Prevalence of School Bullying and Related Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents

Kwon, Soon Jae; Park, Tae Won; Park, Seon Hee; Yang, Jong Chul; Chung, Young Chul; Chung, Sang Keun

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study examined the current prevalence rate of school bullying and its related psychopathology.
METHODS
A total of 3,550 elementary/middle school students and their parents were recruited for this study. A self-report questionnaire on perpetration and victimization in school bullying was used for collection of data regarding prevalence and the present state of school bullying. For evaluation of associated psychopathology, self report forms, including the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Rating Scale (ARS), Korean-Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL), Korean-Youth Self Report (K-YSR), and the Korean Eppendorf Schizophrenia Inventory (K-ESI) were applied. Samples were classified according to four subtype groups (control, victim, perpetrator, and victim-perpetrator) and characteristics of each group were compared.
RESULTS
Overall, the prevalence rate for bullying perpetration was 64.4% and the prevalence rate for bullying victimization was 63.4%, indicating involvement of more than half of students in school bullying. Bully-victims reported high social immaturity and depressive and suicidal tendency, whereas bully-perpetrators reported less social immaturity and more externalizing problems. Among the subtype groups, the victim-perpetrator group showed the most prominent depressive/anxiety tendency and behavioral problems.
CONCLUSIONS
Both victimization and perpetration of bullying are common problems for child and adolescent groups and several psycho-social problems were found to be related. The results of this study will guide direction of future study and development of strategies for prevention of bullying.