Citation

Harbin SM, Kelley ML, Piscitello J, Walker SJ. J. School Violence 2019; 18(1): 146-161.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15388220.2017.1423491

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The prevalence of bullying has increased over the past decade and is a public health concern. Existing measures of bullying lack breadth and/or psychometric support, which may inaccurately represent current rates of bullying. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a psychometrically sound measure, the Multidimensional Bullying Victimization Scale (MBVS), to evaluate bullying in adolescents. An initial pool of items was generated and rated by 600 adolescents. Exploratory factor analyses yielded three factors--direct bulling, indirect bullying, and evaluative bullying. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on independent sample of 623 adolescents, supporting the original three-factor solution.

RESULTS indicate that the MBVS demonstrates good internal consistency, construct validity, and concurrent validity. The MBVS scores were significantly and positively correlated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The MBVS provides a reliable and valid assessment of adolescents' experiences with bully victimization.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescents; bully victimization; Bullying; measurement; school