Early risk factors for joint trajectories of bullying victimisation and perpetration

Abstract

Bullying victimisation is a prevalent stressor associated with serious health problems. To inform intervention strategies, it is important to understand children’s patterns of involvement in bullying victimisation and perpetration across development, and identify early risk factors for these developmental trajectories. We analysed data from the Millennium Cohort Study (N = 14,525; 48.6% female, 82.6% White), a representative birth cohort of British children born in 2000–2002 across the UK. Bullying victimisation and perpetration were assessed via child, mother, and teacher reports at ages 5, 7, 11, and 14 years. Early risk factors (child emotional, cognitive, and physical vulnerabilities, and adverse family environments) were assessed at ages 9 months, 3, and 5 years. Using k-means for longitudinal data, we identified five joint trajectories of victimisation and perpetration across ages 5, 7, 11, and 14: uninvolved children (59.78%), early child victims (9.96%), early adolescent victims (15.07%), early child bullies (8.01%), and bully- victims (7.19%). Individual vulnerabilities (e.g., emotional dysregulation, cognitive difficulties) and adverse family environments (maternal psychopathology, low income) in pre-school years independently forecast multiple trajectories of bullying involvement. Compared to victims, bully-victims were more likely to be male, have cognitive difficulties, and experience harsh discipline and low income. Interventions addressing these risk factors (e.g., via accessible mental health care, stigma-based interventions, or programs to support low-income families) may help to prevent bullying involvement and its associated sequelae.

The coevolution of bullying and friendship networks

“…Studies have shown that aggression and bullying is active, strategic, and instrumental behavior (Faris et al, 2020; Olthof et al, 2011). Children who bully frequently over a long period of time learn how to use power and aggression to control and annoy others and may establish a style of interaction that continues to develop to influence subsequent interactions (Chow et al, 2022; Pepler et al, 2008). Bullies often change their targets to maintain their high social status (Van der Ploeg et al, 2020), and these high‐status bullies continue to increase their bullying behavior.…”

Child-Reported Family Violence: A Systematic Review of Available Instruments

“…When identifying FV experiences among children and youth, a consideration of violence perpetration by the child is also warranted given that young people who are victimized may also display unsafe behaviors toward others ( Chow et al, 2022 ). In detecting violence or maltreatment within the family system, child perpetration of violence may provide a clinically useful indicator of patterns of violent behavior at the broader family level.…”