Bullying and Victimization in Elementary Schools: A Comparison of Bullies, Victims, Bully/Victims, and Uninvolved Preadolescents.

TLDR

Bullying research has largely relied on univariate analyses and single‑informant reports, limiting insight into simultaneous effects of multiple variables and risking shared‑method bias. This Dutch study used a large sample of 1,065 preadolescents and multivariate, multi‑source data, including familial vulnerability to internalizing and externalizing disorders. Gender, aggressiveness, isolation, and dislikability were the strongest predictors of bullying and victimization, with bullies also disliked and parenting showing no effect after controlling for other factors.

Abstract

Research on bullying and victimization largely rests on univariate analyses and on reports from a single informant. Researchers may thus know too little about the simultaneous effects of various independent and dependent variables, and their research may be biased by shared method variance. The database for this Dutch study was large (N = 1,065) and rich enough to allow multivariate analysis and multi-source information. In addition, the effect of familial vulnerability for internalizing and externalizing disorders was studied. Gender, aggressiveness, isolation, and dislikability were most strongly related to bullying and victimization. Among the many findings that deviated from or enhanced the univariate knowledge base were that not only victims and bully/victims but bullies as well were disliked and that parenting was unrelated to bullying and victimization once other factors were controlled.