Examining the Overlap Between Bullying On-Line and in-Person: Cause for Concern?

Introduction: While there is some debate as to whether the overall rates of bullying and peer victimization are on the rise , it is clear that electronic aggression (EA) is increasing (Mishna et al.,  2010).  While some research suggests that traditional forms of aggression (i.e., physical, verbal, or relational) have similar characteristics, correlates, and consequences to that of EA, other research suggests there are some distinctions. There is little consensus on whether there are consequences specific to being involved in EA that are distinct from those associated with traditional forms of aggression (Fredstrom et al., 2011). Although there has been some research investigating the co-occurrence of EA and traditional aggression (Dempsey et al., 2011), more research is needed where multiple forms of aggression are examined simultaneously to conduct a comprehensive comparison.  

Method: Data come from 21,824 adolescents (grades 9-12) attending 58 high schools (54% Male, 46.5% White) collected in the spring of 2012. The schools are participating in a group randomized controlled trial of a school climate improvement model. Youth completed an extensive on-line assessment of multiple forms of bullying, including EA, relational aggression, physical aggression, verbal aggression, etc. 

Results: Approximately13% of the adolescents were electronically victimized at least once in the past three months and 20.4% reported being victimized by more traditional forms of bullying (i.e., verbal, physical, relational). Of those who were electronically victimized, 44.2% reported also perpetrating EA (bully-victim); in comparison, of those that were victims of traditional bullying, only 9% reported being a bully-victim. Of the EA victims (N = 2,473), 34.2% reported that someone they thought was a friend sent the harmful message, while 25% reported it was a stranger. Approximately 40% were victimized about dating partners, 34% were victimized about sexual behaviors, 33% were victimized about their friends, 25% were victimized about their weight, and 21% were victimized about their sexuality.  Additional multilevel analyses of the data will examine the unique association between EA and internalizing and externalizing symptoms and the potential influence of school and classroom characteristics.

Discussion: These findings suggest a high level of overlap between bullying which occurs in person and on-line. Additional consideration is needed of this ever-evolving form of victimization that an increasing number of youth are experiencing. Implications for preventive interventions targeting youth involved with EA and its overlap with other forms of bullying will be discussed.