Bullying victimization/perpetration in childhood and later adjustment: findings from a 30 year longitudinal study
| Published date | 16 May 2011 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17596591111132891 |
| Date | 16 May 2011 |
| Pages | 82-88 |
| Author | Sheree J. Gibb,L. John Horwood,David M. Fergusson |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Sociology |
Bullying victimization/perpetration in
childhood and later adjustment: findings
from a 30 year longitudinal study
Sheree J. Gibb, L. John Horwood and David M. Fergusson
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to report on the associations between reports of bullying victimization and
bullying perpetration in childhood and subsequent mental health and adjustment difficulties in late
adolescence/adulthood (16-30 years) in a New Zealand birth cohort.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses data from the Christchurch Health and
Development Study, a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 individuals born in Christchurch,
New Zealand in 1977 and followed to age 30.
Findings – There were general trends for rates of mental health/adjustment problems to be significantly
associated with parental reports of bullying victimization in adolescence, and with parent and teacher
reports of bullying perpetration in middle childhood or adolescence. Effect sizes were typically in the
small to moderate range, and were reduced by covariate adjustment. After adjustment the majority of
associations were statistically non-significant. Effect sizes did not vary significantly with gender or the
age at which outcomes were assessed.
Originality/value – The paper confirms that reports of bullying perpetration and victimization in
childhood were associated with higher rates of later mental health/adjustment problems. Effect sizes
were typically in the small to moderate range and, in the majority of cases, were substantially
reduced upon covariate adjustment. Effect size estimates were not significantly different between
males and females and did not vary with the age at which outcomes were assessed.
Keywords Bullying, New Zealand, Children, Adolescents, Depression, Substance misuse
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
This paper examines the associations between measures of bullying victimization
and perpetration in childhood/adolescence and a range of later mental health/
adjustment outcomes using data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study,
a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 individuals born in Christchurch,
New Zealand in 1977 and followed to age 30 (Fergusson and Horwood, 2001,
Fergusson et al., 1989).
Methods
Data and participants
Study participants were assessed at annual intervals from birth to age 16, then at ages 18,
21, 25 and 30, using a combination of semi-structured interviews, standardised testing and
teacher questionnaires. All phases of the study were subject to ethical approval and all
information was collected on the basis of signed consent from study participants. Sample
sizes in the present analysis ranged from 979 to 985, representing 78 per cent-79 per cent of
the surviving adult cohort.
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VOL. 3 NO. 2 2011, pp. 82-88, QEmerald GroupPublishing Limited,ISSN 1759-6599 DOI 10.1108/17596591111132891
Sheree J. Gibb,
L. John Horwood and
David M. Fergusson are
based at Christchurch
Health and Development
Study, Department of
Psychological Medicine,
University of Otago,
Christchurch,
New Zealand.
This research was funded by
grants from the Health
Research Council of
New Zealand, the National
Child Health Research
Foundation, the Canterbury
Medical Research Foundation
and the New Zealand Lottery
Grants Board. Sheree Gibb was
supported by a University of
Otago Division of Health
Sciences Career Development
Postdoctoral Fellowship.
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