Citation

Nansel TR, Overpeck MD, Pilla RS, Ruan WJ, Simons-Morton BG, Scheidt P. J. Am. Med. Assoc. JAMA 2001; 285(16): 2094-2100.

Affiliation

Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6100 Executive Blvd, Room 7B05, MSC 7510, Bethesda, MD 20892-7510, USA. nanselt@mail.nih.gov

Comment In:

JAMA 2001;285(16):2131-2.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, American Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11311098

PMCID

PMC2435211

Abstract

CONTEXT: Although violence among US youth is a current major concern, bullying is infrequently addressed and no national data on the prevalence of bullying are available. OBJECTIVES: To measure the prevalence of bullying behaviors among US youth and to determine the association of bullying and being bullied with indicators of psychosocial adjustment, including problem behavior, school adjustment, social/emotional adjustment, and parenting. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Analysis of data from a representative sample of 15 686 students in grades 6 through 10 in public and private schools throughout the United States who completed the World Health Organization's Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey during the spring of 1998. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Self-report of involvement in bullying and being bullied by others. RESULTS: A total of 29.9% of the sample reported moderate or frequent involvement in bullying, as a bully (13.0%), one who was bullied (10.6%), or both (6.3%). Males were more likely than females to be both perpetrators and targets of bullying. The frequency of bullying was higher among 6th- through 8th-grade students than among 9th- and 10th-grade students. Perpetrating and experiencing bullying were associated with poorer psychosocial adjustment (P<.001); however, different patterns of association occurred among bullies, those bullied, and those who both bullied others and were bullied themselves. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of bullying among US youth is substantial. Given the concurrent behavioral and emotional difficulties associated with bullying, as well as the potential long-term negative outcomes for these youth, the issue of bullying merits serious attention, both for future research and preventive intervention.

Language: en