Preadolescent children's perception of power imbalance in bullying: A thematic analysis

The Bidirectional Relation Between Bullying/Victimization and Negative Automatic Thoughts among Children

As a common form of negative interpersonal interaction in childhood, school bullying is closely related to individual negative cognition. Few studies have assessed whether there is an interaction between different kinds of school bullying roles and negative cognition. The present study administered four questionnaire follow-up tests among Chinese children over two years to explore the bidirectional relation and underlying mechanisms between bullying/victimization and negative automatic thoughts (about self/others). A total of 993 children with MT1age = 9.66 ± 0.72 participated in the study, including 647(65.16%) boys and 346(34.84%) girls. Results indicated a bidirectional relation between victimization and negative automatic thoughts (about self/others); negative automatic thoughts (about self/others) predicting bullying; negative automatic thoughts (about self/others) form two vicious cycles with victimization separately, in which victimization plays a mediating role. The findings suggest that considering improving children's negative cognition of self and others is an important pathway to reduce the occurrence of bullying and victimization in children and to stop children from falling into the cycle of victimization, which is crucial for children to have healthy relationships later in adolescence.

Building Resilience: A Qualitative Analysis of Bullying Among Children with Disabilities on Parental and Teacher's Perspective

Background

Bullying can happen to every human in the community, including children with disability and their families. Children with disabilities, as a vulnerable group in a community, may experience different types of bullying and have different responses to it.

Purpose

This study aimed to identify bullying experiences in children with disabilities based on teachers' and parents' perspectives.

Methods

This study used a qualitative descriptive research design. Participants in this study consisted of two groups, namely parents and teachers in Special Schools, with 18 people (eight parents and ten teachers) in the Pangandaran Regency area, Indonesia, from May to June 2023. The sampling technique chosen was purposive sampling. The data collection process used Focused Group Discussion (FGD) throughout the semi-structured interview. The data was analyzed by thematic analysis. This study applied NVIVO 12 software to assist with data categorization and framework based on participant statements and observations (QSR International).

Results

The data from the discussion were analyzed using thematic analysis methods to find relevant themes were found in the statements expressed by the participants. The results of the data analysis obtained three main themes related to bullying in children with disabilities, namely the type of bullying, the impact of bullying, and the responses to bullying.

Conclusion

A support group is necessary to establish a source of parental coping and increase resilience in caring for children with special needs.

Pathways to socioeconomic health differences in Armenian adolescents: The role of bullying perpetration

Bullying perpetration might be an alternative way of hierarchy formation among adolescents. It can potentially compensate for the negative health influences of low socioeconomic status (SES), rewarding this unwanted behavior. This study aimed to investigate the role of bullying perpetration in the relationship between SES and health among Armenian adolescents. A nationally representative sample of 3679 adolescents aged 11–15 years (mean = 13.1, standard deviation = 1.6) participated in the Health Behavior in School-aged Children 2013/14 survey in Armenia. Complex samples multiple logistic regression were used to estimate the associations between two SES measures (family socioeconomic position [SEP] and material well-being) and three health outcomes (perceived health status, psychosocial well-being, and psychosomatic symptoms). Bullying perpetration was not associated with less than good health or low psychosocial well-being (P > 0.05) but increased the odds of reporting high psychosomatic symptoms (P < 0.05). Perpetration did not change the SES-health gradient substantially. However, in stratified analyses, socioeconomic inequalities in health were consistently weaker among perpetrators. The largest observed difference was in the relationship between low family SEP and less than good health (OR = 3.60, 95% CI = 2.77–4.67 vs. OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.06–3.04), whereas the smallest difference was in the relationship between low family SEP and high psychosomatic symptoms (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.03–1.56 vs. OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.61–1.77). Our findings suggest that bullying perpetration, as an alternative hierarchy, may be looked at as a compensatory but vicious strategy in the face of the negative health influences of low SES in Armenian adolescents. For high-SES adolescents, on the other hand, social, emotional, or psychological problems might contribute to bullying perpetration. Consequently, bullying prevention activities in Armenia should focus on both low and high-SES adolescents, considering SES-specific pathways and mechanisms.

Continuity and Overlap of Roles in Victims and Aggressors of Bullying and Cyberbullying in Adolescence: A Systematic Review

The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of research focused on analyzing the overlap and continuity of the roles in victims and aggressors of bullying and cyberbullying, as well as the exchange of roles in both harassment dynamics in adolescents. Searches in the main electronic databases for studies published in the last 20 years identified 19 studies that fulfilled inclusion criteria. The findings of the studies analyzed were not homogeneous, however, the main conclusion of all of them, to a greater or lesser extent, was that there is a component of continuity or superposition in the roles of both forms of bullying. Some studies also found an exchange of roles, especially in the case of victims and cybervictims who decide to reprimand their aggressors in an online context, becoming in cyberaggressors too. It is necessary to continue investigating the coexistence of bullying and cyberbullying and its exchange in certain contexts and people, as well as whether they are part of the same phenomenon with a certain continuity, or if cyberbullying is another expression of traditional bullying. Future intervention programs focusing on traditional school bullying could also evaluate their impact in situations of cyberbullying among peers.

Measuring 8 to 12 year old children's self-report of power imbalance in relation to bullying: development of the Scale of Perceived Power Imbalance

BACKGROUND

While power imbalance is now recognized as a key component of bullying, reliable and valid measurement instruments have yet to be developed. This research aimed to develop a self-report instrument that measures power imbalance as perceived by the victim of frequent aggressive behavior.

METHODS

A mixed methods approach was used (468 participants, Grade 4 to 6). This paper describes the exploratory (n = 111) and confirmatory factor analysis of the new instrument (n = 337), and assessment of reliablity and construct validity.

RESULTS

A 2-factor model represented physical and social aspects of power imbalance (n = 127: normed chi-square = 1.2, RMSEA = .04, CF1 = .993). The social factor included constructs of group and peer valued characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

This research will enhance health and education professionals understanding of power imbalance in bullying and will inform the design and evaluation of interventions to address bullying in children.