Development and Validation of a Brief Bullying Behavior Scale: Examination of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Survey Bullying Items

Abstract

Bullying in schools is a longstanding challenge that has been repeatedly linked to deleterious student outcomes. Using a nationally representative sample of students in the United States (N=12,642, grades 5 to 10), this study examined the factor structure of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) self-report survey’s bullying items, along with one additional item related to the occurrence of physical fighting. Results provide preliminary support for the use of 19 items from the HBSC survey as a standalone scale for measuring student involvement in bullying for both male and female students.