Bidirectional longitudinal associations of perpetration and victimization of peer bullying with psychosocial problems in adolescents: A cross-lagged panel study

Abstract

Research on school bullying often focuses on the directional path of\nbullying and/or victimization leading to psychosocial problems, while\nsuch one-dimensional views have been shown to be too simplistic.\nFurthermore, recent research has shown that patterns of bullying at\nschool differ for boys and girls, which makes gender a particularly\nrelevant factor in exploring the causes and consequences of bullying.\nTherefore, the present study explored the bidirectional, longitudinal\nassociations of bullying and bullying victimization on several\npsychosocial problems via a longitudinal cross-lagged panel study in\n1243 adolescents in the Netherlands, while taking into account potential\ngender differences. Data were collected in September 2011 and 2012.\nResults showed that both bullied boys as well as girls reported more\nconduct problems at follow-up. Both boy and girl bullies reported less\npro-social behavior and more peer problems at follow-up, but boys also\nreported more conduct problems at follow-up, while girls did not.\nFurthermore, in girls, emotional problems were associated with more\nvictimization at follow-up, while inattention-hyperactivity problems and\nless pro-social behavior were related to increased chances of being a\nperpetrator of bully at follow-up. Conversely, in boys, baseline\ninattention-hyperactivity problems were not associated with being a\nbully later on, but rather with increased chances of being a bullying\nvictim at later times. These results can help to tailor future\nanti-bullying interventions at schools.