A Closer Look at the Relationship between Bullying and Behavior Problems: A Syndrome of Misconduct

Exceptionality Education Canada. University of Alberta, Department of Educational Psychology, 6-102 Education North, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G5, Canada. Tel: 780-492-0800; Fax: 780-492-1318; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/eec/

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15

Bullying; Behavior Problems; Student Behavior; Antisocial Behavior; Foreign Countries; Peer Relationship; Elementary School Students; Urban Schools; Correlation; Aggression; Student Characteristics; Psychological Patterns; Anxiety; Depression (Psychology); Hyperactivity; Attention; Interpersonal Competence

1183-322X

Many children within the school population are likely to bully their peers to a varying degree. The purpose of this research was to determine if children who often bully their peers experience more behavioral difficulties than children who bully their peers less often. Using the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Teacher Form (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1998), teachers rated the frequency of various behaviors of 120 students of age 9-11 years from four elementary schools in a major Canadian city. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that children who frequently bully their peers experience more behavior problems such as externalizing, internalizing, adaptive, and school behavior problems in comparison to children who infrequently bully their peers. These bullying correlates suggest that children who bully require varying types of support. (Contains 1 footnote and 2 tables.)

Author

49

2007

EJ771424