Chronic bullying victimization across school transitions: The role of genetic and environmental influences

Abstract

We investigated the antecedents and consequences of chronic victimization by bullies across a school transition using a genetically sensitive longitudinal design. Data were from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study (E-Risk), an epidemiological cohort of 2,232 children. We used mothers’ and children’s reports of bullying victimization during primary school and early secondary school. Children who experienced frequent victimization at both time points were classed as “chronic victims” and were found to have an increased risk for mental health problems and academic difficulties compared to children who were bullied only in primary school, children bullied for the first time in secondary school, and never-bullied children. Biometric analyses revealed that stability in victimization over this period was influenced primarily by genetic and shared environmental factors. Regression analyses showed that children’s early characteristics such as preexistent adjustment difficulties and IQ predicted chronic versus transitory victimization. Family risk factors for chronic victimization included socioeconomic disadvantage, low maternal warmth, and maltreatment. Our results suggest that bullying intervention programs should consider the role of the victims’ behaviors and family background in increasing vulnerability to chronic victimization. Our study highlights the importance of widening antibullying interventions to include families to reduce the likelihood of children entering a pathway toward chronic victimization.

Adolescent friendships predict later resilient functioning across psychosocial domains in a healthy community cohort

“…absence of psychopathology, above average functioning) are taken into account [e.g., see for an overview (Klika & Herrenkohl, 2013)], we use an approach that allows individuals who have moderate outcomes in the face of very negative childhood family experiences to be included as 'resilient' (Bowes et al 2013;Miller-Lewis et al 2013;Sapouna & Wolke, 2013;Collishaw et al 2016). This approach paints a more complete picture of adolescent PSF.…”

Bullying victimisation and paranoid ideation in people at ultra high risk for psychosis

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that there may be an interaction between an individual's early characteristics and the risk of been bullied (Bowes et al, 2009, Bowes et al, 2013 and children with early developmental problems have been found to be at higher risk of social isolation . It is therefore plausible that individuals who have premorbid correlate of risk for psychosis may be more likely to become victims of bullying while growing up.…”

Bullying/Cyberbullying en quinto y sexto curso de primaria: diferencias entre centros públicos y privados

“…Thus, various studies have indicated the relation between lower SEL and higher probability of being a victim of face-to-face bullying (Due et al, 2009;Fu, Land & Lamb, 2013;Jansen, Veenstra, Ormel, Verhulst & Reijneveld, 2011). Others have noted that adolescents who were victims in primary and secondary school (chronic) had a lower SEL than the aggressors, the bully-victims, or the uninvolved (Alikasifoglu, Erginoz, Ercan, Uysal & AlbayrakKaymak, 2007;Bowes et al, 2013). The study of Fu et al (2013) found that adolescents from families with lower SEL were more frequently victims of severe bullying behaviours but the relation was reversed in the case of less severe behaviours.…”