From Bully Victimization to Aggressive Behavior: Applying the Problem Behavior Theory, Theory of Stress and Coping, and General Strain Theory to Explore Potential Pathways

Abstract

Studies have documented that some bully victims fall into a subcategory of bullying called “bully victims” in which the victim becomes the aggressor. However, studies to date have not examined the pathways linking bully victimization and aggressive behavior. To address this research gap, this study applies the problem behavior theory, theory of stress and coping, and general strain theory to explore possible pathways from bully victimization to aggressive behavior by examining the mediating effects of low life satisfaction, drug use, and exposure to peer deviance. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the path model from a sample of 1,676 adolescents, aged 13 to 17 years. Data were derived from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey. Findings revealed that bully victimization was positively associated with aggressive behavior. Moreover, bully victims displayed lower levels of life satisfaction. In addition, bully victims who were frequently exposed to peer deviance and drug use were likely to engage in bullying. These findings support the problem behavior theory and general strain theory and have implications for research, practice, and policy.

Roots of Incivility: How Personality, Media Use, and Online Experiences Shape Uncivil Participation

“…Participants who witnessed civil speech were 1.5 times more likely to report uncivil participation, but those who had noted hate speech were nearly three times as likely to report engaging in uncivil behaviour online. In line with prior research on bullying (Lee et al, 2019) and studies on the toxic effects of having been victimised (Davis et al, 2020), the participants who had been personally victimised were 3.4 times as likely to report uncivil participation (H8) compared to those without such experiences.…”

“…Traditionally, problematic behaviour theory distinguishes the following three systems: the 'personality system' (including beliefs and attitudes); the 'environmental system' (including the 'social system,' such as one's peers or parents); the 'perceived environment' (i.e., the norms within that system); which all influence a forth system, namely the 'behaviour system,' which involves a covariation of different normtransgressing problematic behaviours. The theory has been developed and employed mostly in the context of (adolescent) norm-deviances (e.g., alcohol abuse as examined in Hays, Stacy, & di Matteo, 1987; for a review of the theories' application, see Jessor, 2017), but there is also scholarship arguing that problematic behaviour theory provides a useful perspective on online behaviour (De Leo & Wulfert, 2013;Lee, Kim, Hong, & Marsack-Topolewski, 2019).…”

Co‐development of aggression in elementary school children: The predictive roles of victimization experiences

“…The relation between cyber peer victimization and aggression can be explained by the GST hypothesis, which assumes that children who experience adverse life events (e.g., peer victimization) are more likely to perpetrate bullying and violence as they age (Agnew, 1992). Targets of cyber aggression are inclined to experience strain and feel more stress and difficulty in normal peer interactions (Tian et al, 2018), which leads them to utilize poor coping strategies, such as aggressive behavior, to alleviate negative emotions or seek contact with deviant peers for approval (Lee et al, 2019; Ostrov, 2008).…”

“…Furthermore, according to general strain theory (GST; Agnew, 1992), the experience of victimization is a source of interpersonal strain; victimized students may use aggressive behavior to mitigate undesirable feelings related to strain. A wealth of research also supports prospective relations between victimization and aggressive behavior (Jang et al, 2014; Lee et al, 2019). Therefore, in this study, we examined the heterogeneous co‐developmental patterns of physical, relational, and cyber aggression in elementary school children and further investigated the role of victimization experiences in the family and school settings in the heterogeneous co‐developmental patterns of physical, relational, and cyber aggression.…”

Parental Behavioral Control and Bullying and Victimization of Rural Adolescents in China: The Roles of Deviant Peer Affiliation and Gender

“…Some recent studies have found that gender might be a significant moderator in the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and adolescents’ problem behavior and risk-taking behavior in Chinese adolescents [ 39 , 43 ]. Bullying is closely related to external problem behaviors, and both are negative aspects of adolescent behavior development [ 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Based on this, we inferred that gender might also be a non-negligible moderator between deviant peer affiliation and adolescents’ bullying.…”