Does the Strength of the Association Between Peer Victimization and Psychosomatic Health Problems Depend on Whether Bullying or Peer Aggression is Measured?

This study aimed to analyze to what extent the strength of the previously established association between peer victimization and psychosomatic problems depends on which of two measures is being used, a measure of bullying and a measure of peer aggression. The study included 2568 Swedish adolescents aged 13–15 years. An Ordinary Least Square regression showed that all regressors representing bullying and peer aggression revealed significant effects on psychosomatic health using no peer victimization as the reference category. An ANOVA showed no significant differences in mean values on the Psychosomatic Problems Scale captured by the two measures. Given that both measures of peer victimization show strong associations with psychosomatic health, using only one of the two measures is therefore likely not just to underestimate the overall prevalence of peer victimization but also the number of children experiencing psychosomatic problems in relation with peer victimization.     

Health correlates,addictive behaviors,and peer victimization among adolescents in China

Background

Peer victimization has been recognized as a common social problem affecting children and adolescents in all parts of the world. This study aims to examine the prevalence of different types of peer victimization and to evaluate the associations between peer victimization and health correlates.

Methods

Using a large population sample of 18,341 adolescents aged 15–17 years from 6 cities in China, this study estimated the prevalence of different types of peer victimization, addictive behaviors, and health-related variables with self-administrated questionnaires. A three-phase logistical regression analysis was conducted to investigate the associations between peer victimization and addictive behaviors as well as health-related factors among adolescents.

Results

A total of 42.9% of the surveyed Chinese adolescents have been bullied by peers, with boys reporting higher rate on overt victimization (36.9%) and girls on relational forms (33.9%). School environment (34.7%) was the most frequent scene of peer violence, followed by neighborhood, family, and internet. Addictive behaviors except substance abuse were found related to higher possibility of peer victimization (aOR 1.21–1.73, P?<?0.001). Peer victimization was significantly associated with more depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and suicide ideation and deliberate self-harm (aOR 1.05–2.27, P?<?0.001), and poorer self-esteem and health-related quality of life (aOR 0.95–0.97, P?<?0.001).

Conclusion

Possible explanations of the associations found in this study are discussed and implications for future services are raised.

     

Bullying Victimization, Socioeconomic Status and Behavioral Characteristics of 12th Graders in the United States, 1989 to 2009: Repetitive Trends and Persistent Risk Differentials

Using a nationally representative dataset, this study analyzes: 1) 12th grade trends, patterns, and changes in bullying victimization in the United States from the 1989 to the 2009 school years, and 2) the differential impacts of demographic, social, and economic characteristics on bullying victimization. Four self-reported experiences of bullying behavior that occurred at school or in transit to and from school are studied: threatened without a weapon, threatened with a weapon, injured without a weapon, and injured with a weapon. Zero-inflated Poisson models are used to estimate intensity (or rate) and likelihood of exposure (or probability) parameters of the annual frequency distributions of the four bullying behaviors. For the intensity of bullying victimization, as measured by the average number of times 12th graders were bullied annually, it is found, first, that there indeed was a wave of increased bullying behaviors in the 2002–2009 years that coincides with increased media attention and reporting during these years. Second, it is shown that this recent upsurge is similar to what happened in the early 1990s—but the most recent wave reached higher levels of intensity. Third, the analyses reveal that the intensity and/or exposure parameters covary with several demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors and these differentials persist over time. While 12th graders who were male or African American, city dwellers, and from single-parent or no-parent families show persistently higher intensities of bullying victimization over time, greater probabilities of exposure are found for 12th graders who were male, were from single-parent or no- parent families, did not regularly attend religious services, regarded religion as less important, and showed worse school performance.     

Ecological Factors of Being Bullied Among Adolescents: a Classification and Regression Tree Approach

Being bullied is a well-recognized trauma for adolescents. Bullying can best be understood through an ecological framework since bullying or being bullied involves risk factors at multiple contextual levels. The purpose of the study was to identify the risk and protective factors that best differentiate groups along with the outcome variable of interest (being bullied) using Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis. The study used the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) data collected from a nationally representative sample of students in grades six through ten during the 2005–2006 school years. This study identified that for adolescents 12 and younger, lower parental support is a critical risk factor associated with bullying and among those 13 to 14 with lower parent support, adolescent with higher academic pressure reported experiencing more bullying. For the older group of adolescents (aged 15 and older), school related factors were identified to increase the risk level of being bullied. There was a critical age (15 years old) for implementing victimization interventions to reduce the damage from being bullied. Service providers working with adolescents aged 14 and less should focus more on family-oriented intervention and those working with adolescents aged 15 and more should offer peer- or school-related interventions.     

Risk Factors and Psychological Outcomes of Bullying Victimization: A Community-based Study

To understand the negative impact of bullying on the psychological well-being of children and adolescents we need to examine the associated context of adverse home life, problem peer relationships and school experience. Standardized retrospective in-depth interviews provide a useful method. A sample of 160 high-risk community-based emerging adults in the UK (age 16–30) were interviewed to rate familial and peer/school relationships, and severity of bullying with or without aggression before age 17. A clinical interview assessed psychiatric disorders in teenage years. Statistical analyses showed a differential model for bullying victims versus aggressive victims and internalizing versus externalizing disorders. Both types of bullying experiences were associated with parental neglect and abuse, parental discord and inadequate supervision; victimization alone related to problem school context and internalizing disorders (anxiety disorders and major depression); in contrast, bullying victimization with aggression was distinctly associated with experiences of violence in family, problem peer group, and externalizing disorders (conduct disorder and substance use disorder). Thus differentiation of context of young people’s experience can inform effective psychosocial, educational and clinical approaches to reduce the risks associated with bullying victimization.     

Aggression in Schools: Psychosocial Outcomes of Bullying Among Indian Adolescents

Objectives

To examine the prevalence of school bullying and to investigate the behavioral, emotional, socio-economic and demographic correlates of bullying behaviors among Indian school going adolescents.

Methods

Self-reports on bullying involvement were collected from 9th to 10th class students (N?=?209; Mean?=?14.82 y, SD?=?0.96) from Government and Private schools of a north Indian city. Four groups of adolescents were identified: bullies, victims, bully-victims, and non-involved students. The self concept of the child was measured by the Indian adaptation of the Piers Harris Children’s Self Concept Scale (CSCS) and emotional and behavioral difficulties by the Youth self report measure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Results

The overall prevalence of any kind of bullying behavior was 53 %. One-fifth (19.2 %) of the children were victims of bullying. Boys were more likely to be bully-victims (27.9 %) and girls were more likely to be victims (21.6 %). Bullying status was significantly related to the total self concept scores of the students (F?=?5.12, P?=?0.002). Victimized adolescents reported the lowest self concept scores. Bully-victims had a higher risk for conduct problems and hyperactivity and were the most likely to have academic difficulties. Bullies had relatively better school grades and high self esteem but had higher risk for hyperactivity and conduct problems as compared to controls.

Conclusions

Bullying and victimization was widespread among the Indian school going youth. Given the concurrent psychosocial adjustment problems associated with bullying, there is an urgent need for developing intervention programs and sensitizing school personnel.     

Association Among Maltreatment,Bullying and Mental Health,Risk Behavior and Sexual Attraction in Chinese Students

ObjectiveTo identify the association between sexual attraction, childhood maltreatment and bullying victimization, and mental and behavioral health problems among Chinese adolescents.MethodsA cross-sectional study among Chinese high school students by multistage stratified cluster sampling was conducted using a self-reported questionnaire. Participants who were same- or both-sex attracted were identified as sexual minorities, and those who were opposite-sex attracted were identified as heterosexuals. Childhood maltreatment was assessed as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and bullying was assessed as traditional and cyberbullying. Psychological distress was assessed as depressive and anxiety symptoms, and self-destructive behavior was assessed as suicidal behavior and nonsuicidal self-injury. Logistic regression and path analysis were conducted to analyze the data.ResultsThere were 1360 sexual minority and 15,020 heterosexual respondents. Sexual minority status was associated with increased risk of maltreatment (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] range: 1.25–2.46) and bullying (AOR range: 1.38–1.77) victimization, and a series of health problems (AOR range: 1.85–3.69). Furthermore, childhood maltreatment could partially explain the association of sexual minority status with psychological distress (indirect effect: β = 0.026 for boys; β = 0.086 for girls) and self-destructive behavior (β = 0.056 for boys; β = 0.125 for girls), and bullying could partially explain the association between sexual minority status and psychological distress (β = 0.040 for boys; β = 0.031 for girls).ConclusionsSexual minority adolescents were more likely than heterosexuals to experience different forms of childhood victimization, which may put them at higher risk for mental and behavioral health problems. Interventions based on both family and school are essential.     

Relationship between bullying and type 1 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents: a systematic review

ObjectiveTo carry out a systematic review on the relationship of bullying with type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents.MethodsSystematic review, according to the PRISMA methodology, in which the databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Thomson Reuters, Eighteenth Century Collections Online, Begell House Digital Library, LILACS, and SciELO were searched using the terms “bullied”, “aggression”, “peer victimization”, “victimization”, “school violence”, “diabetes mellitus”, “type 1 diabetes mellitus”, “autoimmune diabetes”, “children” and “adolescents.” The authors included original studies, involving bullying associated with type 1 diabetes, with children and adolescents, without language restriction and publication period, with texts available in full.ResultsOf the 32 articles found, four studies met the selection criteria. Of these studies 85.7% identified occurrence of victimization in diabetics or found a higher frequency in diabetic children and adolescents when compared with young people with other chronic conditions or with healthy peers. Association between bullying and worse glycemic control was observed in two studies, and all the studies mention the fact that type 1 diabetes is a limiting factor for socialization related to diabetes, with less social support and difficulties for the management of the disease in public environments, such as school. The type of bullying suffered varied, including physical, verbal, social, psychological, and sexual.ConclusionMost of the studies showed an association between bullying and type 1 diabetes when compared to individuals with no such condition. Knowledge of this association has become essential for the follow-up of these patients and the implementation of preventive programs.     

Violent Physical Bullying Victimization at School: Has There Been a Recent Increase in Exposure or Intensity? An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis in the United States, 1991 to 2012

Using data from an annual nationally representative survey of U.S. 8th, 10th, and 12th graders from 1991 to 2012, this paper applies a new two-step method to study trends in self-reports of victimization during the last year from four forms of violent bullying at school (threatened without injury, threatened with a weapon, injury without a weapon, injury with a weapon). First, we develop a statistical algorithm for estimating, for each school year, the exposure probability (likelihood or risk of being victimized) and intensity rate (rate of victimization among those exposed to the risk of being victimized) parameters of zero-inflated Poisson models of truncated and combined self-reported victimization frequency data for the four forms of violent bullying. Estimates of both the exposure to, and intensity of, the self-reported frequencies for each the four forms for each of the grades show increases into the middle part of the 2000–2010 decade with slight declines in the years 2008–2012. Exceptions are found for intensity rates of threats without injury and threats with a weapon among 12th graders. Second, age-period-cohort analysis was applied to the estimated exposure and intensity parameters of violent bullying victimization. This analysis reveals: (1) that both the exposure probabilities and intensity rates decrease from the 8th (typically 13–14 year olds) to the 10th (typically 15–16 year olds) to the 12grades (typically 17–18 years old); (2) that the school years 2006 to 2012 were associated with decreases in time period exposure probabilities and increases in intensity rates - fewer students victimized per school year but those who are victimized are victimized more frequently; and (3) that birth cohorts born since the late-1980s had decreases in intensity rates, but their exposure probabilities increased until the most recent (1995–1996) cohorts for which the exposure probabilities have stabilized or declined.     

5‐HTTLPR moderates the effect of relational peer victimization on depressive symptoms in adolescent girls

Background: Relational peer victimization is associated with internalizing symptoms. Compared to boys, girls are more likely to be both relationally victimized by peers and distressed by the victimization. While previous studies have reported that a functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5‐HTTLPR) moderates the effect of stressful life events on depressive symptoms, the present study is the first to evaluate the interaction of this polymorphism with relational peer victimization to predict level of depressive symptoms in young girls. Methods: Participants were 78 girls ages 10 to 14 who had no current or past Axis I disorder. Girls were genotyped for 5‐HTTLPR; peer victimization was assessed with the Social Experiences Questionnaire, and depressive symptoms with the Children’s Depression Inventory. Results:  The 5‐HTTLPR polymorphism alone did not predict level of depressive symptoms; the interaction of 5‐HTTLPR and relational peer victimization, however, was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. Follow‐up analyses indicated that peer victimization significantly predicted level of depressive symptoms only for girls who were homozygous for the short allele, and not for girls homozygous for the long allele or who were heterozygous for the short and long alleles. Conclusions: The findings support the diathesis‐stress model of depression: having two 5‐HTTLPR short alleles confers vulnerability to depressive symptoms in adolescent girls when they experience relational peer victimization. These findings also suggest that relational peer victimization, at least for girls with genetic vulnerability, is a significant source of stress and should be recognized in the monitoring and prevention of bullying.     

Bullying and victimization among Turkish children and adolescents: examining prevalence and associated health symptoms

Over the past decade, concerns about bullying and its effects on school health have grown. However, few studies in Turkey have examined the prevalence of bullying in childhood and adolescence and its association with health problems. The current study aimed to examine the prevalence and manifestation of bullying and victimization among male and female students aged 11-15?years. A second goal was to examine the physical and psychological symptoms associated with being a bully, victim and both a bully and a victim ('bully-victim'). Participants were 1,315 students from grades 5, 7, and 9, selected from three schools in Western Turkey. Twenty percent of the students were found to be involved in the cycle of bullying (5?% as a bully, 8?% as a victim, and 7?% as bully-victims). Bullies (although not victims) were found to show decreased levels of school satisfaction and school attendance. Being a victim or a bully-victim was associated with a significantly increased risk of experiencing a wide range of physical and psychological health symptoms (victims OR, 1.67-3.38; p?相似文献   

Gender Identity,Gender-Typed Personality Traits and School Bullying: Victims,Bullies and Bully-Victims

Previous research has indicated that gender identity is related to children’s adjustment and well-being. In the current study, involvement in school bullying was our indicator of well-being, and we tested how gender identity and gender typing measures are related to victims, bullies and bully-victims. The relations between these variables were examined with a sample of Spanish 10–12 year-old schoolchildren (n?=?445). Multinomial regression analyses examined the associations among these three roles in bullying with four measures of gender identity (gender typicality, gender contentment, felt pressure, and intergroup bias) and two measures of gender typing (masculine and feminine personality traits). The results revealed that victimization is associated with low gender typicality and also with feminine traits, while perpetration is related with felt pressure to gender conformity and masculine traits. Bully-victim involvement is associated with lack of gender contentedness and masculine traits. These findings suggest that perceiving self as being a typical member of the same sex group is a protective factor for victimization, whereas felt pressure to conform to the cultural stereotypes about gender, self-attribution of masculine traits and lack of satisfaction with one’s gender are risk factors for perpetration. Implications for practice are discussed.     

The revictimization of child sexual abuse survivors: an examination of the adjustment of college women with child sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and adult physical abuse

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with greater vulnerability to victimization in adulthood. Such experiences may have a cumulative effect. This study compared the adjustment of 633 women experiencing revictimization, multiple adult victimizations, single adult victimization, CSA only, or no victimization. Somatization, depression, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology were examined. Results support the cumulative effect of trauma but do not indicate differential effects for child to adult revictimization. Women with revictimization and multiple adult assaults reported more difficulties compared to women with only one form of adult abuse or no victimization. Women with CSA only reported similar symptoms as revictimized women and women with multiple adult assaults reported higher levels of distress than nonabused women and appeared somewhat more likely to experience anxiety and PTSD-related symptoms as compared to women with only adult abuse. Women with adult assault only and no abuse reported similar levels of distress.     

孤独症谱系障碍儿童的情绪意识及欺凌预防

情绪障碍是孤独症谱系障碍（autism spectrum disorder,ASD）患者的主要临床症状之一,与缺乏情绪意识、社交认知和叙情障碍有关。表现为难以识别、辨别和处理自己和他人的情感信息、做出不恰当的情绪反应行为。ASD儿童和青少年常以施害者、受害者或施害-受害者的身份参与校园欺凌,并由此带来一系列身心不利后果。欺凌预防不仅应包括针对ASD核心症状、共患病的干预,更涉及建立伙伴的同理心和社交技巧、教师责任和支持性服务、父母参与、社交融合等多个方面。     

Association between bullying victimization and physical fighting among Filipino adolescents: Results from the Global School-Based Health Survey

Objective  Interpersonal violence is an important, but neglected public health issue in low and middle-income countries. Adolescent physical fighting not only results in injury, disability and death, but is also associated with other potentially harmful behaviors such substance use and premarital sex. The study aims at dose-response association to prevent adolescent problem behaviors. Methods  We used data from the 2003-2004 Global School-Based Health Survey conducted among school adolescents in the Philippines. We estimated the prevalence of bullying victimization and physical fighting. We also conducted logistic regression analysis to assess the association between a selected list of explanatory variables and physical fighting. We hypothesized that there would be a dose-response relationship between physical fighting and number of times the adolescent reported being bullied in the past 30 days. Results  Of the 7,338 respondents, 35.5% (34.7% males and 36.1% females) were bullied and 50.0% (51.6% males and 48.8% females) reported having been in a physical fight in the past 12 months. There was a dose-response relationship between bullying victimization and physical fighting (p-trend <0.001). Compared to subjects who were not bullied, those who reported being bullied were more likely to engage in physical fighting after controlling for age, gender, substance use (smoking, alcohol drinking or drug use), and parental supervision (OR=2.38; 95% CI [1.99, 2.86] for 1-2 days of bullying victimization per month, OR=3.55; 95% CI [2.61, 4.83]) for 3-5 days/month per month, OR=4.45; 95% CI [2.61, 7.60]) for 6–9 days/ month, OR=1.91; 95% CI [1.17, 3.13]) for 10-30 days/month.) Conclusion  The dose-response relationship between physical fighting and the number of times an adolescent had been a victim of bullying deserves further study. If causal relationship exists, preventing bullying, even if not totally eliminated, may have significant results in preventing physical fighting.     

From child victim to adult victim: a model for predicting sexual revictimization

Women with histories of child sexual abuse (N = 221) participated in a study designed to test a model for predicting adult/adolescent sexual revictimization and post-assault functioning. Participants completed anonymous questionnaires regarding their sexual victimization history, post-sexual assault symptoms and attributions, and consensual sexual behavior. Repeated victimization was defined as having experienced child sexual abuse and a separate incident of adolescent/adult victimization. Repeated victimization was associated with having experienced child sexual abuse involving physical contact, including intercourse and/or penetration. Women with repeated victimization engaged in more self-blame, reported higher levels of post-traumatic symptoms, and reported more high-risk sexual behavior. A path model was developed that indicated that the relationship between revictimization and child sexual abuse was mediated by self-blame, post-traumatic symptoms, and consensual sexual activity. The results suggest the need for further research on revictimization as well as suggesting areas for intervention to prevent sexual revictimization.     

Children and adolescents injured in traffic--associated psychological consequences: a literature review

Aim: To identify the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and PTSD symptoms (PTSS) among children and adolescents injured in traffic, and to assess predictors of such post-traumatic stress.
Methods: Studies identified from electronic databases were reviewed.
Results: Based on a review of 12 studies, fulfilling specified criteria, the prevalence of PTSS was estimated at 30% within 1 month and 13% at 3–6 months. The prevalence of PTSD was almost 30% at 1–2 months and decreased to the same level as PTSS at 3–6 months. Perceived threat and high levels of distress, anxiety symptoms and being female were significantly associated with PTSD and PTSS. Injury severity was positively related to the number of PTSD symptoms in one of eight studies. Types of accident, age and socioeconomic status were not related to the development of PTSD/PTSS.
Conclusion: Any child will be at risk of PTSD/PTSS, not just those with severe injuries. Trauma care should include procedures that could identify and prevent stress reactions in order to minimize the risk of associated psychological consequences.     

Peer victimization as a predictor of depression and body mass index in obese and non-obese adolescents

Background:  The current study examined the pathway from peer victimization to depressive symptoms and body mass index (BMI) as mediated by self-concept for physical appearance in both obese and non-obese adolescents. It was thought that this pathway would be particularly important for obese adolescents because, compared to non-obese adolescents, they are at risk for being victimized and because the victimization would be more likely to lead to lower self-concept.
Method:  Utilizing data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, the current study examined self-reports of peer victimization, self-concept for physical appearance, depressive symptoms, height, and weight in 1,287 adolescents at three time periods over four years starting when the participants were between the ages of 12 and 13.
Results:  For non-obese adolescents, victimization did not predict changes in depressive symptoms and body mass index (BMI) four years later. For obese females, the mediated pathway was found from victimization to self-concept to both depressive symptoms and increases in BMI. For obese males, the findings were more complicated. In this group, the mediated pathway was found from victimization to self-concept to decreases in BMI, but a mediated pathway was not found for depressive symptoms.
Conclusions:  The current study suggests that a risk-factor for being victimized, such as obesity, may play an important role in the long-term effects of victimization by making it more likely that the adolescent will be victimized over the long term but also that victimization can reinforce the negative self-perceptions that the adolescent already has. It is important to go beyond using obesity as a predictor of long-term adjustment and examine the processes and experiences of obese individuals that might more directly cause depression or changes in health.     

Excess of weight,but not underweight,is associated with poor physical fitness in children and adolescents from Castilla-La Mancha,Spain

We estimated the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity of children and adolescents from Castilla-La Mancha region (Spain), applying the new International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) 2012 criteria, and analysed differences in physical fitness components in relation to weight status. The sample was 2,330 schoolchildren aged 6–17 years. We measured height and weight, calculated body mass index (BMI) and assessed physical fitness using four tests included in the EUROFIT battery. Differences in physical fitness components across BMI categories, by sex, were calculated using ANOVA models. In children aged 6–11 years, 4.9 % were underweight, 26.7 % overweight and 11.0 % obese; in adolescents aged 12–17 years, 6.4 % were underweight, 16.7 % overweight and 5.8 % obese. Overall, overweight and obesity were associated with worse physical fitness but students in the underweight category did not score worse than their normal weight counterparts on fitness tests. Conclusion: Childhood obesity in Spain remains a public health problem. Our results show low physical fitness levels in overweight/obese children and adolescents and low levels of handgrip strength in underweight adolescents compared with normal weight subjects. Exercise programmes must be tailored to the specific needs of the subjects according to the different weight status.     

Prevalence and risk factors for insomnia among Portuguese adolescents

Epidemiologic studies have shown that insomnia is the most prevalent sleep disorder at all ages, associated with sociodemographic and environmental factors and lifestyle. The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence of insomnia and analyze its determinants among Portuguese adolescents. In a cross-sectional study, we evaluated 6,919 students from the 7th to the 12th grade from 26 secondary schools, during 2012. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Insomnia was defined based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV criteria. Prevalences were expressed in proportions with 95 % confidence intervals (CI), and the magnitude of association between variables was detailed using odds ratio (OR). The prevalence of symptoms of insomnia was 21.4 %, and the prevalence of insomnia was 8.3 %. After adjustment for gender and age, insomnia was associated with female gender (adjusted OR?=?1.82; CI 95 %: 1.56–2.13), age ≥16 years (adjusted OR?=?1.17; CI 95 %: 1.01–1.35), coffee and alcohol consumption (adjusted OR?=?1.40; CI 95 %: 1.20–1.63 and adjusted OR?=?1.21; CI 95 %: 1.03–1.41, respectively), and depressive symptoms (adjusted OR?=?3.59; CI 95 %: 3.04–4.24). Conclusions: The high prevalence of insomnia in our sample of Portuguese adolescents confirms findings from epidemiologic studies that have shown insomnia to affect from 4.4 to 13.4 % of adolescents. The main risk factors for insomnia among these adolescents are gender (female), age (≥16 years), depression, and coffee and alcohol consumption, which is also in concordance with those in the literature.