Correlates of—and Consequences for—Bully-Victims in a Sample of Serious Adolescent Offenders

Abstract

Previous research on bullying has demonstrated that youth who engage in bullying and are also victims of bullying are at increased risk for maladjustment. Somewhat less investigated are the correlates of—and consequences associated with—this small group of persons who are simultaneously perpetrators and victims of bullying, commonly referred to as bully-victims. This article extends prior research by investigating bully-victims in a sample of serious adolescent offenders ( n = 1,354) who were followed for 7 years after their adjudication for a serious juvenile offense. Analyses indicated that bully-victims had high levels of both symptomology and psychopathy as well as lower levels of temperance. Bully-victims were at increased risk of experiencing a higher number of arrests at the end of the 7-year follow-up period. Implications for future research are highlighted.