Young adult problem behaviour outcomes of adolescent bullying
| Published date | 16 May 2011 |
| Date | 16 May 2011 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17596591111132936 |
| Pages | 110-114 |
| Author | Tara Renae McGee,James G. Scott,John J. McGrath,Gail M. Williams,Michael O'Callaghan,William Bor,Jake M. Najman |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Sociology |
Young adult problem behaviour outcomes
of adolescent bullying
Tara Renae McGee, James G. Scott, John J. McGrath, Gail M. Williams,
Michael O’Callaghan, William Bor and Jake M. Najman
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the association between bullying victimisation and
various internalizing and externalizing behaviours including anxiety and depression, somatic problems,
withdrawn behaviour, aggressive and delinquent behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach – Data for this research come from the Mater-University of
Queensland Study of Pregnancy and its Outcomes (MUSP) a prospective cohort study of mothers
and their children which began in Brisbane in 1981, assessing the impact of experiences of being
bullied at 14 years of age and YASRoutcomes at 21 years of age. Brisbane is the capital city of the State
of Queensland, Australia. The site for the research was the Brisbane Mater Misericordiae Mothers’
Hospital (MMH), which is one of the two major obstetric units in Brisbane. In effect all pregnant women
attending a publicly-funded obstetrical service over a three-year period were recruited to the study
(about 50 percent of women attend public obstetrical services in Queensland).
Findings – Theauthors find that: first, there is no association between the experience of being bullied and
young adult anxiety and depression, as well as some other outcomes (withdrawn, intrusive behaviour);
second, for both males and females, there are increased rates of attention problems for those children
who have been bullied; and third, males and females respond somewhat differently to being bullied, with
males reporting more aggressive behaviour and females reporting more somatic problems.
Originality/value – Overall, the findings suggest that the likely impact of being bullied may not be
widespread across mental health domains, and that the impact may differ somewhat depending upon
whether the person bullied is a male or female.
Keywords Bullying, Australia, Children, Schools, Adolescents, Developmental psychology
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The cross-sectional correlational literature is replete with evidence of the association
between school bullying and various measures of internalizing/externalizing behaviour (Ttofi
and Farrington, 2008). Very few pioneering longitudinal studies also sugge st that
involvement of children in bullying is at least an early risk marker of future physical/mental
health problems and of adult criminality (e.g. Farrington, 1993; Losel et al., 2008).
The MUSP study
Whilea good deal of data exists describingthe impact of being bullied on mentalhealth, there is
a need for more data which is longitudinal and which is able to control for a number of
confounding variables. Data for this research come from the Mater-University of Queensland
Studyof Pregnancy and its Outcomes(Najman et al., 2005;Keeping et al., 1989); a prospective
cohort study of mothers and their children which began in Brisbane in 1981. Brisbane is the
capital city of the State of Queensland, Australia. The site for the research was the Brisbane
Mater Misericordiae Mothers’ Hospital (MMH), which is oneof the two major obstetric units in
Brisbane.In effect allpregnant women attendinga publically fundedobstetrical serviceover a 3
year period wererecruited to the study (about 50per cent of women attend public obstetrical
PAGE 110
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JOURNALOF AGGRESSION,CONFLICTAND PEACE RESEARCH
j
VOL.3NO.22011,pp.110-114,QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1759-6599 DOI 10.1108/1759659111113 2936
Tara Renae McGee is
based at the School of
Criminology and Criminal
Justice, Griffith University,
Brisbane, Australia.
James G. Scott is based
at the School of Medicine,
Royal Children’s Hospital
and The University of
Queensland, St Lucia,
Australia. John J. McGrath
is based at the Queensland
Centre for Mental Health
Research, The University
of Queensland, St Lucia,
Australia. Gail M. Williams is
based at the School of
Population Health, The
University of Queensland,
St Lucia, Australia.
Michael O’Callaghan and
William Bor are based at the
School of Medicine, The
University of Queensland,
St Lucia, Australia.
Jake M. Najman is based at
the School of Population
Health and Social Science,
The University of
Queensland, St Lucia,
Australia.
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