females and social avoidance amongst females.     

Assessing the bullying and victimisation experiences of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools: Development and validation of the Bullying Behaviour and Experience Scale

Children with special educational needs (SEN) are more likely to experience victimisation at school and there is some evidence to suggest that these children are also more likely to engage in bullying behaviours; however, no measure of bullying experiences has been designed specifically for use with these children. The Bullying Behaviour and Experiences Scale (BBES) was specifically developed as a self-report measure of victimisation and bullying behaviour for children with SEN. This study examines the initial psychometric properties of the BBES using a sample of 348 children (67 of which had SEN, mean age = 10 years), and compares the incidence of both victimisation and bullying in children with SEN to their peers, controlling for behavioural and emotional difficulties. Overall, the BBES showed favourable psychometric properties using multi-group confirmatory factor analyses and differential item functioning. Comparing the frequency of victimisation and bullying using the BBES showed that children with SEN were not more likely to experience victimisation compared to their peers but when extant behavioural and emotional difficulties were controlled for then they were significantly more likely to report victimisation. Conversely, children with SEN were more likely to report bullying compared to their peers, but this effect disappeared when extant behavioural and emotional difficulties were controlled. Overall, the BBES appears to be a promising measure of victimisation and bullying for children with SEN. This study also highlights the need to consider SEN status independently of behavioural and emotional problems to help understand the nature and extent of bullying and victimisation in this important population of children.     

Quality of Life of Victims Bullies,and Bully/Victims Among School-Aged Children in the Netherlands

Two studies were conducted to examine the Quality of Life (QoL) of victims, bullies and bully/victims among Dutch school-aged children. Study 1 studied associations of QoL dimensions with self-reported victimisation in the Dutch sample from the KIDSCREEN Project (N = 1,669). Study 2 examined QoL of self-reported and peer-nominated victims, bullies and bully/victims using baseline data from an evaluation study of an anti-bullying intervention (N = 3,483). In both studies victimisation appeared to be consistently associated with statistically significantly poorer child and adolescent QoL in regard to all QoL dimensions measured. The strongest associations were found with the QoL dimension Moods and Emotions and least with QoL regarding Physical Well-Being. This indicates that victims of bullying are generally less happy and cheerful, feel sad and depressed more often, have a less positive perception of themselves and are less positive about going to school than non-involved children. Active bullying was only associated with decreased QoL in regard to School Environment. That is, bullies are on average less positive about going to school and attending classes than non-involved children are. Finally, QoL of bully/victims mostly resembled that of victims; whereas the association of being a bully/victim was strongest with the QoL dimension Moods and Emotions, the association with QoL regarding Physical Well-Being appeared to be statistically non-significant.     

Risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress among adolescents in different family structures

Background Previous studies have shown an elevated risk with regard to social and behavioural domains in adolescents of single parents. However, the diversity of single parent families concerning gender of the resident parent has seldom been taken into account when investigating the relation between family structure and children’s negative outcomes. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress among adolescents in different family structures using more detailed sub-groups of single parents (i.e., single mother, single father and shared physical custody). Methods The sample consisted of 15,428 ninth graders from all municipal and private schools in the county of Stockholm (response rate 83.4%). Risk behaviours included use of alcohol, illicit drugs and smoking. Victimisation was measured by experiences of exposure to bullying and physical violence. Mental distress was assessed with the anxious/depressed and aggressive behaviour syndrome scales in the Youth Self Report (YSR). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between family structure and outcome variables. Results Adolescents in single-mother/father families were at higher risk of risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress than their counterparts in two-parent families. However, after control for possible confounders the associations between victimisation, aggressive behaviour problems and single motherhood were no longer significant, whereas these relations remained for children living with single fathers. Adolescents in shared physical custody run no increased risk of any of the studied outcomes (except drunkenness) after adjustment for covariates. Post hoc analyses revealed that adolescents in single-father families were at higher risk for use of alcohol, illicit drugs, drunkenness, and aggressive behaviour as compared to their peers in single-mother families, whereas no differences were found between adolescents in single-mother families and those in shared physical custody. Conclusions Children of single parents should not be treated as a homogenous group when planning prevention and intervention programmes. Researchers and professionals should be aware of and consider the specific problems of single parent children and that their problems may vary depending on their living arrangements.     

Predictors of Bullying among 10 to 11 Year Old School Students in Australia

Cross-sectional data collected at baseline from the Grade 6 cohort of the Friendly Schools, Friendly Families Project (n = 1,257) were analysed to investigate differences in self-reported attitudes and behaviours of students who reported bullying regularly and occasionally compared with those who reported never bullying others. This study found some similarities and some differences between students who reported bullying regularly and those who reported bullying occasionally, supporting the need to consider both groups when developing school-based bullying interventions. Attitudes to bullying, social and emotional health, peer support and being bullied were predictors of both regular and occasional bullying. The findings of this study support the need for universal bullying prevention interventions targeting the whole school community, including specific selective and indicated strategies, to effect a change in bullying behaviours.     

Bullying,Cyberbullying, and Suicide

Empirical studies and some high-profile anecdotal cases have demonstrated a link between suicidal ideation and experiences with bullying victimization or offending. The current study examines the extent to which a nontraditional form of peer aggression—cyberbullying—is also related to suicidal ideation among adolescents. In 2007, a random sample of 1,963 middle-schoolers from one of the largest school districts in the United States completed a survey of Internet use and experiences. Youth who experienced traditional bullying or cyberbullying, as either an offender or a victim, had more suicidal thoughts and were more likely to attempt suicide than those who had not experienced such forms of peer aggression. Also, victimization was more strongly related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors than offending. The findings provide further evidence that adolescent peer aggression must be taken seriously both at school and at home, and suggest that a suicide prevention and intervention component is essential within comprehensive bullying response programs implemented in schools.     

Do juveniles bully more than young offenders?

This study compares bullying behaviour among juvenile and young offenders and incorporates two different methods to measure bullying. Ninety-five male juvenile and 196 male young offenders completed two questionnaires, one that measured bullying directly and one that measured behaviours indicative of "being bullied" or of "bullying others". Juveniles perceived a higher extent of bullying than young offenders. Juveniles reported significantly more physical, psychological or verbal and overall direct forms of bullying behaviour than young offenders. A number of differences were found between juveniles and young offenders with regard to the types of prisoners likely to become victims, who they would advise a victim to speak to and how bullying could be prevented. The results are discussed in relation to developmental theories of aggression and how bullying behaviour can be defined and measured among prisoners.     

The potential of forgiveness as a response for coping with negative peer experiences

Coping strategies employed by adolescents in response to negative peer experiences are related to their adjustment. This study examines the potential of forgiveness as a coping response for negative peer experiences in early adolescence. Participants were 616 6th through 8th grade students at a middle school (46% girls) who completed self-report measures of bullying and victimization experiences, general coping strategies in response to bullying, social anxiety, self-esteem, and a measure of forgiveness to a self-identified experience of being bullied or hurt by a peer. Forgiveness was positively associated with conflict resolution, advice and support seeking strategies, and negatively associated with revenge seeking. Forgiveness was also positively associated with concurrent self-esteem and negatively associated with social anxiety. Further, forgiveness was related to social anxiety and self-esteem after accounting for bullying behavior and victimization experiences, general coping responses, and gender. Developmental considerations of forgiveness and implications for this response are considered.     

Bullying and peer victimisation in adolescent girls with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Emerging evidence suggests that adolescent girls with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are more socially impaired compared with their peers; however, research has yet to elucidate the nature of this impairment. We investigated overt (e.g., physical, such as hitting or kicking or verbal, such as teasing and taunting) and relational (e.g., social manipulation, such as social exclusion) bullying and victimisation in adolescent girls with and without ADHD. Adolescent girls (mean age = 15.11) with (n = 22) and without (n = 20) ADHD and their primary caregivers completed measures of overt/relational bullying and victimisation and social impairment. Adolescent girls with ADHD experienced more social problems and more relational and overt victimisation than adolescent girls without ADHD. Although adolescent girls with ADHD engaged in more overt and relational bullying than adolescent girls without ADHD, this difference was not statistically significant. Oppositional Defiant Disorder symptoms appeared to be more strongly related to bullying behaviour, while victimisation appeared to be more strongly related to ADHD.     

History of Family Involvement with Child Protective Services as a Risk Factor for Bullying in Ontario Schools

Background: The relationship between history of family involvement with child protective services (CPS) and bullying was examined. Method: Data were obtained from 2,516 pupils aged 12–19 in the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. The association between self‐reported history of family involvement with CPS and bullying was estimated using negative binomial hurdle regression models. Results: Females who reported family CPS involvement were more likely to have bullied and been bullied compared with females without CPS involvement. Among males, family CPS involvement was only significantly associated with bully victimisation. Conclusion: A history of family CPS involvement was a risk factor for bullying victimisation and perpetration.     

Bullying Among Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Prevalence and Perception

This study examined: (a) the prevalence of bullying and victimization among adolescents with ASD, (b) whether they correctly perceived bullying and victimization, and (c) whether Theory of Mind (ToM) and bullying involvement were related to this perception. Data were collected among 230 adolescents with ASD attending special education schools. We found prevalence rates of bullying and victimization between 6 and 46%, with teachers reporting significantly higher rates than peers. Furthermore, adolescents who scored high on teacher- and self-reported victimization were more likely to misinterpret non-bullying situations as bullying. The more often adolescents bullied, according to teachers and peers, and the less developed their ToM, the more they misinterpreted bullying situations as non-bullying. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.     

Linking eating and weight control attitudes to relationship experiences: A large-scale survey of adolescent females

ObjectiveTo examine the extent to which family conflict, peer bullying and psychological distress account for eating and weight loss attitudes in adolescent females. This study examined the degree to which psychological distress mediated the association between family conflict and eating and weight loss attitudes, and the association of bullying and eating and weight loss attitudes.MethodFemales aged between 11 and 17 years (N = 5125) were recruited from schools in the State of Victoria (Australia). Key measures included psychological distress, family conflict, and bullying victimisation.ResultsA structural model showed good fit, and all predictors were significant. Psychological distress mediated the association between eating and weight loss attitudes, and family problems and bullying.ConclusionFamily conflict and peer bullying were associated with eating and weight loss attitudes and this association may occur via psychological distress. Early intervention programs may benefit from a focus on family and peer relationships.     

Bullying in Schools: Detection in an Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic Practice Compared with Questionnaire Survey

This pilot study compares the prevalence of bullying or being bullied as detected by postal questionnaire with that identified by the initial case-worker in a Dublin adolescent out-patient psychiatric clinic over a six months period. Of 47 consecutive clinic attenders, the 25 who responded to the questionnaire reported a substantially higher rate of bullying or victimisation than had been elicited at intake. The study also explores the severity and extent of bullying as well as the respondents' subjective experiences and reactions in an attempt to gain a mini-profile of the problem in this hitherto unresearchedpopulation.     

Resilience in the face of peer victimisation and discrimination: The who,when and why in five patterns of adjustment

Victimisation has a negative effect on psychosocial functioning. Based on the resilience theory, and with a sample of 2975 Portuguese students, the present study aims to: i) identify patterns of adjustment in the face of peer victimisation and perceptions of discrimination; ii) explore the association between the patterns of adjustment and the characteristics of participants (the who) and of the victimisation (the when and why). Cluster analysis revealed five patterns of adjustment: Unchallenged; Externally Maladjusted; Internally Maladjusted; Resilient, and At-Risk. The results suggest that there is no complete resilience in the face of social victimisation. Group differences were found regarding: i) gender, type of course, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, parental educational level and religious beliefs; ii) the age at which peer victimisation was more frequent, and; iii) the motives underlying discrimination. Globally considered, peer victimisation is representative of the wider cultural environment and interventions should also target social prejudices.     

Family heritage and depression guides: family and peer views influence adolescent attitudes about depression

While adolescents tend to under-use professional mental health services for depression, they informally seek health-related information from parents and peers. In this study, we interviewed 15 adolescents to examine how the views and behaviours of others influence teens' decisions about seeking care for depression. Using a grounded theory approach, we found that teens' families, peers, and siblings contributed uniquely to teens' decisions in seeking care for depression. Families may disclose a "heritage" of depression, and their choices about disclosing family mental health issues, previous treatment, and coping strategies affected teens' understanding of depression. Peer "depression guides," who had themselves experienced depression, provided teens with advice on recognizing depression, managing stigma, and seeking care. Siblings bridged the roles of peer and family, influencing teens' choices about accessing treatment. These findings suggest that family and peers should be included during teens' depression treatment.     

The Concept of Workplace Bullying: Implications from Australian Workplace Health and Safety Law

Workplace bullying is a significant issue in modern workplaces, with potential health consequences for individuals who are exposed, and increasing costs to organisations. This article examines the treatment of workplace bullying in Australian jurisdictions, and considers how health and safety legislation has been applied in such cases, in order to inform regulatory guidelines and regulatory action. The notion that bullying behaviour must be repeated, common to most conceptual definitions and guidelines of safety regulators, is somewhat inconsistent with the precedent and intent of health and safety law. Requiring behaviours to be repeated could actually expose workers to risks to their health and safety. Although there are good reasons for requiring the repetition of behaviours, from both conceptual and practical standpoints, further consideration of how theory, policy and legal practice can learn from one another in preventing and managing workplace psychological hazards is required.     

Involvement in bullying and depression in a 2-year follow-up in middle adolescence

The main objective was to analyse whether involvement in bullying at school predicts depression, and whether depression predicts involvement in bullying in middle adolescence. A total of 2,070 15-year-old girls and boys in two Finnish cities were surveyed at ninth grade (age 15) at schools, and followed up 2 years later in the Adolescent Mental Health Cohort Study (AMHC). Depression was measured by a Finnish modification of the 13-item short Beck Depression Inventory. Involvement in bullying was elicited by three questions focusing on being a bully, being a victim to bullying, and being left alone by peers against one’s wishes. Similar questions were posed at both time points. Statistical analyses were carried out using cross-tabulations with chi-square/Fisher’s Exact Test statistics, and logistic regression. The results summarized that, both being a victim to bullying and being a bully predicted later depression among boys. Among girls, depression at T1 predicted victimisation at T2. Depression at T1 predicted experience of being left alone at T2 among both sexes. It was concluded that victimisation to bullying may be a traumatising event that results in depression. However, depression also predicts experience of victimisation and of being left alone against one’s wishes. Depression may impair an adolescent’s social skills and self-esteem so that the adolescent becomes victimised by peers. However, depression may also distort and adolescent’s experiences of social interactions.     

Why do children and adolescents bully their peers? A critical review of key theoretical frameworks

Bullying is a significant public health problem for children and adolescents worldwide. Evidence suggests that both being bullied (bullying victimisation) and bullying others (bullying perpetration) are associated with concurrent and future mental health problems. The onset and course of bullying perpetration are influenced by individual as well as systemic factors. Identifying effective solutions to address bullying requires a fundamental understanding of why it occurs. Drawing from multi-disciplinary domains, this review provides a summary and synthesis of the key theoretical frameworks applied to understanding and intervening on the issue of bullying. A number of explanatory models have been used to elucidate the dynamics of bullying, and broadly these correspond with either system (e.g., social-ecological, family systems, peer-group socialisation) or individual-level (e.g., developmental psychopathology, genetic, resource control, social-cognitive) frameworks. Each theory adds a unique perspective; however, no single framework comprehensively explains why bullying occurs. This review demonstrates that the integration of theoretical perspectives achieves a more nuanced understanding of bullying which is necessary for strengthening evidence-based interventions. Future progress requires researchers to integrate both the systems and individual-level theoretical frameworks to further improve current interventions. More effective intervention across different systems as well as tailoring interventions to the specific needs of the individuals directly involved in bullying will reduce exposure to a key risk factor for mental health problems.     

Coping Strategies of Secondary School Children in Response to Being Bullied

Through a questionnaire survey, the present study investigated the coping strategies of Year 7 (11–12 years old) and Year 9 (13–14 years old) pupils (N = 324) to find out what strategies they have used to overcome the difficulties of being bullied by peers. Fifty-one UK secondary schools, in each of which an anti-bullying peer support system had been in place for at least a year, participated. The coping strategies of those pupils who said that they had told someone (N = 279) about being bullied were compared with those who said that they had not (N = 45). These coping strategies differ, not only according to whether or not they report the bullying, but also according to their age and gender. Implications of the findings for professionals who work with children and adolescents are suggested.     

Adolescents' perception of risk and challenge: a qualitative study

Concern has been mounting about the increasing numbers of adolescents who engage in risky behaviours. This qualitative study aimed to identify adolescents' perception of risk and explored the factors that adolescents felt influenced their decisions about engaging in risky behaviours. The results indicated that adolescents perceived risk to be something where the outcome was uncontrollable. In contrast, challenges were thought of as having a known end point that was difficult to achieve. They considered themselves to be well-informed about health risks facing them, yet mentioned occasions when they lacked the ability to state that they did not want to engage in certain "risky" behaviours. The implications of the findings for future interventions are discussed.