Latent classes of bullying perpetration and victimization among adolescents: Associations with problem behaviors

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify latent classes of bullying perpetration and victimization among adolescents and to explore associations between latent class membership and problem behaviors. MethodsA total of 758 Chinese middle school students participated in the study. Participants were asked to complete the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, the Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale-Student (DBVS-S), the eleven-item Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS-11), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7), the ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) and the Generic Scale of Phubbing (GSP). ResultsLatent class analysis identified three unique subgroups, including the victimization predominant bully-victims (10.4 %), aggression predominant bully-victims (4.8 %) and the noninvolvement class (84.8 %). Male students were more likely to be aggression predominant bully-victims than females. The results revealed that students in the victimization predominant bully-victim class reported higher levels of depression than those in the aggression predominant bully-victims class (χ2 = 6.57, p < 0.05) and the noninvolvement class (χ2 = 26.89, p < 0.001). Victimization predominant bully-victims and aggression predominant bully-victims rated higher levels of anxiety, internet gaming disorder and phubbing compared with those in the noninvolvement class. ConclusionsThese findings inform anti-bullying intervention programs developed to reduce adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors.