Peer victimization as reported by children, teachers, and parents in relation to children's health symptoms

Abstract

BackgroundVictims of bullying in school may experience health problems later in life. We have assessed the prevalence of children's health symptoms according to whether peer victimization was reported by the children, by their teachers, or by their parents.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study of 419 children in grades 1-10 the frequency of peer victimization was reported by children, teachers and parents. Emotional and somatic symptoms (sadness, anxiety, stomach ache, and headache) were reported by the children.Frequencies of victimization reported by different informants were compared by the marginal homogeneity test for paired ordinal data, concordance between informants by cross-tables and Spearman's rho, and associations of victimization with health symptoms were estimated by logistic regression.ResultsThe concordance of peer victimization reported by children, teachers, and parents varied from complete agreement to complete discordance also for the highest frequency (weekly/daily) of victimization. Children's self-reported frequency of victimization was strongly and positively associated with their reports of emotional and somatic symptoms. Frequency of victimization reported by teachers or parents showed similar but weaker associations with the children's health symptoms.ConclusionThe agreement between children and significant adults in reporting peer victimization was low to moderate, and the associations of reported victimization with the children's self-reported health symptoms varied substantially between informants. It may be useful to assess prospectively the effects of employing different sources of information related to peer victimization.

Is involvement in school bullying associated with general health and psychosocial adjustment outcomes in adulthood?

“…Cross-sectional studies have reported elevated psychosomatic problems from those being subject to bullying (Ghandour, Overpeck, Huang, Kogan, & Scheidt, 2004;Løhre, Lydersen, Paulsen, Maehle, & Vatten, 2011). Bullying was significantly associated with health-related quality of life in Australian adults (over 18 years of age.…”

Koulukisaaminen ja psykosomaattinen oireilu 4. – 6.-luokkalaisilla tytöillä ja pojilla

“…Kiusaamisessa osallisena olevilla lapsilla on todettu enemmän psykosomaattisia oireita (13,14,15,(37)(38)(39)(40)(41) sekä psyykkisiä ja sosiaalisia ongelmia (12,39,41,42) verrattuna ei kiusattuihin ikätovereihin. Kiusatuilla lapsilla on havaittu monenlaisia oireita: päänsärkyä (38), vatsakipua (13,37,43,44), yö-kastelua (13,43), alakuloisuutta, univaikeuksia (13,15,43), jännittyneisyyttä, huimausta, väsy-mystä (15) sekä huonoa ruokahalua (13,45). Kiusatut ovat raportoineet myös masennusoireista (13,47), heikosta itsetunnosta (46), ahdistuksesta (13,37) sekä yksinäisyydestä (47).…”

“…Itsearviointi edellyttää hyvää itsetuntemusta vastaajalta. Lapsi voi kysyttäessä joko kieltää tilanteensa kiusattuna tai kiusaajana (48) tai hän myös voi yliarvioida oireensa (37). Kattavamman ja luotettavamman tiedon saamiseksi olisi hyvä kerätä aineistoa myös muilta tiedonantajilta lasten itsearvion lisäksi, kuten vanhemmilta, opettajilta, luokkatovereilta tai kouluterveydenhoitajilta (37,61).…”

An Observational Study of Bullying as a Contributing Factor in Youth Suicide in Toronto

“…Future studies involving more rigorous psychological autopsy methodologies, including interviews with relatives, may help to mitigate possible underdetection by the coroner. However, the modest agreement between child and parent and (or) teacher reporting of bullying in particular [33][34][35] may reflect that youth can be reluctant to report bullying, even to those closest to them. Therefore, only a large prospective study involving reports from multiple sources, including the youth themselves, could truly address this limitation.…”