Bullies, victims, and meanies: the role of child and classmate social and emotional competencies

Abstract

This study used a personal oriented approach to identify distinct combinations of children’s experiences of bullying and victimisation in the Irish primary school context. The study investigated the social and emotional characteristics that predicted those profiles at individual and classroom levels. The sample of 2,062 participants was drawn from the Irish national cohort study Children’s School Lives. We analysed teacher reports of individual children’s strengths and difficulties and neglect, and child reports of experiences of bullying, victimisation, and care from classmates. Latent profile analysis revealed five main profiles of bullying and victimisation in Irish primary schools. Approximately 40% of the children were distributed in the atypical profiles (i.e., bullies, meanies, victims, and bully-victims) with the other 60% of children reporting very low levels of bullying and victimisation. Multilevel modelling predicted the profile membership from a set of social and emotional predictors from individual and classroom levels. At the individual level, being a bully was predicted by higher child neglect, hyperactivity, conduct problems, and peer problems; being a meanie was predicted by hyperactivity, peer problems, and less caring classmates; being a victim was predicted by child neglect, conduct problems, and less caring classmates; and being a bully-victim was predicted by conduct problems and less caring classmates. At the classroom level, being a victim was predicted by being in a classroom comprised of younger children, and in classrooms where children were less caring on average. Theoretical and psycho-educational implications are discussed.