The dyadic nature of bullying and victimization: testing a dual-perspective theory

Giving It a Shot with a Different Approach: Prosocial Strategies Moderate the Joint Effects of Agentic and Communal Goals on Bullying

This study uses polynomial regression and response surface analyses to investigate the joint effects of agentic and communal goals on bullying and the moderating role of prosocial strategies. The sample included 917 adolescents (Mage = 13.54, SD = 1.02) from rural, suburban, and urban areas in China. The findings revealed that higher agentic and lower communal goals were associated with a linear rise in bullying. Surprisingly, when both social goals were higher simultaneously, bullying followed an inverted U-shaped pattern. Furthermore, prosocial strategies moderated the joint effects of the two social goals. Adolescents who are more likely to use prosocial strategies do not show significant changes in bullying when both goals are at a higher level. In contrast, those who are less likely to do so show a linear rise in bullying, regardless of changes in social goals. This study improves our understanding and intervention of bullying behavior, emphasizing a non-pathological perspective.

Socio-Economic Status and Bullying Victimization in India: A Study About Social Misfit and Minority Perception

The Social Misfit Theory, which states that some individuals deviate from what is normative in a community and may therefore be more likely to be victimized, has mostly been studied in Western countries. The current study addresses in a longitudinal sample whether socio-economic minorities (SES) in the classroom (a contextual SES minority) are more likely to become victims of bullying in India, and whether the relation between minority status and victimization is mediated by perception of oneself as a minority. The current study used three waves separated by three month intervals. A sample of youth from Indore India (grades 7 to 9; N = 1238; M-ageT1 = 13.15, SD = 1.16, 24 percent girls) was used. It was found that being a contextual SES minority was related to more victimization, but only when the contextual status was corroborated by the perceived minority status. However, over time, being part of a contextual minority predicted decreased victimization, possibly pointing to normative beliefs and values in the Indian context. The results of this study are in contrast to the Social Misfit Theory, but do support self-perception as a mediator.

Antecedents and outcomes of cyberbullying among Chinese university students: verification of a behavioral pathway model

Introduction

Cyberbullying is a commonly-seen and hotly-debated social topic around the globe. This negative behavior is the source of many disastrous events, and so leading government bodies, organizations, schools and social communities attach great importance to addressing this topic. However, there is still much work to do in order to be clear about the causes of cyberbullying.

Methods

The previous research cases were mostly viewed from the victims' perspectives; however, there is no comprehensive understanding of the perpetrators' viewpoints. Therefore, based on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and analysis of discussion in the literature, the following six variables were chosen as the focus of this study: overconfidence, excessive moral sense, cyberbullying, perceived value, happiness, and continued cyberbullying intention. This study established a research model of continued cyberbullying intention, which was verified by Structural Equation Modeling. In order to achieve the aims of the study, Chinese university students with an average age of 20.29 (SD = 1.43) were recruited as participants, from whom 1,048 valid questionnaires were collected.

Results

The research results are as follows: 1. Overconfidence and excessive moral sense positively predicted cyberbullying behaviors; 2. Overconfidence positively predicted excessive moral sense; 3. Cyberbullying positively predicted perceived value and sense of happiness; and 4. Perceived value and sense of happiness positively predicted continued cyberbullying intentions.

Conclusion

Students' biased self-perception significantly predicts their cyberbullying behaviors and continued cyberbullying intention. What is more, it is interesting to learn that perpetrators will continue to exhibit cyberbullying behaviors when they believe that what they do (cyberbullying) is valuable or allows them to experience positive feelings; this requires our attention.

A dynamic social relations model for clustered longitudinal dyadic data with continuous or ordinal responses

Social relations models allow the identification of cluster, actor, partner, and relationship effects when analysing clustered dyadic data on interactions between individuals or other units of analysis. We propose an extension of this model which handles longitudinal data and incorporates dynamic structure, where the response may be continuous, binary, or ordinal. This allows the disentangling of the relationship effects from temporal fluctuation and measurement error and the investigation of whether individuals respond to their partner's behaviour at the previous observation. We motivate and illustrate the model with an application to Canadian data on pairs of individuals within families observed working together on a conflict discussion task.

The Longitudinal Effect of Peer-Nominated Popularity on Defending Behaviors in Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Manipulative Traits, Desired Popularity, and Gender

The factors influencing popular adolescents to defend victims require further exploration, particularly concerning their traits and the desire for higher peer status. In this one-year longitudinal study, 2464 Chinese adolescents (48.50% girls, Mage = 13.40 years, SD = 0.61) were investigated to examine the relationship between peer-nominated popularity, manipulative traits, desired popularity, and defending behaviors. The results revealed that peer-nominated popularity had a positive predictive effect on Chinese adolescents' defending behaviors. Furthermore, this longitudinal association was accentuated by desired popularity and manipulative traits in girls but was not in boys. Specifically, popular girls with high desired popularity demonstrated a higher likelihood of engaging in defending behaviors compared to other girls. These findings carry significant implications for understanding the influencing factors behind peer status and adolescents' defending behaviors.

Early Behavioral Markers of Anxiety and Reduced Frontal Brain Alpha May Predict High Risk for Bullying Victimization

Bullying victimization has a profound negative impact on a child's emotional, social, and cognitive development. Childhood bullying victimization is reported across various social settings, suggesting common characteristics that increase a child's vulnerability to victimization. It is critical to identify early markers of such vulnerability to design preventative tools. Comprehensive semi-structured clinical interviews from mothers of child-victims and non-engaged control children included assessment of early developmental rituals and behavioral inhibition to social novelty, as potential behavioral correlates of anxiety. Neuropsychological and clinical assessment tools were used, and resting state spectral resting state EEG (rsEEG) was recorded. Increased frequency/severity of early developmental rituals and behaviorally inhibited responses to social novelty were apparent in all child-victims, alongside significantly reduced power of ventral prefrontal brain rsEEG alpha oscillations (8-13 Hz). This triad of findings, in line with prior studies, suggested an elevated early childhood anxiety, which, as current findings indicate, may be a cross-diagnostic marker of increased risk for life-long bullying victimization. Gaining insight into early childhood markers of anxiety may meaningfully complement neuropsychiatric prognosis and preventative efforts.

School bullying in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Bullying is a common form of violence among children and adolescents. Young people with neurodevelopmental or psychiatric conditions might have an increased risk of bullying victimisation and perpetration. We aimed to assess the odds of bullying involvement and its association with mental health measures in these populations.

METHODS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, ERIC, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, Web of Science Core Collection, PsycArticles, and PsycInfo databases from inception up to Aug 8, 2023, and included articles reporting data on bullying outcomes of current bullying (within the past year) among children and adolescents (aged 4-17 years) with a diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental or psychiatric condtion provided by a health professional. Bullying type was classified as traditional (physical, verbal, or relational) or as cyberbullying (intentional and repeated harm inflicted through electronic devices and social media), and bullying involvement was classified as victimisation, perpetration, and perpetration-victimisation. Mental health measures were collected and the associations with bullying involvement assessed. We used random-effects meta-analyses to estimate prevalence and odds ratios (ORs) for bullying involvement. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic, and publication bias was tested with Egger's regression. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021235043.

FINDINGS

We included 212 studies in the meta-analysis. The total sample comprised 126 717 cases (mean age 12·34 years [SD 1·82], 37·6% girls) and 504 806 controls (12·5 years [SD 1·86], 47·6% girls). For traditional bullying, the pooled prevalence was 42·2% (95% CI 39·6-44·9) for victimisation, 24·4% (22·6-26·3) for perpetration, and 14·0% (11·4-17·1) for perpetration-victimisation. For cyberbullying, the prevalence was 21·8% (16·0-28·9) for victimisation, 19·6% (13·4-27·7) for perpetration, and 20·7% (8·4-42·6) for perpetration-victimisation. Compared with controls, young people with neurodevelopmental or psychiatric conditions were more likely to be involved in traditional and cyberbullying as a victim (OR 2·85 [95% CI 2·62-3·09] and 2·07 [1·63-2·61]), perpetrator (2·42 [2·20-2·66] and 1·91 [1·60-2·28]), and perpetrator-victim (3·66 [2·83-4·74] and 1·85 [1·05-3·28]). Bullying involvement was associated with higher scores in mental health measures in young people with neurodevelopmental or psychiatric conditions, particularly internalising symptoms and externalising symptoms.

INTERPRETATION

Our study underscores bullying involvement as a prevalent risk factor in young people with neurodevelopmental or psychiatric conditions that might add to their disease burden through its negative effects on mental health. Interventions targeting these vulnerable populations are warranted to improve their mental health and their future social integration.

FUNDING

Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red.

Prevalence of Bullying Victimization and Perpetration Among Youth with Chronic Health Conditions in the United States

Background

Bullying perpetration and victimization have gained widespread recognition as major public health issues. However, few studies focused on exploring prevalence rates across impairments or chronic health conditions exist in the literature. The primary purpose of this analysis was to provide current estimates of bullying victimization and perpetration among US youth with 24 chronic health conditions. A secondary purpose was to examine associations between the number of chronic health conditions and bullying victimization and perpetration.

Methods

Data from the 2019-2020 National Survey of Children's Health, nationally representative cross-sectional probability sample of noninstitutionalized youth, were used. This study focused on 29,285 adolescents (aged 12-17 years), including 14,203 with a chronic condition. Pearson's χ2 tests were used to examine proportional equivalence on bullying perpetration and victimization, and logistic regression analyses were used to explore associations between the number of chronic conditions and bullying behaviors.

Results

A significantly higher proportion of adolescents with chronic health conditions engaged in bullying perpetration and victimization compared to those without a chronic health condition. Those with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, and depression were noted as having elevated proportions of bullying victimization, whereas those with behavioral or conduct problems, blood disorders, and depression had higher rates of perpetration.

Conclusions

This analysis helps to identify several groups of adolescents in need of targeted interventions to help reduce bullying rates. Those experiencing more than one chronic health condition were 3.56 and 2.97 times as likely to engage in bullying victimization and perpetration, respectively, compared to those with no condition.

Clique Hierarchy Moderates the Association between Social Preference and Defending Behaviors in Early Adolescence: The Role of Gender Differences

Although social preference promotes adolescents' defending behaviors, its potential mechanisms across gender cliques remain unclear from the group dynamic perspective. This study investigated 2470 Chinese early adolescents (49% girls, Mage = 14.40, SD = 0.58) to explore how social preference and clique hierarchy are associated with defending behaviors and whether these associations differ across gender-specific cliques. The results revealed that social preference was positively related to defending behaviors in boys' cliques, but negatively in girls' cliques. Furthermore, the association was strengthened by hierarchization in boys' cliques but was weakened in girls' cliques, while the status structure strengthened the association in boys' but not girls' cliques. These findings hold crucial implications for understanding and promoting defending behaviors among adolescents.

Predicting the Social-Emotional Competence Based on Childhood Trauma, Internalized Shame, Disability/Shame Scheme, Cognitive Flexibility, Distress Tolerance and Alexithymia in an Iranian Sample Using Bayesian Regression

The purpose of this study was to predict Social Emotional Competence based on childhood trauma, internalized shame, disability/shame scheme, cognitive flexibility, distress tolerance, and alexithymia in an Iranian sample using Bayesian regression. The participants in this research were a sample of 326 (85.3% female and 14.7% male) people living in Tehran in 2021 who were selected by convenience sampling through online platforms. The survey assessments included demographic characteristics (age and gender), presence of childhood trauma, social-emotional competence, internalized shame, the Toronto Alexithymia scales, Young's measure of disability/shame together with measures of cognitive flexibility and distress tolerance. The results from Bayesian regression and Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) indicated that internalized shame, cognitive flexibility and distress tolerance can be predictive of Social Emotional Competence. These results suggested that Social Emotional Competence can be explained by some important personality factors.

Trauma History Predicts Decoupling of C-Reactive Protein and Somatic Symptoms: Results From a Cohort Study of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

OBJECTIVE

Systemic inflammation can induce somatic symptoms (e.g., pain, nausea, fatigue) through neuroimmune signaling pathways. Previous research suggests that early-life adversity amplifies signaling between peripheral inflammation and the brain. We therefore hypothesized that greater lifetime trauma exposure at baseline would predict stronger associations between systemic inflammation and somatic symptoms at 2.5-year follow-up in a cohort study of sexual and gender minority youth assigned male at birth ( n = 694).

METHODS

We measured prior trauma exposure (lifetime count of traumatic event types reported at baseline), somatic symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory somatization score), and systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, interleukin 1β, and tumor necrosis factor α). All models included age, gender, education, recent trauma exposure, substance use, body mass index, and HIV status as covariates.

RESULTS

Higher C-reactive protein concentrations were associated with greater somatic symptoms in the main effects model ( β = 0.019, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.006 to 0.031). Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed a negative interaction between prior trauma exposure and C-reactive protein levels in predicting somatic symptoms ( β = -0.017, 95% CI = -0.030 to -0.004). Higher C-reactive protein was associated with greater somatic symptoms only in participants without prior trauma exposure at baseline ( β = 0.044, 95% CI = 0.026 to 0.062). Specificity analyses revealed similar patterns when nonsomatic depressive symptoms were used as the outcome variable.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that sexual and gender minority youth assigned male at birth who have a history of prior trauma exposure may experience decoupling of systemic inflammation and somatic symptoms. The absence of inflammation-related symptoms may prevent individuals from seeking necessary medical care by reducing interoceptive awareness of pathological states.

Will You Protect Me or Make the Situation Worse?: Teachers' Responses to School Violence Against Students With Disabilities

School violence is a global public health epidemic, with students with disabilities at a significantly greater risk than their non-disabled peers. Students with disabilities are more vulnerable to school violence from peers, teachers, and school staff due to stereotypes and prejudice. Teachers are pivotal in preventing violence and intervening, but literature on the role that teachers play in responding to disability-based violence is limited. Guided by the social-ecological framework of bullying, this qualitative study explored educators' responses to school violence against students with disabilities in Zambia. Data generation included document review, interviews, and focus groups with 33 teachers and 12 parents, and child-friendly methods with 90 students with disabilities. Findings illuminated that students with disabilities are less safe in schools. Teachers are not responding to violence seen or heard about due to stigmatizing beliefs and cultural norms surrounding disability and violence, with students with disabilities blamed for the violence and the response being their burden. Students with disabilities felt protected by special education teachers; however, disability-based stigma did not end with the student. By association, special education teachers were experiencing stigma from other teachers and were discouraged to respond. This stigma undermined the support special education teachers could provide to decrease school violence. Findings provide direction so teachers can respond to school violence in prosocial ways that create an environment where students with disabilities feel safe.

The Use of Social Capital in Teacher Research: A Necessary Clarification

In this paper, we present a critical reflection on the concept of social capital. We argue that there is no such idea of an umbrella concept of social capital. Instead, two overarching conceptualizations of social capital exist, namely individual social capital and collective social capital. As these conceptualizations of social capital are completely different, we emphasize that studies using social capital as a theoretical lens should clarify the concept as well as be consistent in the interpretation of the concept, from its definition to its methodological operationalization. In this article, we first map the two different conceptualizations of social capital. Next, these conceptualizations are illustrated with well-known teacher research studies, followed by examples of studies in which individual and collective social capital are mixed. Finally, we discuss the consequences of the use and the mix of these different conceptualizations in terms of measurement methods. Additionally, implications for teacher education are presented.

Mental Health, Bullying, and Victimization among Chinese Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to examine if adolescents who experience anxiety or depression have higher levels of reported bullying victimization or perpetration than those who do not. Based on the existing research, we hypothesized that those who experienced moderate or severe depression and anxiety would have higher rates of bullying victimization and perpetration when compared to those who experienced mild or no depression. This study used an observational design, and data were collected from a convenience sample of adolescents in a large regional high school in an Eastern province of China. The final sample included 1481 adolescents aged 14–19 years who provided complete data for each of the study variables. Demographic data were collected through a four-item demographic survey, bullying perpetration and victimization data were collected using subscales from the Illinois Bully Scale, and anxiety and depression were measured using the Chinese version of the General Anxiety Disorder-7 scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire, respectively. Descriptive analyses, correlational analyses, and multivariate analysis of covariance were used to analyze the data. About 7.1% and 15.2% of participants reported moderate-to-severe depression or moderate-to-severe anxiety, respectively. Pairwise comparisons indicated that adolescents with no or mild depression had significantly lower bullying perpetration than those with moderate-to-severe depression, but those with no or mild anxiety had significantly higher perpetration than those with moderate-to-severe anxiety. There was no statistically significant difference in victimization among different anxiety or depression levels alone (all p-values ≥ 0.05). This is among the first studies to examine reported levels of bullying perpetration and victimization among adolescents experiencing anxiety and depression. The findings help to identify adolescents who experience moderate-to-severe levels of depression as an at-risk group for bullying perpetration, who should therefore be a focus of bullying intervention work.

Victims of Bullying: Emotion Recognition and Understanding

Introduction: Victims of bullying often show interpersonal problems, such as having less high-quality interpersonal relationships compared to non-involved individuals. Research suggests that interpersonal struggles are associated with diminished emotional intelligence and competence and can lead to mental health problems such as depression. Therefore, we examined emotion recognition abilities, empathic accuracy, and behavioral responses to emotions in bullying victims and non-involved individuals. Based on previous research, we expected victims to show diminished skills in all three domains. Methods: Adolescents (Mage=17years; 67% female; no "other" gender participants) with (N=24) and without (N=21) a self-reported history of bullying victimization in high school completed a Virtual Reality facial emotion recognition task (ERT-VR), an empathic accuracy task (EAT) using videos of people recounting real-life autobiographical events, and a computer task in which they indicated their likely behavioral responses to facial emotions. Results: The two groups only significantly differed in recognizing emotions when taking their depression symptoms into account. Across emotions, victims had lower recognition accuracy than non-involved individuals. When examining emotion-specific differences, victims showed lower accuracy for neutral faces which they mainly mistook for angry faces. Conclusion: In contrast to expectations, adolescents with a high-school history of bullying victimization mostly showed similar emotional intelligence and competence skills as non-involved individuals. Nonetheless, we found some subtle differences regarding emotion recognition. Victims misjudged neutral as angry faces. This suggests a hostile attribution bias which might help explain victims' interpersonal problems as well as their increased risk for mental health problems.

Development and Validation of a New Instrument for Screening Bullies and Victims in Classrooms

Although a number of studies have been conducted on the subject of bullying, there is an absence of a standard instrument which can map the bullying network and identify the groups involved in it. The current study aimed to provide a standard instrument for screening bullies and victims in the classroom, which has validity and reliability indicators to map the network of relationships between the bullies and victims. In this regard, 337 high school students (176 males and 161 females) were selected via cluster sampling and, afterward, the Screening Instrument for Bullies and Victims in Classrooms (SIBVC) was used in the sample group. To examine the concurrent validity, Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) and Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (APRI) were used. The results depicted that the individuals' scores of bullying and victimization in SIBVC are positively and negatively related to their scores in MESSY subscales, respectively. Also, individuals' scores of bullying in SIBVC is positively related to bullying scores and negatively related to victimization scores in APRI. Cronbach's alpha method was used to determine the reliability of SIBVC, and the results showed that in all classes, the obtained alpha was higher than .72. Two weeks after the first run, the instrument was reimplemented and the reliability coefficient was (p < .001, r = .97 for bullying and r = .96 for victimization). The results depicted that SIBVC benefited from favorable validity, and it was able to identify the bullies and the victims quite well in the classrooms; also, SIBVC scores had favorable reliability over time. Criteria such as the use of dyadic nomination and network mapping among the groups involved in bullying are the benefits of SIBVC, which make it a useful and new instrument in bullying research.

More popular because you're older? Relative age effect on popularity among adolescents in class

Previous studies have found a significant effect of pupil's month of birth on their school- and sports performances. The current study investigates whether this so-called relative age effect also exists in a rather unexplored domain, namely popularity among adolescents in school classes. Whereas prior studies examined relative age related to the cut-off date at primary school entry, we also study possible relative age effects regarding the age composition within pupils' current school class. Data are from nationally-representative surveys among 14-15 year-old pupils from the Netherlands, Sweden and England. Results indicate a statistically significant positive relation of both types of relative age with popularity status in classes. The relation of past relative age is particularly strong in England, which has a system of social promotion, whereas current relative age is strong in the Netherlands, with its system of grade retention. These findings underscore the importance of education policy.

Body mass index and peer victimization: A transactional model

Past research has shown concurrent associations between adolescent's body mass index (BMI) and classroom bullying victimization experiences. The goal of this three‐wave longitudinal study is to examine a transactional model of associations between BMI and bullying victimization among adolescents in India. We investigate concurrent unidirectional and bidirectional relations between BMI and victimization. In a sample of 1238 students from nine schools (Grades 7–9; M‐age_T1 = 13.15, SD = 1.16) in Indore, India, we used self‐ and peer‐reports to measure bullying victimization in the classroom, and objective measurement of students' height and weight to collect data on adolescents' BMI, across three waves in one school year. Structural equational modeling was used to test transactional relations between BMI and bullying victimization. For self‐reported victimization, there was no concurrent or over time association between BMI and victimization for boys or girls in the present study. For peer‐reported victimization, we observed concurrent associations between BMI and victimization for boys and girls and a prospective relation where higher BMI corresponded to less victimization over time for boys. The study yielded mainly concurrent relations between BMI and victimization among adolescents in India. Results from western countries may not generalize to India.

Classroom Status Hierarchy Moderates the Association between Social Dominance Goals and Bullying Behavior in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence

Social dominance goals represent desires to be powerful and prominent among peers. Previous studies have documented that endorsing social dominance goals is positively associated with bullying behavior. However, little is known about how classroom context moderates the social dominance goals-bullying association. The present study examined the role of classroom status hierarchy in the longitudinal association between social dominance goals and bullying in a sample of 1,603 children attending 17 grade 3 classrooms (n = 558, 46.2% girls, M_age = 9.33 years, SD = 0.44), 15 grade 4 classrooms (n = 491, 45.0% girls, M_age = 10.31 years, SD = 0.38) and 16 grade 7 classrooms (n = 554, 49.3% girls, M_age = 13.2 years, SD = 0.46) in China, followed for 1 year. Classroom peer status hierarchy was assessed by the within-classroom standard deviation in perceived popularity. Social dominance goals were obtained through self-reports. Bullying was measured via peer nomination. The multilevel models revealed that social dominance goals at Wave 1 predicted increases in bullying at Wave 2 only in classrooms with higher status hierarchies, after controlling for gender, grade, classroom size, and classroom gender distribution. These findings indicate that children who strive for social dominance goals are more likely to bully others when power is less equally distributed in the classroom.

Dyadic nominations of bullying: Comparing types of bullies and their victims

Previous studies indicate that when identifying individuals involved in bullying, the concordance between self- and peer- reports is low to moderate. There is support that self- and peer- identified victims constitute distinct types of victims and differ in adjustment. Likewise, differentiating between self- and peer- reports of bullying may also reveal distinct types of bullies. The goal of this study was to examine differences between types of bullies identified via dyadic nominations (self-identified, victim-identified, and self/victim identified). First, we examined the concordance between dyadic nominations of bullying and traditional measures of bullying (i.e., self- and peer-reports). Second, we compared the behavioral profiles of the bully types to nonbullies, with a focus on aggressive behaviors and social status. Third, we examined whether the types of bullies targeted victims with different levels of popularity, as well as the role of their own popularity and prioritizing of popularity. Participants were 1,008 Dutch adolescents (50.1% male, M_age  = 14.14 years, standard deviation [SD] = 1.30) who completed a classroom assessment of dyadic nominations, peer nominations, and self-report items. Results indicated that victim identified and self/victim identified bullies were more aggressive, more popular, and less socially preferred than self-identified bullies and nonbullies. Self/victim identified bullies targeted victims with the highest social status. The association between bully type and victims' popularity was further qualified by bullies' own popularity and the degree to which they prioritized popularity. Implications for the implementation of dyadic nominations are discussed.

How Teachers Deal with Cases of Bullying at School: What Victims Say

Student victims of peer bullying (n = 223) in 25 coeducational Australian schools answered a questionnaire to provide accounts of how their school responded to their requests for help. In addition, respondents indicated how severely they were emotionally impacted by the bullying and whether the bullying was perpetrated by an individual or by a group. The reported outcomes from the intervention indicated that in 67% of cases the bullying stopped or was reduced. In cases where the emotional impact was reported as relatively severe, the school interventions were less successful. In addition, reportedly being bullied relatively often by groups, as distinct from individuals, was independently predictive of a less positive outcome. Among girls, but not boys, younger students reported more satisfactory outcomes. Implications are suggested for more effective interventions in cases of bullying.

Differences in perceived popularity and social preference between bullying roles and class norms

The aim of this study was to examine differences in perceived popularity and social preference of bullying roles and class norms. In total, 1,339 students (48% girls) participated: 674 primary school (M = 10.41 years, SD = 0.49) and 685 secondary school students (M = 12.67 years, SD = 0.80). Peer nominations and perceptions of class norms were collected. The results showed the highest perceived popularity among aggressors and defenders, except in anti-bullying primary school classes, where aggressors had low levels of popularity. In pro-bullying secondary school classes school, female victims had the lowest popularity levels. These findings suggest that class norms and personal variables as gender and school levels are important to understand bullying roles. Practical implications are discussed to guide teachers and practitioners according to the importance to adapt antibullying programs to the characteristics of the group in each school level and gender.

Bullying as a Group Process in Childhood: A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis

This study investigates the dynamic interplay between bullying relationships and friendships in a sample of 481 students in 19 elementary school classrooms (age 8-12 years; 50% boys). Based on a relational framework, it is to be expected that friendships would be formed when two children bullied the same person and that children would start to bully the victims of their friends. Similarly, it is to be expected that friendships would be formed when two children were victimized by the same bully and that children would become victimized by the bullies of their friends. Longitudinal bivariate social network analysis supported the first two hypotheses but not the latter two. This study provides evidence for group processes in bullying networks in childhood.

The role of perceived bullying norms in friendship dynamics: An examination of friendship selection and influence on bullying and victimization

The current study examined whether youth’s perceived bullying norms play a role in friendship dynamics related to bullying and victimization among the fifth and sixth grade ( N = 736, 52% girls at Wave 1, N = 677, 52% girls at Wave 2) in elementary schools. Youth completed peer nominations (friendship, bullying, and victimization) and a self-reported measure of perceived bullying norms in the classroom. With longitudinal social network analysis (RSiena), this study investigated selection and influence of friends in bullying and victimization as well as the moderating role of perceived bullying norms in these processes. Results indicated that high bullying youth received many friendship nominations and tended to be more influenced by high bullying friends. In addition, highly victimized youth tended to form friendships with highly victimized peers, and youth whose friends are highly victimized became highly victimized themselves over time. As hypothesized, youth’s perceived bullying norms moderated these processes. As youth perceived higher bullying norms, the greater was the tendency for high bullying youth to select high bullying peers as friends and to be influenced by high bullying friends. Likewise, friend influence on victimization was magnified when youth perceived high bullying norms. The current study underscores the importance of youth’s perceived bullying norms in friendship dynamics of bullying and victimization.

Self, peer, and teacher reports of victim-aggressor networks in kindergartens

This study investigated if and how children and teachers differ in their assessment of victim-aggressor relationships in kindergartens. Self-, peer, and teacher reports of victimization-aggression networks (who is victimized by whom) were investigated in 25 Swiss kindergartens with 402 5- to 7-years-old. It was examined whether child characteristics (sex and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior) influence informant reports of victimization and/or aggression. Findings from statistical network models indicated higher concordance between self and peer reports than between one of these and teacher reports. Results further showed more agreement among informants on aggressors than on victims. Aggressors reported by self and peer reports were low on internalizing behavior, and aggressors reported by self and teacher reports were high on externalizing behavior; teacher-reported victims were also high on externalizing behavior. Internalizing behavior was unrelated to victimization. According to self and peer reports, boys as well as girls were victimized by boys and girls equally; teachers reported less cross-sex victimization than same-sex victimization. The different views of teachers and children on victim-aggressor relationships have implications for the identification of aggression in early childhood. Mutual sharing of information between children, their parents, peers, and teachers may contribute to signaling victims and aggressors in the early school years.

Aggression Predicts Changes in Peer Victimization that Vary by Form and Function

Peer victimization is predictive of serious problems in adjustment, especially among children who are both victimized and aggressive. This study investigated how different types of aggression contribute to later victimization. Specifically, we examined prospective relationships between the types of aggression that children perpetrated and the types that they experienced at the hands of others. Trained observers coded schoolyard behavior of 553 children in grades 3-6 during the initial year of a bullying intervention program. Both observed aggression and victimization were specified by form (direct, indirect) and function (proactive, reactive). Total hourly rates of victimization were highest in the upper grades. Direct-reactive aggression uniquely predicted increases in victimization, while direct-proactive aggression predicted decreases, particularly in direct-proactive victimization. Indirect-proactive aggression (e.g., derogatory gossip) predicted increases in indirect-proactive victimization only in the control group. Indirect-reactive aggression and victimization occurred too rarely to detect change. Aggression-victimization relationships did not differ for boys and girls. Discussion considers why children might risk direct reactive aggression in the face of increased victimization. Different sequelae for different forms and functions of aggression highlight the need to resolve theoretical ambiguities in defining proactive and reactive aggression.

Victim Consciousness Among Youth and Their Responses to Violent Encounters

This study examines how youth interpret potentially violent encounters, their own identity as victims, and their responses to dangerous situations. The purpose is to understand when "victimization" does or does not lead to a violent response and how individuals negotiate risky situations. Qualitative interviews from 147 youth, aged 12 to 23 across three high-crime neighborhoods in Philadelphia, were examined. Of these youth, 86 individuals described 136 encounters with violent or threatening situations. Coding examined themes in youth perceptions of these encounters, as well as their responses. Three themes emerged in the youth's accounts: youth as victims, youth as street smart, and youth action as self-defense. Youth's understanding of risk and situational dynamics of the encounter shaped their perceptions of violent incidents and consequently if they responded with violence or used other strategies such as help seeking, avoidance, negotiation, or tolerance. Youth's understanding of victimhood should be considered in research on the victim-offender overlap and generally in youth violence studies. Implications for the victim-offender overlap include incorporating a more nuanced perspective on social distance and power dynamics as understood by victims. Implications for policy include providing culturally sensitive violence reduction models and victim services that account for youth's own understanding of their experiences.

Internalizing Symptoms and Externalizing Problems: Risk Factors for or Consequences of Cyber Victimization?

Experiences of traditional victimization often co-occur with cyber victimization in adolescence but are not always controlled for when considering how cyber victimization is uniquely related to internalizing and externalizing symptoms. This is particularly problematic in longitudinal studies that attempt to determine the longitudinal associations between cyber victimization and internalizing symptoms, and between cyber victimization and externalizing problems and how these patterns may differ for adolescent boys and girls. In the current study, traditional victimization was controlled to examine the longitudinal sequences of association between cyber victimization and internalizing symptoms, and between cyber victimization and externalizing problems for adolescent boys and girls. Participants included 510 seventh and tenth grade students (M_age = 13.7, 61.6% girls, 44% Asian and 30% White) who completed surveys across three academic years in middle and high school. Findings from longitudinal path models suggest that internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems respectively were associated with increases in experiences of cyber victimization (beyond the effect of traditional victimization) both within and across time, particularly for adolescent girls. Efforts to address adolescents' experiences of cyber victimization must consider the vulnerabilities created by adolescents' continued internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems that may differ for boys and girls. Implications for cyber victimization prevention and intervention efforts are discussed.

Cooperative Learning in Middle School: A Means to Improve Peer Relations and Reduce Victimization, Bullying, and Related Outcomes

Peer victimization is a highly stressful experience that impacts up to a third of all adolescents and can contribute to a variety of negative outcomes, including elevated anxiety, depression, drug use, and delinquency, as well as reduced self-esteem, school attendance, and academic achievement. Current prevention approaches (e.g., the Olweus program) have a mixed record in American schools. We propose a new approach to prevention that leverages theory and research surrounding the social aspects of bullying and victimization, particularly peer relations. Our approach attempts to (1) break down the process of homophily among bullies, and (2) provide a mechanism by which socially isolated students can develop new friendships. Our approach asks teachers to increase opportunities for positive peer interaction through carefully structured, group-based learning activities in school (i.e., cooperative learning). We hypothesized that these positive peer interactions would result in reductions in bullying, victimization, perceived stress, and emotional problems, as well as increases in peer relatedness, among more marginalized students. Using a cluster randomized trial with 15 rural middle schools in the Pacific Northwest (N = 1,460 7th grade students), we found that cooperative learning significantly reduced bullying, victimization, and perceived stress for marginalized students (i.e., moderated effects), and reduced emotional problems and enhanced relatedness for all students (i.e., main effects). Given that cooperative learning has already been shown to enhance student engagement and achievement in prior research, our results demonstrate that cooperative learning can be a permanent, sustainable component of teacher training and school culture.

Who victimizes whom and who defends whom? A multivariate social network analysis of victimization, aggression, and defending in early childhood

The aim of this research was to investigate the interplay between victim‐aggressor relationships and defending relationships in early childhood to test the proposition that young aggressors are less selective than older children in their choice of vulnerable targets. Cross‐sectional multivariate statistical social network analyses (Exponential Random Graph Models) for a sample of 177 preschoolers from seven classes, 5‐ to 7‐years‐old, revealed that boys were more aggressive than girls, toward both boys and girls, whereas defending relationships were most often same‐sex. There was significant reciprocity in aggression, indicating that it was more often bidirectional rather than unidirectional. In addition, aggressors clearly defended each other when they shared their targets of aggression, whereas a marginally significant trend appeared for defending between victims who were victimized by the same aggressors. Furthermore, teacher‐rated dominance was positively associated with children's involvement in both aggression and victimization, and teacher‐rated insecurity was associated with less aggression, but not with victimization. These findings suggest that those who are reported as being victimized may retaliate, or be aggressive themselves, and do not display some of the vulnerabilities reported among older groups of victims. The findings are in line with the proposition that young aggressors are less strategic than older children in targeting vulnerable victims. The network approach to peer victimization and defending contributes to understanding the social processes facilitating the development of aggression in early childhood.

The mediating role of shame in the relationship between childhood bullying victimization and adult psychosocial adjustment

Background: Psychological distress following experiencing bullying victimization in childhood has been well documented. Less is known about the impact of bullying victimization on psychosocial adjustment problems in young adulthood and about potential pathways, such as shame. Moreover, bullying victimization is often studied in isolation from other forms of victimization. Objective: This study investigated (1) whether childhood experiences of bullying victimization and violence were associated with psychosocial adjustment (distress, impaired functioning, social support barriers) in young adulthood; (2) the unique effect of bullying victimization on psychosocial adjustment; and (3) whether shame mediated the relationship between bullying victimization and these outcomes in young adulthood. Method: The sample included 681 respondents (aged 19-37 years) from a follow-up study (2017) conducted via phone interviews derived from a community telephone survey collected in 2013. Results: The regression analyses showed that both bullying victimization and severe violence were significantly and independently associated with psychological distress, impaired functioning, and increased barriers to social support in young adulthood. Moreover, causal mediation analyses indicated that when childhood physical violence, sexual abuse, and sociodemographic factors were controlled, shame mediated 70% of the association between bullying victimization and psychological distress, 55% of the association between bullying victimization and impaired functioning, and 40% of the association between bullying victimization and social support barriers. Conclusions: Our findings support the growing literature acknowledging bullying victimization as a trauma with severe and long-lasting consequences and indicate that shame may be an important pathway to continue to explore. The unique effect of bullying victimization, over and above the effect of violence, supports the call to integrate the two research fields.

The Co-evolution of Bullying Perpetration, Homophobic Teasing, and a School Friendship Network

Bullying and homophobic teasing behaviors affect the lives of many school aged children, often co-occur, and tend to peak in middle school. While bullying and homophobic teasing behaviors are known to be peer group phenomena, studies typically examine the associations at the individual or school levels. An examination of these behaviors at the peer group level can aid in our understanding of the formation and maintenance of peer groups that engage in these forms of aggressive behavior (selection), and the extent to which friends and the peer group impact individual rates of these aggressive behaviors (influence). In this longitudinal study, we assess the co-evolution of friendship networks, bullying perpetration, and homophobic teasing among middle school students (n = 190) using a Stochastic Actor-Based Model (SABM) for longitudinal networks. Data were collected from 6-8th-grade students (Baseline age 12-15; 53% Female; 47% Male) across three waves of data. The sample was diverse with 58% African American, 31% White, and 11% Hispanic. Since bullying and homophobic teasing behaviors are related yet distinct forms of peer aggression, to capture the unique and combined effects of these behaviors we ran models separately and then together in a competing model. Results indicated that on average individuals with higher rates of bullying perpetration and homophobic teasing were associated with becoming increasingly popular as a friend. However, the effects were not linear, and individuals with the highest rates of bullying perpetration and homophobic teasing were less likely to receive friendship nominations. There was no evidence that bullying perpetration or homophobic teasing were associated with the number of friendship nominations made. Further, there was a preference for individuals to form or maintain friendships with peers who engaged in similar rates of homophobic name-calling; however, this effect was not found for bullying perpetration. Additionally, changes in individual rates of bullying perpetration were not found to be predicted by the bullying perpetration of their friends; however, changes in adolescent homophobic teasing were predicted by the homophobic teasing behaviors of their friends. In a competing model that combined bullying perpetration and homophobic teasing, we found no evidence that these behaviors were associated with popularity. These findings are likely due to the high association between bullying perpetration and homophobic teasing combined with the small sample size. However, friendship selection was based on homophobic name-calling, such that, there was a preference to befriend individuals with similar rates of homophobic teasing. We also examined several risk factors (dominance, traditional masculinity, impulsivity, femininity, positive attitudes of bullying, and neighborhood violence), although, impulsivity was the only covariate that was associated with higher levels of bullying perpetration and homophobic teasing. More specifically, youth with higher rates of impulsivity engaged in higher rates of bullying perpetration and homophobic teasing over time. The findings suggest bullying perpetration and homophobic teasing have important influences on friendship formation, and close friendships influence youth's engagement in homophobic teasing. Implications for prevention and intervention efforts are discussed in terms of targeting peer groups and popular peers to help reduce rates of these aggressive behaviors.

Service providers' perceptions of and responses to bullying of individuals with disabilities

A sample of 124 service providers (e.g. mental health professionals, educators, administrators) completed a survey about bullying of individuals with disabilities and the use and perceived effectiveness of resources and strategies to address bullying. Providing support and performing an action in response to bullying were reported to be used more often and were perceived as more effective than education and minimizing/ignoring. Service providers who reported that the individuals they worked with experienced cyberbullying more frequently were more likely to take action and use education. Those who attributed victimization to social differences were more likely to provide support.

Does an aggressor's target choice matter? Assessing change in the social network prestige of aggressive youth

Based on a social dominance approach, aggression is conceptualized as a strategy used to gain position, power, and influence within the peer network. However, aggression may only be beneficial when targeted against particular peers; both victims' social standing and the number of victims targeted may impact aggressors' social standing. The current study examined associations between aggressors' targeting tendencies (victims' social standing and number of victims) and aggressors' own social standing, both concurrently and over time. Analyses were conducted using three analytic samples of seventh and eighth grade aggressors (Ns ranged from 161 to 383, 49% girls; 50% Latina/o). Participants nominated their friends; nominations were used to calculate social network prestige. Peer nominations were used to identify aggressors and their victim(s). For each aggressor, number of victims and victims' social network prestige were assessed. Aggressors with more victims and with highly prestigious victims had higher social network prestige themselves, and they increased more in prestige over time than aggressors with fewer victims and less prestigious victims (though there were some differences across analytic samples). Findings have implications for the need to extend the social dominance approach to better address the links between aggressors and victims. Aggr. Behav. 43:364-374, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Do Positive Peer Relations Mitigate Transactions Between Depressive Symptoms and Peer Victimization in Adolescence?

This study's purpose was to evaluate whether two aspects of positive peer relations-having a friend and being well-liked-mitigate prospective transactions between depressive symptoms and peer victimization. Participants were early adolescents in fifth and sixth grades (N = 483; 50% girls; M_age in 5^th grade spring = 11.10 years; SD = .40) and late adolescents in ninth and tenth grades (N = 444; 52% girls; M_age in 9^th grade spring = 14.70 years; SD = .62). Data were collected in the spring annually. Depressive symptoms were assessed via parent-, teacher-, and self-reports (late adolescence only) and peer victimization by self-, peer-, and teacher-reports. Mutual friendship nominations and peer acceptance ratings indexed positive peer relations. Results showed that positive peer relations are protective: Depressive symptoms contributed to peer victimization for early and late adolescents without a friend; moreover, late adolescents high on acceptance were at decreased risk for peer victimization.

Person–Group Dissimilarity in Personality and Peer Victimization

The present study examined the role of person–group dissimilarity in personality in peer victimization. It was hypothesized that adolescents who show more deviation from the classroom norm in personality experience more peer victimization. Data from 1108 adolescents (48% boys; Mage = 13.56 years, SD = 1.13) from 54 classrooms were used to test this hypothesis. Data included measurements of self–reported and bully–disclosed victimization and Big Five and Dark Triad personality traits. Results of generalized linear mixed models including polynomial equations and subsequent response surface analyses partly supported our hypothesis. Person–group dissimilarity in the shape of personality profiles was related to more bully–disclosed victimization, but not to self–reported victimization. Dissimilarity in neuroticism and Machiavellianism was related to both more self–reported and bully–disclosed victimization. Dissimilarity in extraversion, openness to experience, and psychopathy was only related to more self–reported victimization. Unexpectedly, dissimilarity in agreeableness was related to less self–reported victimization. Moreover, our results also indicated that certain levels of congruent person–group combinations in agreeableness, neuroticism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy were related to more peer victimization. Overall, findings of this study emphasize the importance of considering classroom norms in relation to peer victimization. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Personality Psychology

The efficacy of a relationship building intervention in 5th grade

The present study reports initial efficacy data for a new school-based intervention - the Relationship Building Intervention (RBI) - that includes a series of teacher-facilitated, structured activities designed to promote positive peer relationships and inclusive classroom communities. The RBI was evaluated in fifth-grade classrooms by estimating multilevel model (MLM) analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) comparing 368 fifth-grade students in intervention classrooms with 259 fifth-graders in control classrooms on social behaviors, perceptions of classroom connectedness, and academic performance. Controlling for pretest scores, cohort, and demographic variables, findings revealed that students who participated in the RBI liked school more, felt a greater sense of classroom identification and inclusion, were perceived by teachers to be less aggressive, and performed better academically than students who were in control classrooms. Further, implementation data showed that students and teachers responded positively to the activities. These results suggest that the RBI is a promising approach for improving the social and learning environment in fifth-grade classrooms.

The Meaningful Roles Intervention: An Evolutionary Approach to Reducing Bullying and Increasing Prosocial Behavior

Bullying is a problem that affects adolescents worldwide. Efforts to prevent bullying have been moderately successful at best, or iatrogenic at worst. We offer an explanation for this limited success by employing an evolutionary-psychological perspective to analyze antibullying interventions. We argue that bullying is a goal-directed behavior that is sensitive to benefits as well as costs, and that interventions must address these benefits. This perspective led us to develop a novel antibullying intervention, Meaningful Roles, which offers bullies prosocial alternatives-meaningful roles and responsibilities implemented through a school jobs program and reinforced through peer-to-peer praise notes-that effectively meet the same status goals as bullying behavior. We describe this new intervention and how its theoretical evolutionary roots may be applicable to other intervention programs.