Session: Examining Subgroups of Youth Involved in Bullying and Peer Victimization: Links with Context and Outcomes (Society for Prevention Research 21st Annual Meeting)

Bullying is defined as intentional and repeated acts of aggression that take physical, verbal, and relational forms. Bullying typically occurs in situations where there is a power or status difference (CDC, in press). It directly affects approximately 30% of school-aged youth, with 85% of youth serving as witnesses. Youth who are frequently victimized are at an increased risk for a range of social and emotional problems, including externalizing and internalizing problems (O’Brennan, Bradshaw, & Sawyer, 2009). As a result, bullying represents a significant public health concern (Nansel et al., 2001). This panel aims to better understand subgroups of youth who are involved in bullying and examine the associated risks for behavioral and mental health concerns. Three papers are presented that explore different aspects of bullying and peer victimization. The first paper focuses on early precursors of bullying behavior, by examining changes in bullying and disruptive behaviors over the course of a school year among a large diverse sample of kindergarteners. Using latent transition analyses to identify subgroups of youth with different types of bullying and problem behavior, this study highlights the importance of school and family contextual influences on stability versus change in patterns of behavior over time. The second paper focuses on the emerging issue of electronic victimization to explore whether youth who engage in this particular form of bullying also experience victimization in person. Given that youth’s use of electronic media for peer interaction is a relatively new phenomenon, we are just beginning to develop a theoretical understanding of their use of technology as a medium for aggression (Smith et al., 2008). Drawing upon data from high school youth, who generally are at greater risk for electronic aggression than their younger peers, the authors illustrate the overlap between bullying on-line and in person. The third paper also draws upon high school youth to explore the association between different subtypes of involvement in bullying (i.e., bully, victim, bully/victim), with a particular interest in urban and African American youth. The bully/victim group evinced the greatest risk for a range of untoward outcomes (e.g., gang involvement, weapon carrying). These findings illustrate the increased risk for victimization experienced by minority youth and echo concerns regarding health disparities.  Taken together, these findings build on prior research on the behavioral risks associated with bullying, particularly among subgroups of youth. Implications will be considered by a leading prevention scientist with expertise in developing preventive interventions for aggressive youth and their families.