Citation

Sapouna M, Wolke D, Vannini N, Watson S, Woods S, Schneider W, Enz S, Aylett R. Br. J. Educ. Psychol. 2012; 82(Pt 2): 225-240.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK Health Sciences Research Institute, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK Department of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians Universität Würzburg, Germany Department of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, UK Department of Psychology, Otto-Friedrich Universität Bamberg, Germany School of Maths and Computer Science, Herriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Wiley-Blackwell)

DOI

10.1111/j.2044-8279.2011.02022.x

PMID

22583088

Abstract

Background.  There is still relatively little research on the social context within which bullying develops and remains stable. Aim.  This study examined the short-term stability of bullying victimization among primary school students in the United Kingdom and Germany (mean age, 8.9 years) and the individual and social network factors that contributed to remaining a victim of bullying. Sample.  The sample consisted of 454 children (247 males and 207 females). Methods.  Participants completed questionnaires on bullying victimization at three assessment points over a 9-week period. Other measures consisted of self-reported demographic, peer, and family relationship characteristics. Social network indices of density, reciprocity, and hierarchy were constructed using friendship and peer acceptance nominations. Results.  Relative risk analyses indicated a six-fold increased risk of remaining a victim at consequent follow-ups, compared to a child not victimized at baseline becoming a victim over the follow-up period. Individual characteristics explained substantially more variance in the stability of bullying victimization than class-level factors. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses revealed that being victimized by siblings and being rejected by peers predicted remaining a victim over a 9-week period. Conclusions.  Bullying victimization among primary school students proved moderately stable over a 9-week period. Individual characteristics were more influential in predicting the stable victim role than class-level factors. Our findings have implications for the identification of stable victims in primary school and early preventative bullying programs.

Language: en