Emotional and antisocial outcomes of bullying and victimization at school: a follow‐up from childhood to adolescence
| Pages | 89-96 |
| Date | 16 May 2011 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17596591111132909 |
| Published date | 16 May 2011 |
| Author | Friedrich Lösel,Doris Bender |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Sociology |
Emotional and antisocial outcomes
of bullying and victimization at school:
a follow-up from childhood to adolescence
Friedrich Lo
¨sel and Doris Bender
Abstract
Purpose – Although school bullying is an important social problem, its long-term relation to mental
health and behavioural outcomes is rarely investigated. The purpose of this paper is to address the
relation between bullying in childhood and behavioural and emotional problems in adolescence.
Design/methodology/approach – Bullying and victimization were assessed in a sample of 557
German children (mean age 9 years). Nearly five years later anxious, depressive, delinquent,
aggressive and other outcomes were assessed via self- and mother-reports. Data analyses contained
bivariate correlations and hierarchical regressions in which familyand individual risk factors (measured
two years before bullying/victimization) were controlled.
Findings – It was found that there were mostly small, but highly significant correlations between bullying
perpetration and later antisocial behaviour. Among girls, bullying also predicted later symptoms of
anxiety,depression and social withdrawal. The same was the case for victimization. Victimized girls also
showed more antisocial outcomes. When controlling for other risk factors, bullying perpetration
remained as a predictor of externalizing problems, however,there were no significant relations between
victimization and internalizing or externalizing outcomes.
Originality/value – This paper presents longitudinal data on a large sample from a country under-
represented in the English-language literature on bullying, also its findings reveal that bullying
perpetration is a highly significant predictor of later antisocial and delinquent outcomes in adolescence.
Keywords Germany, Bullying, Schools, Children, Adolescents, Individual behaviour
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Since the seminal work of Olweus (1973) research on the prevalence, origins and prevention
of school bullying has increased strongly (Farrington, 1993; Farrington and Baldry, 2010;
Olweus, 1993; Smith et al., 1999; Ttofi and Farrington, 2010). However, most studies in this
field are cross-sectional or address longitudinal data on the aggregate level (i.e. before and
after prevention programmes). Only recently, there is also an increase in prospective
longitudinal research on the individual outcomes of bullying perpetration and victimization
(Arsenault et al., 2010; Ttofi et al., 2011; see also the articles in this issue).
Such research is needed for various reasons: with regard to bullying perpetration it is
important whether this behaviour is only a temporal and school-related problem or part of a
long-term antisocial development (Bender and Lo
¨sel, 2011; Farrington and Ttofi, 2011;
Herrenkohl et al., 2009). With regard to bullying victimization it must be clarified whether
problems such as anxiety, depression and social isolation are consequences of being
bullied, or risk factors for being selected as a victim (Arsenault et al., 2010; Lo
¨sel and
Bliesener, 2003; Olweus, 1993). Of course, such questions of causality cannot be definitely
answered in correlation designs. However, sound prospective longitudinal studies can
contribute to a better understanding of the relations between the various constructs and
underlying mechanisms, in particular when other risk factors for developmental problems are
controlled. Following this strategy,the present study investigates the relation between school
DOI 10.1108/17 596591111132909 VOL. 3 NO. 2 2011, pp. 89-96 , QEmeraldGroup PublishingLimited, ISSN 1759-6599
j
JOURNALOF AGGRESSION, CONFLICTAND PEACE RESEARCH
j
PAGE 89
Friedrich Lo
¨sel is Director of
the Institute of Criminology,
University of Cambridge,
Cambridge, UK and
Professor of Psychology at
the Institute of Psychology,
University of
Erlangen-Nuremberg,
Erlangen, Germany.
Doris Bender is a Senior
Lecturer at the Institute of
Psychology, University of
Erlangen-Nuremberg,
Erlangen, Germany.
This paper reports findings from
the Erlangen-Nuremberg
Development and Prevention
Study, which was supported by
grants from the German Federal
Ministry of Family Affairs, the
European Union, the German
Red Cross and other
institutions.
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