Search

Objectives: Experiencing physical sibling abuse is a form of family violence that is common but understudied. While it is often perceived as a normative aspect of sibling relationships, there are apparent behavioral consequences. The current study aims to advance the literature by utilizing the displaced aggression model and I3 theory to longitudinally examine trait anger as a pathway linking physical sibling abuse to bullying perpetration. Methods: Using data from the Bullying, Sexual, and Dating Violence Trajectories from Early to Late Adolescence in the Midwestern United States, 2008–2013, adolescents (n = 851, M = 14.8 years) completed questionnaires at baseline and were reassessed 6 months later. Results: Results suggested that when adolescents experience physical sibling abuse, they are more likely to engage in bullying perpetration. Mediation analyses indicated that as adolescents were physically abused by a sibling at home, they were more likely to report higher levels of trait anger, which subsequently increased their risk of engaging in bullying perpetration. Conclusion: These results suggest that experiencing physical sibling abuse has long‐term detrimental consequences, including elicitation of trait anger, subsequently predicting bullying perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the longitudinal reciprocal relationship between parental maltreatment and child bullying perpetration from middle childhood to early adolescence in China and the associated gender differences. Eight hundred ninety‐one children completed a battery of questionnaires at four time points. A random‐intercept cross‐lagged model was established. The results indicated that at the between‐person level, child bullying perpetration was positively associated with physical and psychological maltreatment. At the within‐person level, there was a significant association between an increase in bullying perpetration and an increase in parental psychological and physical maltreatment across the four time points. Conversely, an increase in physical maltreatment led to an increase in child bullying perpetration from T1 to T2, while an increase in psychological maltreatment resulted in an increase in child bullying perpetration from T1 to T2 and T2 to T3. Furthermore, an increase in physical maltreatment increased boys' bullying perpetration but decreased that in girls from T2 to T3. These findings provide inspiration for future family education and anti‐bullying interventions in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to violent video games is associated with aggressive behaviors among adolescents. However, not all adolescents who play violent video games demonstrate bullying behaviors. Based on the General Aggression Model (GAM), this cross‐sectional study examined the interactive effect of individuals (i.e., belief in a just world [BJW]) and situational factors (i.e., violent video game exposure [VVGE]) on bullying perpetration. Using a representative sample of 4250 adolescents from five secondary schools in Southwest China (54.4% males, Mage = 15.14, SD = 1.5 years old), we examined the moderating role of BJW in the relationship between VVGE and bullying perpetration. The results suggest that VVGE is significantly and positively associated with bullying perpetration. Moreover, after controlling for covariates, general and personal BJW interact with the situational variable (i.e., VVGE) to predict bullying perpetration among Chinese adolescents. The positive effect of VVGE on bullying perpetration is lower among adolescents with high general and personal BJW than among adolescents with low BJW. The findings support the GAM theory and highlight the buffering role of BJW in the effect of VVGE on bullying perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to examine the mediational effects of explicit weight stigma and moral disengagement (MD) and moderating effects of empathy on the relationship between implicit weight stigma and bullying perpetration. Two hundred and twenty‐eight college students (112 men, mean age of 19.89 ± 1.82 years) completed implicit (the Single Category Implicit Association Test) and explicit (the development of the weight stigma scale) measures of weight stigma, and responded to questionnaires regarding MD, empathy, and bullying perpetration. Structural equation modeling was conducted and mediating effects were tested using AMOS 17.0 software. The results indicated that implicit weight stigma significantly predicted bullying perpetration. After controlling for gender, this association was jointly mediated by explicit weight stigma and MD. Furthermore, empathy moderated the relationship between implicit weight stigma and bullying perpetration. Specifically, college students who have high levels of implicit weight stigma and low levels of empathy would score higher on the bully questionnaire. These findings may provide a possible explanation for when and how implicit weight stigma relates to bullying perpetration. Practitioner Points: The expression of implicit weight stigma (IWS) in college students is related to their bullying perpetration.IWS indirectly predicts bullying perpetration through the chain mediating role of explicit weight stigma and moral disengagement.Empathy deficits strengthen the association between IWS and bullying perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School transitions are common educational experiences for children and adolescents and many of them worry about being bullied during this type of major life‐changing point. In a sample of 701 Canadians assessed yearly from grade 5 (age 10) to grade 12 (age 18), we examined heterogeneous patterns of bullying involvement while statistically accounting for the transition into high school. Gender differences were also examined. Results indicated that on average, bullying victimization declined over time with a significant drop noted between grade 8 and grade 9 (the transition into high school), with few differences between girls and boys. Bullying perpetration also declined for most students (no gender differences), with a notable drop found at the transition into high school. However, for a subset of adolescents, the transition into high school was accompanied by an increase in bullying perpetration. These varied experiences highlight the need to model heterogeneity when examining the impact of school transitions on bullying, a neglected focus of inquiry to date. Our results suggest that moving into high school is beneficial for most adolescents involved in bullying, but not for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth violence continues to be a major developmental and health concern. Preventative resources at individual, family, and community levels may reduce risk, yet the extent to which youth violence perpetration differs by patterns of risk and protective factors remains unknown. Using data from the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (N = 4630; 49% female; Mage = 14.69), we conducted person‐centered, latent profile analyses to identify four patterns for risk of violence perpetration among middle and high school youth. Youth in the Low Risk‐High Protection profile (37%) had low likelihood of violence perpetration. Youth in the Low Risk‐Low Protection profile (4%) were characterized by poor family functioning, low school belonging, and low community protection. These youth had similar odds of violence perpetration as youth in the Moderate Risk‐Moderate Protection profile (44%), which were elevated compared to the Low Risk‐High Protection profile. Youth in the High Risk‐Low Protection profile (15%), which had the highest levels of risk factors and lowest levels of protective factors, had the highest likelihood of violence perpetration. The High Risk‐Low Protection profile was expected based on past research, but the emergence of the Low Risk‐Low Protection profile is a unique contribution to the research. Findings contribute to the literature by going beyond a cumulative risk model, identifying subgroups with various patterns of risk and protection in the population, and highlighting the importance of selected prevention for subgroups of youth with high risk or challenging family and community environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Associations between bullying perpetration and social status vary, not only between different facets of social status but also between bullying in primary versus secondary school. The main aim of the present study was to meta‐analyse existing evidence regarding the prospective associations between bullying perpetration and various facets of social status, that is, popularity, peer acceptance, peer rejection, and social preference. Methods: Electronic databases were searched to identify studies on bullying perpetration and later social status published up to January 17, 2022. Multilevel random effects models were performed using Metafor and differences in effect sizes as a function of substantive and methodological moderators were tested. Results: In total, 116 effects were included from 18 publications, reporting on 17 different samples and more than 15,000 participants (mean age bullying assessment = 11.57 years, on average 51% female participants). Most samples were from the United States (7) or Europe (7). Overall, bullies were more popular, but also more rejected and scored lower on social preference compared with non‐bullies. These associations remained when effects were adjusted for previous social status and other confounders. No link between bullying perpetration and acceptance was found. There was little evidence that effect sizes differed as a function of moderators. Conclusions: Bullies become more popular over time, but also have a higher risk of being rejected and being less socially preferred. Bullying perpetrators are more popular but also more rejected by their peers. There is no evidence that these links differ depending on sex or age at which perpetrators bully, reporter or type of bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work on bullying perpetration includes the hypothesis that bullying carries an evolutionary advantage for perpetrators in terms of health and reproductive success. We tested this hypothesis in the National Child Development Study (n = 4998 male, n = 4831 female), British Cohort Study 1970 (n = 4261 male, n = 4432 female), and TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (n = 486 male, n = 521 female), where bullying was assessed in adolescence (NCDS, BCS70: age 16, TRAILS: age 14) and outcomes in adulthood. Partial support for the evolutionary hypothesis was found as bullies had more children in NCDS and engaged in sexual intercourse earlier in TRAILS. In contrast, bullies reported worse health in NCDS and BCS70. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the experiences of workplace bullying among primary and postprimary school staff in Ireland. A sample of 630 teachers and members of the Senior Management Team (SMT) completed an online survey inquiring about their own experiences of bullying in the workplace, as targets, bystanders, and perpetrators. Information about respondents' perspective taking, empathic concern, personal distress, and demographic background was also collected. Results of the ordinal regression analysis showed a negative association of perspective taking with victimisation and bystander behaviour. In addition, respondents belonging to an SMT reported experiencing victimisation more frequently than teachers, while victimisation experiences and witnessing bullying were more common in postprimary than primary schools. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of providing awareness and training programmes to school staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Peer victimization is prevalent and associated with adverse outcomes. In this prospective study of youth who self-reported interpersonal problems, we examined school connectedness, school behavioral difficulties, academic difficulties, and internalizing problems (social anxiety, self-esteem, depression) as predictors of peer victimization and bullying perpetration severity. We also examined the moderating effects of gender.Methods: Participants were 218 youth (66.5% female), ages 12-15 years (M = 13.5, SD = 1.1), who screened positive for peer victimization, bullying perpetration, and/or low social connectedness using self-report measures. Youth were recruited from an emergency department in the United States as part of an intervention trial. Youth identified primarily as African American (53.7%) and Caucasian (31.7%). Youth completed a 6-month follow-up assessment (75% retention). Separate Bayesian regression models were used to examine the effects of baseline school connectedness, school behavioral difficulties, academic difficulties, and internalizing problems on the severity of 6-month peer victimization and bullying perpetration.Results: Baseline depression was positively related to both peer victimization and bullying perpetration severity. Baseline behavioral problems were positively related to bullying perpetration severity. Interactions indicated that gender moderated the relationship between school connectedness and peer victimization.Conclusions: Given the adverse outcomes linked with peer victimization and bullying perpetration, an improved understanding of factors that predict victimization and perpetration severity may be helpful in defining intervention targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The joint developmental trajectories of empathic concern and perspective taking were examined across adolescence, along with childhood social and psychological predictors. Method: Adolescents completed self‐report measures of empathy annually from Grades 7 to 10 (i.e., ages 13 to 16; N = 609; 53.9% girls; 76.2% White). Childhood social and psychological predictors were assessed in Grades 5 and 6 using self‐ and parent‐reports. Results: As predicted, the majority of individuals reflected a joint trajectory of moderate stable empathic concern and moderate increasing perspective taking (31.9%), followed by joint high increasing (17.2%) and joint low stable (7.4%) empathy. Fewer adolescents reflected joint trajectories of being high on one form of empathy but not the other (e.g., high empathic concern only, 1.6%; high increasing perspective taking only, 2.8%). High increasing perspective taking was a better indicator of high increasing empathic concern than the reverse. Higher childhood hyperactivity, higher bullying perpetration, and lower perceived school climate were prominent predictors of developing low levels of at least one form of empathy, but childhood anxiety was a predictor of developing high empathy. Conclusions: The skills and abilities associated with perspective taking and empathic concern should be promoted, with special attention paid to early indicators of affective, cognitive, and behavioral self‐regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]