Frequent Bullying Victimization Research Articles

The association between workplace bullying and the mental health of Jordanian nurses and its predictors: A cross-sectional correlational study

Background Bullying at work is a major challenge that harms an employee’s overall well-being, job happiness, and mental health. Objectives To assess the relationship between workplace bullying and Jordanian nurses’ mental health. Materials and Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional correlational design was used in this study, recruiting 146 nurses from three governmental hospitals in Jordan. A convenience sample was used. The study used the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) tool to measure the level of bullying as a negative behavior. Also, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-42) was used to assess nurse’s mental status. Results Most of the participants 54.8% were victims of frequent workplace bullying, while the mean score of the total DASS-42 scale (M = 43.45). About 64.4% of participants exhibited symptoms of depression, 58.8% exhibited symptoms of anxiety, and 46.6% exhibited symptoms of stress. A significant relationship between workplace bullying and mental health among Jordanian nurses was found (r = 0.75, p < 0.001). Conclusion Bullying at work can harm a person’s mental health, causing stress, worry, and depression. Like other professions, nursing can be the target of workplace bullying, which can take many different forms. However, maintaining a safe and respectful workplace is a priority for healthcare providers including nurses.

Which Children are Frequently Victimized in U.S. Elementary Schools? Population-based Estimates.

We analyzed a population-based cohort of 11,780 U.S. kindergarten children to identify risk and protective factors predictive of frequent verbal, social, reputational, and/or physical bullying victimization during the upper elementary grades. We also stratified the analyses by biological sex. Both girls and boys displaying kindergarten externalizing problem behaviors were at consistently higher risk of frequent victimization during 3rd-5th grade (for the combined sample of boys and girls, verbal odds ratio [OR] = 1.82, social OR = 1.60, reputational OR = 1.85, physical OR = 1.67, total OR = 1.93). Hispanic children relative to non-Hispanic White children and those from higher income families were the most strongly and consistently protected from victimization. Boys were more likely to be physically bullied but less likely to be verbally, socially or reputationally bullied than girls. Other variables including disability, cognitively stimulating parenting, academic achievement, and internalizing behavior problems had statistically significant but less consistent and generally weaker relations with frequent victimization.

Anxiety-Induced Sleep Disturbances among in-School Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates

Introduction: The goal of the study was to estimate the prevalence of anxiety-induced sleep disturbance (AISD) and assess its relationship with psychosocial distress, socio-environmental variables, and health risk indicators among adolescent schoolchildren in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: Cross-sectional data from the 2016 UAE “Global School-Based Student Health Survey” (n = 5849) were analyzed. The nationally representative sample of all students in grades 8–12 in the UAE was selected through a two-stage cluster sampling procedure. Schools were included with probability proportional to enrollment size, and classes were randomly selected, with all students present in selected classes being eligible to participate. Results: The overall prevalence of AISD was 16.2%, 11.9% had AISD among males, and 20.5% had AISD among females. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, older age (16 years or older), lower economic status (hunger), loneliness, frequent bullying victimization (10–30 days), frequently physically attacked (≥6 times), parental emotional neglect, parents never check homework, parental disrespect of privacy, passive smoking on all past 7 days, sedentary behavior (&gt;8 h/day) during leisure time, and multiple (≥4 times) injuries were positively and being male was negatively associated with AISD. Conclusion: Almost one in six participants reported AISD, and several factors associated with AISD were identified.

533The psychosocial profiles of children aged 11-12 years who have self-harmed: A prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Self-harm in very young people can be a clinically ominous event. While most studies to date have focused on self-harm during the teenage years, fewer studies have examined children aged 12 years or under. We aimed to estimate the incidence and correlates of recent self-harm in a population-based, non-treatment-seeking sample of primary school-aged children. Methods 1059 children from 43 primary schools in Melbourne, Australia were interviewed at the age of 8 years (Wave 1), and followed up annually until the age of 11 years (Waves 2-4). Interviews covered a range of physical and mental health, social, educational and family domains, including (at Wave 4) self-harm during the previous 12 months. Results At Wave 4 (mean age: 11.9 years), a total of 28 children (3%; 18 girls [3%], 10 boys [2%]) reported self-harming during the previous 12 months. When compared with children who reported no self-harm, they were more likely to report depression, anxiety, poor emotional control, frequent bullying victimisation (including online bullying), truancy, recent alcohol consumption, and antisocial behaviour during Waves 1-3. They were also more likely to report having few friends. Conclusions Self-harm was reported by a proportion of community-dwelling children aged 11-12 years. As these children were more likely to report a range of other adverse behaviours, experiences and health conditions, clinicians should consider the possibility of prior self-harm when assessing children presenting with such behaviours and issues. Key messages The focus of intervention efforts aimed at preventing and reducing adolescent self-harm should extend to primary school-aged children, with a focus on mental health and peer relationships during the pubertal transition.

Evaluating a Psychoeducation Program to Foster Chinese Primary School Students' Covitality.

This investigation evaluated the Growth Psychoeducation Intervention (GPI) designed to increase primary school students’ covitality, a construct describing the beneficial combinatorial effects of positive psychological skills and mindsets. Students with higher covitality levels have stronger relationships with their teachers and classmates, and behave in more positive ways. This GPI intervention study employed a pretest-posttest-follow quasi-experimental design to evaluate a culturally adapted group counseling intervention designed to foster Chinese senior primary school students’ (n = 189, ages 9–12 years) covitality levels. The hypothesis was that covitality increases would positively correlate with school belonging and life satisfaction and less frequent bullying victimization. The Social Emotional Health Survey-Primary (SEHS-P) assessed the effectiveness of the GPI eight-week program to promote mental health and decrease bullying. GPI demonstrated effectiveness by improving students’ covitality and school belonging and reducing bullying victimization.

The prevalence and correlates of suicidal behaviour among adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago

We examined the prevalence and correlates of suicidal behaviour among adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago, utilising cross-sectional data from 3 869 adolescents (median age = 14 years). Data were from the 2017 Trinidad and Tobago Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS). Results show that 7.1% and 6.6% of students reported to have attempted suicide once and two or more times, respectively, in the past year. Multinomial logistic regression indicated female sex, having no close friends, anxiety, frequent bullying victimisation, loneliness, frequent school truancy, current tobacco use, multiple injuries, and trouble from alcohol use were associated with two or more suicide attempts. Current cannabis use was associated with having attempted suicide once. Almost one in seven adolescent students from Trinidad and Tobago reported past-year suicide attempts. Several correlates of suicide attempts were found that may assist in designing interventions.

Peer victimisation during adolescence and its impact on wellbeing in adulthood: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundPeer victimisation is a common occurrence and has well-established links with a range of psychiatric problems in adulthood. Significantly less is known however, about how victimisation influences positive aspects of mental health such as wellbeing. The purpose of this study was therefore to assess for the first time, whether peer victimisation in adolescence is associated with adult wellbeing. We aimed to understand whether individuals who avoid a diagnosis of depression after victimisation, maintain good wellbeing in later life, and therefore display resilience.MethodsLongitudinal data was taken from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a prospective cohort study based in the UK. Peer victimisation was assessed at 13 years using a modified version of the bullying and friendship interview schedule, and wellbeing at age 23 using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. The presence or absence of depression was diagnosed using the Clinical Interview Schedule–Revised at 18 years. A series of logistic and linear regression analyses were used to explore relationships between peer victimisation, depression, and wellbeing, adjusting for potentially confounding individual and family factors.ResultsJust over 15% of victims of frequent bullying had a diagnosis of depression at age 18. Victimisation also had a significant impact on wellbeing, with a one-point increase in frequent victimisation associated with a 2.71-point (SE = 0.46, p < 0.001) decrease in wellbeing scores aged 23. This finding remained after adjustment for the mediating and moderating effects of depression, suggesting that the burden of victimisation extends beyond depression to impact wellbeing. Results therefore show that individuals who remain partially resilient by avoiding a diagnosis of depression after victimisation have significantly poorer wellbeing than their non-victimised counterparts.ConclusionOverall, our study demonstrates for the first time that victimisation during adolescence is a significant risk factor for not only the onset of depression, but also poor wellbeing in adulthood. Such findings highlight the importance of investigating both dimensions of mental health to understand the true burden of victimisation and subsequent resilience. In addition to the need for interventions that reduce the likelihood of depression following adolescent victimisation, efforts should also be made to promote good wellbeing.

Single and Multiple Suicide Attempts: Prevalence and Correlates in School-Going Adolescents in Liberia in 2017.

BackgroundThis investigation aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of single and multiple suicide attempts among adolescents in Liberia.MethodsCross-sectional nationally representative data were analysed from 2744 adolescents (18 years of median age) who participated in the “2017 Liberia Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS)”.ResultsResults indicate that 33.7% of students had made a suicide attempt in the past 12 months (16.5% single and 17.2% multiple suicide attempts). In adjusted multinomial logistic regression analysis, having no close friends, loneliness, having been frequently physically attacked, ever used amphetamine and fast food intake were associated with multiple suicide attempts in the past 12 months. In addition, having been frequently in a physical fight and current tobacco use were associated with single suicide attempt. In sex stratified analyses, in addition, among boys frequent bullying victimization and among girls, parental tobacco use and parents never or rarely check on home work were associated with multiple suicide attempts. Multiple psychosocial distressors, multiple social-environmental factors, and multiple health risk behaviours were associated with single and multiple suicide attempts.ConclusionOne in three students had made suicide attempt in the past 12 months (one in six students multiple suicide attempts) and several associated variables were detected which can aid in designing intervention strategies.

Self-harm in primary school-aged children: Prospective cohort study.

IntroductionNo prospective studies have examined the prevalence, antecedents or concurrent characteristics associated with self-harm in non-treatment-seeking primary school-aged children.MethodsIn this cohort study from Melbourne, Australia we assessed 1239 children annually from age 8–9 years (wave 1) to 11–12 years (wave 4) on a range of health, social, educational and family measures. Past-year self-harm was assessed at wave 4. We estimated the prevalence of self-harm and used multivariable logistic regression to examine associations with concurrent and antecedent factors.Results28 participants (3% of the 1059 with self-harm data; 18 girls [3%], 10 boys [2%]) reported self-harm at age 11–12 years. Antecedent (waves 1–3) predictors of self-harm were: persistent symptoms of depression (sex-age-socioeconomic status adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 7.8; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 2.6 to 24) or anxiety (aOR: 5.1; 95%CI 2.1 to 12), frequent bullying victimisation (aOR: 24.6; 95%CI 3.8 to 158), and recent alcohol consumption (aOR: 2.9; 95%CI 1.2 to 7.1). Concurrent (wave 4) associations with self-harm were: having few friends (aOR: 8.7; 95%CI 3.2 to 24), poor emotional control (aOR: 4.2; 95%CI 1.9 to 9.6), antisocial behaviour (theft—aOR: 3.1; 95%CI 1.2 to 7.9; carrying a weapon—aOR: 6.9; 95%CI 3.1 to 15), and being in mid-puberty (aOR: 6.5; 95%CI 1.5 to 28) or late/post-puberty (aOR: 14.4; 95%CI 2.9 to 70).ConclusionsThe focus of intervention efforts aimed at preventing and reducing adolescent self-harm should extend to primary school-aged children, with a focus on mental health and peer relationships during the pubertal transition.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Loneliness Among National Samples of In-School Adolescents in Four Caribbean Countries.

The goal of the study was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of loneliness among adolescent school children in four Caribbean countries. Nationally representative cross-sectional data were analysed from 9,143 adolescents (15 years=median age) that took part in the "2016 Dominican Republic, 2016 Suriname, 2017 Jamaica and 2017 Trinidad and Tobago "Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS)." The prevalence of loneliness was 15.3% in four Caribbean countries, ranging from 12.1% in Dominican Republic to 18.6% in Jamaica. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, female sex, having no close friends, older age, anxiety induced sleep disturbance, frequent bullying victimization (≥3 days/month), having been physically attacked, parental emotional neglect, having sustained multiple serious injuries (past year) and not eating fruit and vegetables were associated with loneliness. In addition, in sex stratified adjusted logistic regression analysis, among boys, daily exposure to passive smoking, and being from Suriname, and among girls, frequent experience of hunger, low peer support, trouble from drinking alcohol and high leisure-time sedentary behaviour (≥8 hrs/day) were associated with loneliness. Moreover, in addition to above results, in unadjusted analysis, involvement in physical fight, parents never check on homework, parental disrespect of privacy, frequent school truancy (≥3 days/month), current tobacco use, having no physical education and drinking frequently soft drinks (≥3/day) were associated with loneliness. Almost one in six students reported loneliness and several associated factors were identified which can aid intervention strategies.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms and Bullying Victimization Among Children with Autism in the United States.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience more frequent bullying victimization compared to their neurotypical peers. This study used the 2011 Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services to examine associations between six Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire (CSBQ) subscales and bullying victimization among 1057 children with ASD. Bivariate results showed significant correlations between each CSBQ subscale and more frequent bullying victimization. Yet results from multinomial logistic regression models indicated that after adjusting for all CSBQ subscales and covariates, two of the CSBQ subscales remained significantly associated with greater risk of bullying victimization: not being optimally tuned to the social situation, and resistance to changes. Implications for future research and efforts toward reducing bullying victimization among children with ASD are discussed.

Do social support and eating family meals together play a role in promoting resilience to bullying and cyberbullying in Scottish school children?

This study investigates if cyberbullying is associated with wellbeing independently of traditional bullying and if social support and eating family meals together promotes resilience by buffering adolescents against the consequences of both types of bullying. Data for 5286 eleven, thirteen and fifteen year olds participating in the cross-sectional 2018 Scottish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study were analysed. Adolescent self-report measures were used to assess traditional bullying, cyberbullying, classmate and teacher support and frequency of family meals together. Psychological wellbeing was assessed with the 5-item World Health Organization Wellbeing index. Analyses were conducted separately by gender with multilevel models, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Resilience to bullying and cyberbullying was operationalised using statistical interactions. For both genders, cyberbullying and traditional bullying measures were associated with reduced wellbeing and all social support indicators were associated with increased wellbeing. In models containing both bullying measures, frequent traditional bullying victimisation was associated with a 7.2 (95% CI: 3.4–10.1) reduction in wellbeing score for boys and a 7.2 (95% CI: 4.5–10.0) reduction for girls, while cyberbullying was associated with 10.5 (95% CI: 5.8–15.1) reduction in wellbeing score for boys and 11.1 (95% CI: 6.7–15.5) reduction for girls. For both genders adjusting for classmate support explained away the relationships between traditional bullying and wellbeing, but cyberbullying was associated negatively with wellbeing independent of social support. Only one of 12 interaction tests provided any evidence of resilience. Cyberbullying was associated with a 7.8 (95% CI: 0.2–15.4) reduction in wellbeing score for girls who ate with their family every day, and 17.3 (95% CI: 10.5–24.1) reduction for girls who ate with their families less than weekly. In conclusion, cyberbullying is a strong, albeit rare, threat to adolescent wellbeing. Social support is important for wellbeing, but its ability to buffer adolescents against the consequences of bullying may be limited.

Teacher–Home Communication and Bullying Victimization: Do Parents’ Perceptions of Fairness of Rules Matter?

Guided by the social–ecological model, this study used hierarchical linear modeling to examine the associations between parental perception of teacher–home communication and parental perception of their children's bullying victimization. This study also examined the multilevel moderating effects of parental perception of fairness of rules and school levels (elementary, middle, and high schools) on the association between teacher–home communication and bullying victimization. Participants were 11,484 parents of 4th–12th graders from 89 schools in Delaware. Controlling for student, parent, and school demographic factors, results revealed that parents' perceptions of teacher–home communication and fairness of rules were both associated with parents perceiving less frequent bullying victimization among their children. Moreover, the negative association between parent-level teacher–home communication and bullying victimization was significantly moderated by parents' perceptions of fairness of rules at both parent and school levels. Notably, the protective role of teacher–home communication on bullying victimization was stronger in schools that were perceived to be less fair. Additionally, the magnitude of the association between teacher–home communication and bullying victimization increased significantly from elementary school to high school. These findings highlight the importance of considering parents' perceptions of fairness of school rules and their children's grade levels in home–school engagement efforts targeting bullying and victimization.

Bullying victimization and externalizing and internalizing symptoms among in-school adolescents from five ASEAN countries

The study aimed to assess the relationship between bullying victimization and adverse health or psychosocial problems among in-school adolescents from five Southeast Asian countries. The sample consisted of 33,184 school-going children, mean age 14.6 years (SD = 1.7), from Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Thailand and Timor-Leste that took part in the cross-sectional “Global School-based Student Health Survey” (GSHS) in 2015. Results indicate 18.6% of the students reported infrequent (1–2 days/month) and 12.0% frequent (3–30 days/month) past-month bullying victimization. Among different types of bullying victimization, the most prevalent was psychological (13.5%), followed by other (5.6%), physical (3.6%) and social (1.3%). In adjusted Poisson regression analysis, bullying victimization is associated with tobacco, alcohol and drug use, physically attacked, in physical fight, injury, truancy and poor hand hygiene behaviour, anxiety, loneliness, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, no close friends, sedentary behaviour, underweight and overweight or obesity. This study extends previous findings from mainly high-income countries on the relationship between bullying victimization and a large number of adverse outcomes in adolescents in Southeast Asia.

Childhood bullying victimization, self-labelling, and help-seeking for mental health problems

PurposePrevious research found sustained high levels of mental health service use among adults who experienced bullying victimization during childhood. This could be due to increased psychopathology among this group, but other factors, such as self-perception as having a mental health problem, might contribute to increased service use. Additionally, the relationship between informal help-seeking for mental health problems and bullying victimization is incompletely understood.MethodsThe present study examined associations between the frequency of bullying victimization and both formal service use and informal help-seeking for mental health problems independent from psychopathology. Data on bullying victimization, service use, informal help-seeking for mental health problems, psychopathology, and self-labelling as a person with mental illness were collected among 422 young people aged 13–22 years.ResultsIn logistic regression models, controlling for past and current psychopathology and using no bullying victimization as the reference category, we identified a greater likelihood of mental health service use among persons who experienced frequent bullying victimization, as well as a greater likelihood of seeking informal help among persons who experienced occasional victimization. Increased self-identification as a person with mental illness completely mediated the positive association between frequent bullying victimization and mental health service use.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that services to support persons who experienced frequent bullying victimization should focus on improving empowerment and self-perception. Additionally, there might be unserved need for formal support among those who experienced occasional bullying victimization.

Bullying victimization and student engagement in elementary, middle, and high schools: Moderating role of school climate.

Bullying is the most common form of school violence and is associated with a range of negative outcomes, including traumatic responses. This study used hierarchical linear modeling to examine the multilevel moderating effects of school climate and school level (i.e., elementary, middle, and high schools) on the association between bullying victimization and student engagement. Participants included 25,896 students in 4th to 12th grades from 114 schools. Results indicated that, after controlling for student and school demographic factors, positive school climate was associated with higher behavioral/cognitive and emotional engagement of students across all grades. This highlights the critical and fundamental role of positive school climate in bullying prevention and intervention, among students across all grade levels, including those with frequent bullying victimization experience. Results also showed that negative associations between student-level bullying victimization and engagement were intensified in more positive school climates. This finding suggests that, in comparison with students in schools with less positive school climates, the engagement of bullying victims in schools with a more positive school climate might be more negatively influenced by their victimization experience. Additionally, the relation between student-level bullying victimization and emotional engagement was significantly different across middle and high schools. (PsycINFO Database Record

Bullying victimization and illicit drug use among students in Grades 7 to 12 in Manitoba, Canada: a cross-sectional analysis.

There is inconsistent evidence examining the relationship between bullying victimization and illicit drug use, with most studies only examining the association between bullying victimization and marijuana use. The current study aims to (1) determine the relationship between bullying victimization and six types of illicit drug use among boys and girls in grades 7 to 12 and (2) examine gender and grade differences in the relationships between bullying victimization and drug use. Data were drawn from the Manitoba Youth Health Survey (N = 64,174) collected in the 2012-2013 school year among students in grades 7 to 12 from Manitoba, Canada. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationships between nine different types of bullying victimization and marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, ecstasy, hallucinogens, and prescription/over-the-counter drugs used to get high. All analyses were stratified by gender and grade. Bullying victimization was associated with increased odds of all types of drug use among boys and girls in grades 7 to 12. A dose-response relationship was noted with more frequent bullying victimization corresponding to greater odds of drug use. Grade and gender differences were found for some drug use types. There are strong relationships between bullying victimization and illicit drug use among boys and girls in grades 7 to 12, indicating that reductions in bullying victimization may result in reductions in illicit drug use. Grade and gender differences may signify the need for early and gender-specific bullying prevention and intervention strategies.

Responding to Bullying Victimization: Comparative Analysis of Victimized Students in General and Special Education

Focused on 3,305 students who self-reported frequent bullying victimization, this study compared the use and effectiveness of responses to address bullying victimization among students in special education, as compared with students in general education. Students in special education were less likely to make a joke, but more likely to tell the aggressor how they felt, hit the aggressor, and tell an adult at school and home, according to self-report. Furthermore, students in special education were significantly more likely to report that “things got worse” after using each response. Implications for educational policy and future research are discussed. Correction notice for ‘Responding to Bullying Victimization: Comparative Analysis of Victimized Students in General and Special Education’ by Michael T. Hartley, Sheri Bauman, Charisse L. Nixon, and Stan Davis, published in the Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2017, Vol. 28(2) 77–89, DOI 10.1177/1044207317710700 This article reviews data from the Youth Voice Project national study of U.S. students in Grades 5 through 12 (Davis &amp; Nixon, youthviolenceproject.com). The authors also referred to data from the Youth Voice Project in their article titled ‘Comparative Study of Bullying Victimization Among Students in General and Special Education’ by Hartley, Bauman, Nixon, and Davis, published in Exceptional Children, 2015, Vol. 81(2) 176–193, DOI: 10.1177/0014402914551741 (the “2015 Article”), which examined victimization of special education students and general education students by bullies. Accordingly, this article includes similar themes, scholarship, and methods as their 2015 Article. Several sections of the Article reproduce unattributed excerpts that were originally published in the 2015 Article, including portions of Table 1 and text in the sections with headings Introduction, Method, Results, and Limitations, particularly as the sections pertain to the demographic data reported and analyzed. Notwithstanding these similarities, the data analysis in this article differs from the analysis in the 2015 Article. Whereas the 2015 Article examines victimization variables, this article reports specific data about how students address bullying victimization.

Child Maltreatment and Bullying Victimization Among a Community-Based Sample of Sexual Minority Youth: The Meditating Role of Psychological Distress

Child maltreatment and bullying victimization disproportionately affect sexual minority youth. Little research exists that explores psychological distress as a modifiable risk factor connecting these two forms of victimization. Utilizing a community-based sample of sexual minority youth (N = 125, 15–19 y/o), this study provides estimates of child maltreatment and bullying victimization, identifies their associations, and explores psychological distress as a potential mediator. Approximately 46 % of the sample reported moderate to extreme childhood emotional abuse, followed by physical abuse (34 %), sexual abuse (32 %), emotional neglect (28 %), and physical neglect (26 %). Higher levels of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse were associated with more frequent bullying victimization. Psychological distress mediated the relationship between emotional abuse and verbal bullying victimization only. Additional research is needed to explore other potential mental health mediators (e.g., emotional dysregulation, posttraumatic stress). Addressing psychological distress holds the potential to prevent or reduce verbal bullying victimization by improving social functioning.

The Role of Social, Emotional and Mental Wellbeing on Bullying Victimisation and Perpetration of Secondary School Boarders

This study investigated the social, emotional and mental wellbeing predictors of bullying victimisation and perpetration for boarding students following the transition from primary school to secondary boarding school. Longitudinal data on 76 male and 74 female boarding students in Grades 7, 8 and 9 was used from a larger longitudinal study of 3,462 students. A spike in frequency of bullying perpetration occurred immediately after the transition to secondary school and boarding school, with an increase in bullying perpetration continuing to occur throughout the following 2 years. Those boarding students reporting higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were significantly more at risk of frequent bullying victimisation at the beginning of Grade 8, while boarding students experiencing conduct problems and emotional difficulties were more likely to engage in frequent bullying perpetration. Peer support and feeling safe were found to be factors most likely to decrease frequent bullying victimisation. The sustained nature of bullying behaviour highlights the importance of addressing attitudes towards bullying both prior to and immediately after the commencement of boarding school. It is recommended that boarding schools adopt a targeted and systematic whole school approach to bullying prevention, while promoting positive interactions and relationships with peers.