Citation

Wang J, Nansel TR, Iannotti RJ. J. Adolesc. Health 2011; 48(4): 415-417.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.07.012

PMID

21402273

PMCID

PMC3058261

Abstract

PURPOSE: The study compared levels of depression among bullies, victims, and bully-victims of traditional (physical, verbal, and relational) and cyber bullying that is a relatively new form of bullying. The study also examined the association between depression and frequency of involvement in each form of bullying. METHODS: A U.S. nationally representative sample of students in grades 6-10 (N = 7,313) completed the bullying and depression items in the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children 2005 Survey. RESULTS: Depression was associated with each of the four forms of bullying. Cyber victims reported higher depression than bullies or bully-victims, a result not observed in other forms of bullying. For physical, verbal, and relational bullies, the frequently-involved group of victims and bully victims reported a significantly higher level of depression than the corresponding occasionally involved group. For cyber bullying, differences were found only between the occasional and frequent victims. CONCLUSION: Results indicated the importance of further study of cyber bullying because its association with depression was distinct from traditional forms of bullying.

Language: en