Bully/Victim Problems and their Association with Coping Behaviour in Conflictual Peer Interactions Among School-age Children

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between bully/victim problems and the coping strategies used when confronted with a peer argument in Greek primary school children. Peer victimisation and bullying behaviour were assessed by the two six-item self-report scales developed by Austin & Joseph (1996), which could be immersed within the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC: Harter, 1985). Data are reported on the association between scores on both scales and scores on the SPPC and the Self-Report Coping Measure (SRCM: Causey & Dubow, 1992) with 408 children (211 girls and 197 boys), ranging from 9 to 12 years (mean = 10.7 years). The results suggest that both bullying and victimisation are associated with self-evaluations in diverse domains, and emotional coping strategies in conflictual peer interactions. Moreover, our data provide evidence that bully/victims are a distinct group in terms of their low levels of social acceptance and problem-solving ability. Future prospective studies are needed to provide a more definite account of social coping influences on bully/victim problems.