Factors Associated with Bullying Behavior in Middle School Students

TLDR

The study examined bullying as a continuum of mild‑to‑extreme behaviors and sought to identify demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial correlates that predict bullying risk. Researchers measured bullying on a continuous scale based on the number and frequency of behaviors and tested these correlates in a sample of middle‑school students. Among 558 students, only 20% reported no bullying; regression analysis linked misconduct, anger, violence‑supportive beliefs, and confidence and intentions to use nonviolent strategies to bullying levels, while gender was not significant, indicating that adolescents are not simply bullies or nonbullies and underscoring the need for comprehensive prevention.

Abstract

In this study, bullying was examined as a continuum of mild-to-extreme behaviors, and the potential correlates of bullying others were delineated. To improve identification and targeting of those youth at risk for bullying, demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial correlates were tested on a continuous measure of bullying behavior rated according to the number and frequency of behaviors. Among 558 middle school students surveyed in 1995, only 20% reported no bullying behavior. In multiple regression analysis, misconduct, anger, beliefs supportive of violence, confidence in using nonviolent strategies, and intentions to use nonviolent strategies were associated with levels of bullying behavior. Although boys reported more bullying behavior than did girls, gender was not a significant predictor in the multiple regression analysis. These study results were inconsistent with the perspective that early adolescents were either bullies or nonbullies and indicated the need for a comprehensive approach to preventing bullying behavior.