Personal characteristics of bullying victims in residential care for youth

Published date11 April 2016
Date11 April 2016
Pages99-113
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-11-2015-0198
AuthorIvana Sekol,David P. Farrington
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression, conflict & peace
Personal characteristics of bullying victims
in residential care for youth
Ivana Sekol and David P. Farrington
Ivana Sekol is based at Faculty
of Education, Josip Juraj
Strossmayer University of
Osijek, Osijek, Croatia.
David P. Farrington is based at
the Institute of Criminology,
University of Cambridge,
Cambridge, UK.
Abstract
Purpose This research examined some personal characteristics of victims of bullying in residential care for
youth. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach A total of 601 young people aged 11-21 from 22 residential facilities in
Croatia completed an anonymous self-reported bullying questionnaire, the Big Five Personality Inventory, the
Basic Empathy Scale and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale.
Findings The results demonstrated that male and female victims lacked self-esteem, presented with
neurotic personality traits and were likely to believe that bullying was just part of life in residential care. Female
victims also presented with lower levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness, while male victims were
young and had a history of victimisation during their previous placement, in school and at the beginning of
their current placements.
Practical implications Victims in care might benefit from programmes addressing their low self-esteem,
high neuroticism and attitudes approving of bullying. Male residential groups should not accommodate
young boys together with older boys. New residents who have a history of victimisation during their previous
placement and in school should be supervised more intensively but in a manner that does not increase their
perception of being victimised.
Originality/value The present study is the first work that examines individual characteristics of bullying
victims in care institutions for young people. As such, the study offers some insights on how to protect
residential care bullying victims.
Keywords Residential care, Adolescents, Bullying, Anti-bullying policies in care, Characteristics of victims,
Out-of-family-care
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Residential care bullying research: a general overview and gaps in knowledge
Compared to resear ch on bullying in schools and pris ons, research on bullying amon gst young
people in residential care has had a relatively short history and has been alternating between
studying bullying per se and peer violence in more g eneral terms. The fi rst study in this
area was published in 2004 (Barter et al., 2004), and was focused on a more general notion of
peer violence. Since then, there have been six studies published, five on bullying per se
(Sekol, 2015; Sekol and Farrington, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015) and one on peer violence (Sekol,
2013). This residential care research has focused on four main areas: describing the
nature and prevalence of peer violence (Barter et al., 2004) and bullying (Sekol and Farrington,
2009); examining the context of peer violence and bullying both qualitatively (Barter et al.,
2004; Sekol, 2013) and quantitatively (Sekol, 2015); establishing an adequate methodology
for studying bullying in residential care (Sekol and Farrington, 2009, 2010, 2013);
and identifying some personal characteristics of residential care bullies (Sekol and
Farrington, 2015) .
Received 19 November 2015
Revised 22 November 2015
Accepted 24 November 2015
DOI 10.1108/JACPR-11-2015-0198 VOL. 8 NO. 2 2016, pp.99-113, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1759-6599
j
JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICTAND PEACE RESEARCH
j
PAGE 9 9

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