PurposeTo examine whether traditional and cyber bullying victimization were associated with adolescent's mental health problems and suicidal ideation at two-year follow-up. Gender differences were explored to determine whether bullying affects boys and girls differently.MethodsA two-year longitudinal study was conducted among first-year secondary school students (N = 3181). Traditional and cyber bullying victimization were assessed at baseline, whereas mental health status and suicidal ideation were assessed at baseline and follow-up by means of self-report questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess associations between these variables while controlling for baseline problems. Additionally, we tested whether gender differences in mental health and suicidal ideation were present for the two types of bullying.ResultsThere was a significant interaction between gender and traditional bullying victimization and between gender and cyber bullying victimization on mental health problems. Among boys, traditional and cyber bullying victimization were not related to mental health problems after controlling for baseline mental health. Among girls, both traditional and cyber bullying victimization were associated with mental health problems after controlling for baseline mental health. No significant interaction between gender and traditional or cyber bullying victimization on suicidal ideation was found. Traditional bullying victimization was associated with suicidal ideation, whereas cyber bullying victimization was not associated with suicidal ideation after controlling for baseline suicidal ideation.ConclusionsTraditional bullying victimization is associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation, whereas traditional, as well as cyber bullying victimization is associated with an increased risk of mental health problems among girls. These findings stress the importance of programs aimed at reducing bullying behavior, especially because early-onset mental health problems may pose a risk for the development of psychiatric disorders in adulthood.

OBJECTIVES. This study examined the factor structure of the self-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, paying special attention to the number of factors and to negative effects of reverse-worded items and minor factors within the subscales on model fit. Furthermore, factorial invariance across gender, age, level of education, and ethnicity was investigated. DESIGN. Data were obtained from the Youth Health Monitor Rotterdam, a community-based health surveillance system. METHODS. The sample consisted of 11,881 pupils of 11-16 years old. Next to the original five-factor model, a factor model with the number of factors based on parallel analysis and scree test was investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis for ordered-categorical measures was applied to examine the goodness-of-fit and factorial invariance of the factor models. RESULTS. After allowing reverse-worded items to cross-load on the prosocial behaviour factor and adding error correlations, a good fit to the data was found for the original five-factor model (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity-inattention, peer problems, prosocial behaviour) and a model with four factors (emotional symptoms and peer problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity-inattention, prosocial behaviour). Factorial invariance across gender, age, level of education, and ethnicity was found for the final five- and four-factor model, except for the prosocial factor of the four-factor model that showed partial invariance across gender. Conclusions. While support was found for both models, the final five-factor model is theoretically more plausible and gained additional support as the original scales emotional problems and peer problems showed different relations with gender, educational level, and ethnicity.

Background/Aims: Monitoring overweight prevalence and its trends in Dutch youth is frequently based on self-reported data. The validity of self-reported data especially in young adolescents is not sufficiently known. The purpose of this study is to study the validity of self-reported height and weight in 12- to 13-year-olds, to identify sociodemographic correlates and to explore whether correction factors can be developed to estimate the prevalence of overweight in youth. Methods: 5,525 12- to 13-year-old pupils in the Rotterdam area filled in a confidential questionnaire on health topics, including their height and weight. In a sub-sample of 499 pupils both self-reported and measured height and weight were available. Results: Self-reported data led to a considerable underestimation of Body Mass Index and consequently the prevalence of overweight. Underestimation was higher in pupils who regarded themselves as more fat, were of non-Dutch origin and in lower education levels. Conclusion: Self-reported height and weight appeared to be inappropriate to estimate the overweight prevalence in 12- to 13-year-olds, unless the figures were adjusted. Using adjusted self-reported BMI on an individual level is questionable. Actual measurements of height and weight are necessary to draw up valid correction formulas in new samples.

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The findings suggest that in a controlled school setting, web-based administration of health indicators yields almost the same results as paper-and-pencil administration. To generalize these findings, we recommend repeated studies in other populations and settings.