Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale Research Articles

The School Bullying Victimization in Adolescents With Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Role of Coping Strategies and Emotion Regulation.

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between school bullying victimization and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) frequency, taking into consideration the mediating roles of coping strategies and emotional regulation. Participants were 12-18-year-old outpatients and inpatients who met the NSSI and depressive disorder criteria according to the DSM-5. Assessments included the Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale, Coping Style Scale for Middle School Students, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents, and the Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation to examine the bullying victimization, coping strategies, emotion regulation, and NSSI behaviour. Serial multiple mediation effects of coping strategies and emotion regulation between bullying victimization and NSSI frequency were analysed using the SPSS macro PROCESS programme. A total of 2335 participants were included in this study. Bullying victimization significantly predicted NSSI frequency (B=0.191, p<0.001). Both coping strategies and emotion regulation were important mediators in the relationship between bullying victimization and NSSI frequency. Bullying victimization indirectly affected NSSI through two serial mediation pathways: (1) bullying victimization → problem-focused coping → cognitive reappraisal → NSSI frequency, and (2) bullying victimization → emotion-focused coping→ expressive suppression → NSSI frequency. The study revealed a positive association between bullying victimization and the frequency of NSSI among adolescents with depressive disorder. Strategies of coping and emotional regulation significantly mediated the link between bullying victimization and the frequency of NSSI. The findings suggested that supporting adolescents in adopting effective coping and emotional regulation strategies could be a crucial approach to mitigate the impact of bullying victimization on the frequency of NSSI.

Bully victimization and self-esteem among students with communication disorders

BackgroundBullying is a universal problem among school-aged adolescents, characterized by recurrent and destructive behavior toward peers. Bullying victimization has a strong impact on self-esteem. Students diagnosed with communication disorders are more likely to experience low self-esteem. The study’s main goal is to detect a correlation between victimization and self-esteem in teenage students diagnosed with communication disorders.MethodsFrom October 2023 to March 2024, we conducted this cross-sectional study in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The study included 150 teenage students of both genders diagnosed with communication disorders. Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale was used to measure self-esteem, and the multidimensional peer victimization scale was used to measure bullying victimization. We analyzed the data using independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and simple linear regression analysis.ResultsThis study found that students with communication disorders experience high levels of bullying victimization (M = 18.63) and report low self-esteem (M = 13.56). A significant negative correlation was observed between bullying victimization and self-esteem (r2 = 0.21), indicating that bullying accounts for 21% of the variance in self-esteem. Male students were more likely to experience higher levels of bullying victimization and lower self-esteem compared to female students.ConclusionThe study determined the severe impact of bullying on the self-esteem of adolescent students with communication disorders, particularly among males and those with stuttering. The long-term effects of bullying and potential protective factors that could mitigate its impact on self-esteem require further research.

Factors Influencing Peer Victimization from the Perspective of Home-School Partnership: A Moderated Mediation Model

This study aims to explore the overlapping influences of the home and school on peer victimization in adolescents under the notion of home-school partnership and to investigate how the parent-child relationship, teacher-student relationship, teenage depressive symptoms are related to peer victimization by constructing a moderated mediation model. It surveyed 1,710 students in 5-8 grades, using the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (brief version), Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (brief version). Research findings show that the parent-child relationship had a direct impact on peer victimization and indirectly affected peer victimization via the mediation of teenage depressive symptoms; and that teacher-student relationships had moderating effects on the three paths in the mediation model, playing roles in enhancing the protection effect of the parent-child relationship against peer victimization, weakening the possible impact of the parent-child relationship on teenager depression, and alleviating the predictive effect of depressive symptoms on peer victimization. The research suggests that home-school partnership is a viable avenue for the prevention of school bullying.

Forms of Face-to-Face Victimization as Significant Correlates of General Online Victimization and Sexual Online Victimization.

Research has shown that face-to-face victimization is a risk factor for the online victimization of adolescents, but no prior study has examined and compared four forms of face-to-face victimization (physical victimization, verbal victimization, social manipulation, and attacks on property) as significant correlates of general online victimization and sexual online victimization among adolescents. This original study involved 794 adolescents (483 males and 311 females), aged 12 to 18 years (M = 14.49, SD = 1.90) from four middle schools in Hong Kong. The participants completed a self-report questionnaire consisting of three parts: the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale, the Online Victimization Scale, and demographic items. Verbal victimization and social manipulation were found to be significant correlates of general online victimization; in contrast, physical victimization and attacks on property were significant correlates of sexual online victimization. These findings may help professionals and educators to develop effective prevention and intervention strategies for preventing the cycle of victimization between physical and online platforms as well as reducing the suicide risk and crises among at-risk victimized adolescents.

Bullying-Victimization, Resilience, and Adjustment in College Students

Background: Bullying and victimization remained severe and widespread issues in schools and colleges, and its occurrence has been well recognized via a large scale national and international studies (Konishi et al., 2009). The current study aimed to examine the relationship between bullying-victimization, resilience, and students’ adjustments (academic, social and psychological). Furthermore, the mediating role of resilience between bullying-victimization and adjustments. Subjects and Methods: This correlational study was conducted through an online survey and a sample of 200 college students, between the age of 15 to 20, was taken through purposive sampling technique. For assessment purpose, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, The Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale, and Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire were used. The results and demographic details were retrieved using SPSS version 20. Results: The results indicated that bullying-victimization has a negative relationship with resilience (p &lt; .05) and students’ adjustments. However, resilience was found to be significantly and positively associated with students’ adjustments (p &lt; .01). The findings of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity showed the appropriateness of sample data for conducting factor analysis. Mediation analysis revealed that resilience significantly mediates between bullying-victimization and adjustments. Conclusion: It was concluded that bullying-victimization has a negative relationship with resilience and students’ academic, social and psychological adjustments. Furthermore, resilience is positively associated with students’ adjustments. Moreover, resilience mediates the relationship between bullying-victimization and adjustment.

Decoding the effects of varied peer victimization forms on depression and anxiety among Chinese adolescents: An exploration through latent transition analysis.

This study aims to examine co-occurrence patterns of depression and anxiety among Chinese adolescents and their associations with various forms of peer victimization. We collected longitudinal data from 1005 middle school students using the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Then we conducted latent profile analysis, latent transition analysis, and logistic regression analysis. The results reveal the presence of three depression-anxiety profiles among participants: low depression-anxiety group, moderate depression-anxiety group, and high depression-anxiety group. As verbal and relational victimization increase, adolescents are more likely to transition to a higher level of depression-anxiety profile. However, an increase in physical and property victimization predicts a transition to a lower level of depression-anxiety profile. The diverse effects resulting from different forms of victimization exhibit gender differences. For boys, an increase in relational victimization made participants in the moderate depression-anxiety group more likely to transition to the high depression-anxiety group, whereas this effect was not significant among girls. This study is theoretically significant for understanding the link between depression, anxiety, and their influencing factors. It suggests that educators, while addressing verbal and relational harm in adolescents, should reconsider the potential impact of physical and property harm. Opportunities to transform negative events into positive ones should be explored. Educators should tailor their focus based on gender, with a particular emphasis on addressing relational harm among male students. This underscores the need for differentiated approaches to effectively support students.

School bullying results in poor psychological conditions: evidence from a survey of 95,545 subjects.

To investigate whether bullying and psychological conditions are correlated, this study analyzed a survey of primary and secondary school students from Zigong City, Sichuan Province. A total of 95,545 students completed a personal information questionnaire, the Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale (MPVS), and eight other scales pertaining to various psychological problems. The data showed that 68,315 (71.5%) participants experienced school bullying at varying degrees, indicating the prevalence of bullying among adolescents. The chi-square tests revealed a strong correlation between school bullying and psychological conditions. This correlation was further explored through multivariate logistic regression, showing that students who experienced mild bullying had a 3.10 times higher probability of emotional and behavioral problems, 4.06 times higher probability of experiencing prodromal symptoms of mental illness, 4.72 times higher probability of anxiety, 3.28 times higher probability of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 4.07 times higher probability of poor sleep quality, 3.13 times higher probability of internet addiction, 2.18 times higher probability of poor mental health, and 3.64 times higher probability of depression than students who did not experience bullying. The corresponding probabilities for students who experienced severe bullying were 11.35, 17.35, 18.52, 12.59, 11.67, 12.03, 4.64, and 5.34 times higher, respectively. In conclusion, school bullying and psychological conditions are significantly correlated among primary and secondary school students, and the more severe the bullying, the higher the probability to suffer from psychological problems.

The cause of depression in adolescence: peer bullying.

Depression affects adolescents worldwide and often predicts more serious disease manifestations in later lifetimes. Peer victimization or bullying, another form of child abuse, increases symptoms of depression. In this paper, the relationship between peer bullying and depression in adolescence was investigated. Each adolescent who was admitted to the adolescent unit completed forms referred to as the 'Depression Scale For Children' and the 'Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale'. Sociodemographic features and results of the scales' evaluation were studied. SPSS 16.0 program was used for statistical analysis. The p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. 239 adolescents, 120 of whom were male, were investigated. A positive relationship was determined among total and sub-scale scores of peer victimization-determining scale and depression scale scores. A negative relationship was determined between height, weight, age of the child, and sub-scale score of threat/intimidation. Both the total score of the peer victimization-determining scale and sub-scale scores of ridicule, open attack, and relational attack pertaining to patients with depression proved to be significantly higher than in those without depression. The awareness of educators and parents, notably adolescents, must be raised in regard to peer victimization, and activities for increasing the communicative skills of adolescents and for allowing them to be able to express their emotions should also be performed. Identifying and preventing peer victimization, one of the causes of depression, and launching the treatment process for this are the first steps to be taken in terms of a healthy adulthood.

Bullying, Peer Victimization, and Quality of Life in Pediatric Hearing Loss Patients: A Pilot Study.

The primary objective of this pilot study is to describe the impacts of bullying and peer victimization (BPV) in children with hearing loss. Prospective clinical survey study. This pilot study enrolled children between 8 and 18 years who were administered validated surveys at an outpatient clinic between July 2020 and March 2022. Surveys included health-related quality of life questionnaires (PedsQL and EQ-5D-Y), along with bullying and peer victimization questionnaires ("My Life in School" and the multidimensional peer victimization scale). Responses were scored with multivariate analysis. Clinical histories and active ICD-10 codes were also collected. About 105 patients were recruited with a mean age of 13.1 years (SD = 3.15) and hearing loss (n = 30) among the top otolaryngological diagnoses. When surveying patients with hearing loss, 50.0% (n = 15) actively used a hearing aid device. Children (ages 8-12 years) with hearing loss reported a significantly lower psychosocial health-related quality of life than their peers without hearing loss (P = .007), though this was not the case for adolescents (ages 13-18 years) with hearing loss (P = .099). These trends did not change significantly before or after students resumed in-person classes. Children who wore hearing aids did not report a different BPV level than their peers. In this small sample of school-aged children, any hearing loss, even with mild severity, was associated with diminished health-related quality of life; however, this was unrelated to hearing aid use. Wearing a hearing aid did not appear to be linked to higher bullying and peer victimization rates. Along with further studies on BPV with larger sample sizes, the findings in this study may help physicians counsel parents and children on the psychosocial aspects of hearing loss treatment and guide care decisions. 3.

Teacher's work on prevention of cyberbullying in primary school

Introduction. In the conditions of digitalization of modern society, the problem of choosing forms, methods, and means of preventing dependence on virtual reality of a computer and the related problem of cyber-victimization is acute. Especially relevant is the organization of preventive work to prevent bullying in a virtual environment starting from elementary school. The article also examines the relationship of exposure to cyberbullying, widespread among primary school students, with some personal characteristics of children.Materials and Methods. Theoretical research methods: review and critical analysis of scientific literature. Empirical research methods: testing, experiment. Methods of mathematical processing and interpretation of research results. The assessment of the susceptibility of younger schoolchildren to cyberbullying was assessed using the methodology of N. E. Shchurkova in the modification of N. P. Fetiskin (diagnosis of interactive personality orientation), the Multifactorial scale of victimization (Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale) H. Mynard, S. Joseph, the methodology of the multifactorial study of R. Cattell's personality (children's version).Results. The initial level of exposure to cyberbullying of children of primary school age has been revealed, the relationship between cyberbullying and personal characteristics of children has been established. A program of joint activity of the teacher and parents for the prevention of cyberbullying in primary school children in extracurricular activities has been developed. During the analysis of the results of the study of children of the experimental group, a significant decrease in the indicators of cyberbullying was revealed, which confirms the effectiveness of the developed program.Discussion and Conclusions. The implementation of the program for the prevention of cyberbullying of younger schoolchildren should be carried out in the conditions of the educational process based on the joint activity of the teacher and parents in the framework of extracurricular activities, taking into account the personal characteristics that determine the victim behavior of children.

Prevalence and associated factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese secondary school students

BackgroundDepressive and anxiety symptoms affect about one-fourth of Chinese secondary school students. However, the prevalence and correlates of mental distress among secondary school students from Western China remain largely unexplored. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and associations of depressive and anxiety symptoms with demographic, family, school, life, and behavior factors in a large, representative sample of secondary school students in Zigong, a city in Western China.MethodsSecondary school students were recruited using cluster sampling. The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Nine-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form were used. Descriptive statistic was used to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of participants. The clustering effect was adjusted by the “survey” package of R to calculate weighted prevalence. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to explore associated factors of depression and anxiety, respectively.ResultsA total of 63,205 participants were involved, in which the weighted prevalence of depression in all subjects was 23.0% (95% CI: 19.6- 27.0%), and the weighted prevalence of anxiety was 13.9% (95% CI: 11.2- 17.0%). Logistic regression results showed girls, being single-child, non-nuclear family, peer bullying, sleep disturbance, and internet gaming disorder symptoms were positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms.ConclusionDepressive and anxiety symptoms were prevalent among secondary school students in Western China. Our results can guide policy strategies for the assessment, prevention, and intervention of psychological status among Chinese secondary school students.

Relationship between Harsh Parenting and Aggressive Behaviors in Male Juvenile Delinquents: Potential Mediating Roles of Peer Victimization and Hostile Attribution Bias.

Harsh parenting can be regarded as a harsh behaviors, feelings, and attitudes toward children in the process of parenting. According to the theory of intergenerational transmission of violence, harsh parenting is an important factor affecting children's aggressive behavior, but the theory does not clarify the specific action path between harsh parenting and aggressive behavior. In order to reveal the relationship between harsh parenting and the aggressive behavior of juvenile delinquents, 604 male juvenile delinquents (N = 604; Mage = 16.57 years; SD = 0.612 years) were investigated using the Harsh Parenting Questionnaire, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale, and the Word Sentence Association Paradigm for Hostility in Chinese. Analysis using structural equation modeling procedures showed that (a) all variables were positively associated with each other; (b) the partial indirect effect of harsh parenting on aggressive behaviors was determined through the mediators of peer victimization and hostile attribution bias independently; and (c) the partial indirect effect was determined through the mediators of peer victimization and hostile attribution bias sequentially. The results suggest that harsh parenting can explain the highly aggressive behavior of male juvenile delinquents. Moreover, harsh parenting may also predict the risk of peer victimization and hostile attribution bias, thereby predicting the development of highly aggressive behaviors.

Childhood trauma, peer victimization, and non-suicidal self-injury among Chinese adolescents: a latent variable mediation analysis

BackgroundChildhood and peer experiences can influence adolescents’ perceptions of interpersonal relationships, which can, in turn, influence their emotional states and behavior patterns. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is now a common problem behavior among adolescents. The present study examined the role of childhood trauma and peer victimization in adolescents’ NSSI.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1783 adolescents (1464 girls and 318 boys) in the psychiatric outpatient clinics or wards of 14 psychiatric hospitals or general hospitals in nine provinces in China. Data were collected using the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale (MPVS), Short-form Childhood Trauma Questionnaire(CTQ-SF), and Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation (FASM). Structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent variables was used to demonstrate the mediating role of peer victimization in the association between childhoodtrauma and NSSI.ResultsThe SEM analysis demonstrated that peer victimization plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and NSSI. In addition, several covariates (such as age, gender, education level, and place of residence) effectively regulated the relationship between peer victimization and NSSI.ConclusionIn future studies of NSSI among Chinese adolescents, attention should be paid to the roles of childhood trauma and peer bullying; there is a temporal sequence between these two variables and, to some extent, childhood trauma can have an impact on bullying during adolescence which, in turn, influences NSSI behavior.

The Effect of Self-Esteem on Resilience among Victims of Bullying: Does Gender Play a Role?

Bullying has become a serious issue in educational institutions. Bullying causes significant negative effects on physical, social, and psychological aspects. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of self-esteem on resilience. We also analyzed the resilience differences between male and female students. Through a cross-sectional study design, 86 students participated in completing a survey. The Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale developed by Mynard &amp; Joseph was used to determine respondents who were victims of bullying. Furthermore, The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) were used to measure resilience and self-esteem. The data analysis technique used to reveal the difference in resilience of bullying victims between males and females is the independent sample t-test. Furthermore, simple regression is used to test the influence of self-esteem on resilience. The results showed that students' self-esteem and resilience were moderate. There was a significant difference in resilience between male and female students, with males having higher resilience than females. Testing also proved that there is an influence of self-esteem on students' resilience. This study has implications for the importance of addressing bullying in schools. Furthermore, psychological interventions through counseling services can be implemented to improve resilience.

Bullying Victimization and Quality of Life among Chinese Adolescents: An Integrative Analysis of Internet Addiction and Social Withdrawal

Bullying victimization has been proven to be a direct predictor of adolescents' quality of life, whereas elaborate mechanisms remain inconclusive. This study aims to explore the mediating pathway of Internet addiction and social withdrawal on the relationship between bullying victimization and quality of life among Chinese adolescents. This study used the cross-sectional data collected by self-reported questionnaires, including multidimensional peer-victimization scale, youth quality of life instrument-short form, prolonged social withdrawal questionnaire, and compulsive Internet use scale. A total of 1278 participants from four junior middle schools and two high schools participated in the questionnaire survey. SPSS 25.0 and Amos 25.0 were adopted to analyze the data. The results indicated that bullying victimization was directly and indirectly associated with adolescents' quality of life. Internet addiction and social withdrawal partially mediated the relationship between bullying victimization and quality of life among adolescents. The current study demonstrated the underlying pathway of how bullying victimization affected adolescents' quality of life, which could provide an intervention perspective for governments and social workers to improve adolescents' quality of life by controlling Internet addiction and social withdrawal.

Demographic characteristics, family environment and psychosocial factors affecting internet addiction in Chinese adolescents

BackgroundInternet addiction of adolescents has aroused social concern recently. The present study aims to identify predicting factors of internet addiction on adolescents. MethodsThe demographic characteristics and psychological characteristics of 50, 855 middle school students were investigated through Internet Gaming Disorder Scale- Short Form(IGDS9-SF), Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-students (SDQS), 16-Item Version of the Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale (MPVS), Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC10) were used to analyze factors associated with internet addiction by Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple hierarchical regression. ResultsIGDS9-SF, SABAS and BSMAS are positively correlated with SDQS, PQ-16, PHQ-9, GAD-7 and MPVS (r-values ranging from 0.180 to 0.488, p < 0.01). IGDS9-SF, SABAS and BSMAS are negatively correlated with WEMWB and CD-RISC (r-values ranging from −0.242 ~ −0.338, p < 0.01). Multiple hierarchical regression shown gender, one-child, twins, left-behind, rural, education (father), drink (father), smoke (father), CD-RISC-10, SDQS, PQ-16, PHQ-9, GAD-7 and MPVS predicted 32.7 % of the variance in internet gaming disorder (IGD) (F = 1174.949, p < 0.001). Group (junior and senior), Gender, Age, One-Child, Twins, Village, Education (father), Drink (father), Drink (mother), Smoke (father), WEMWBS, CD-RISC-10, SDQS, PQ-16, PHQ-9, GAD-7 and MPVS predicted 28.9 % of the total variance in social media addiction (SMA) (F = 982.932, p < 0.001). Fifteen variables [Gender, Age, Twins, Left-behind, Residence, Residence, Education (mother), Drink(father), Drink (mother), Smoke (father), WEMWBS, CD-RISC-10, PHQ-9, GAD-7 and MPVS] predicted 30.7 % of the variance in smartphone addiction (SA) (F = 1076.02, p < 0.001). ConclusionThe present study found that demographic characteristics, family environment and psychosocial factors were associated with internet gaming addiction, social media addiction and smartphone addiction. Negative psychological factors (such as anxiety and depression) play an important role in different behavioral addictions.

Mediating Role of External Shame and Self-compassion in the Relationship Between Peer Victimization and Depression in Adolescents

Objectives: The present study aims to examine the mediating role of external shame and self-compassion in the relationship between peer victimization and depression in adolescents. Methods: This is a descriptive-correlational study. Participants were 300 middle-school students of Shahin Shahr city in Isfahan, Iran (150 girls and 150 boys), who were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. The data collection tools were Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale, the Other As Shamer Scale, Self-Compassionate Scale-Short Form, and Mood &amp; Feeling Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS v. 19 and AMOS v. 20 applications. Results: There were significant relationship among peer victimization, external shame, self-compassion, and depression (P&lt;0.01). The measurement model had a good fitness (Root mean square error of approximation=0.037, normed fit index=0.997, comparative fit index=0.999). Path Analysis results reported that peer victimization had indirect effect on depression through mediation by external shame and self-compassion. Conclusion: External shame and self-compassion can mediate the relationship between peer victimization and depression in adolescents. Considering them in designing effective preventive and therapeutic interventions can be helpful for adolescents to cope with peer victimization and depression.

Bullying Behavior and its Association with Mental Health Symptoms among Senior Secondary School Students in Calabar, Nigeria

Background: The nature of our psychosocial environment and one's response to stressful daily events are key determinants of current and future mental health status. The school environment is one of such settings which expose young people to potentially undue stress, especially through bully-prone interpersonal interaction with peers and older individuals. Although bullying is thought to be prevalent in secondary schools, only a few studies have investigated the association between bullying and the mental health status of secondary school students in developing countries. The present study seeks to obtain data that may be helpful in addressing this research gap. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional analytic study. A stratified sampling technique was used to select six secondary schools within Calabar metropolis. Proportional allocation using a simple random sampling method was employed to recruit the required number of senior secondary students from the selected schools. Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale and Child and Youth Mental Health General Screening Questionnaires were used to assess for presence/degree of bullying and mental health problems, respectively. Mann–Whitney U-test and Spearman's correlation analysis were used as inferential statistics, and P-value was considered significant if it was &lt; 0.05. Results: Three hundred and four (304) respondents were surveyed, but complete data were obtained from 292. Their ages ranged from 13 to 20 years, with a mean age of 16.5 ± 2.1 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1:0.7. Within the past 12 months, 54.8% of the respondents had bullied someone, while 62.3% had witnessed someone being bullied. Attack on the property was the most common form of bullying (61%), followed by social manipulation (52.7%), verbal (52.1%), and physical (47.9%) forms of victimization. Moderate-to-severe forms of social manipulation, physical victimization, verbal victimization, and attack on property forms of bullying were found in 26.0%, 26.7%, 28.8%, and 32.2% of respondents, respectively. The most frequently elevated component of mental health score in the respondents was conduct symptoms (50.7%), followed by mood symptoms (34.2%) and symptoms of generalized anxiety (19.2%). Respondents with abnormally elevated scores for hyperactivity/distractibility, conduct, generalized anxiety, and mood symptoms had significantly higher mean scores for each of the components of bullying assessed (P &lt; 0.001). Elevated scores on oppositional defiant symptoms did not significantly influence the mean scores of each component of bullying, except for verbal victimization (P = 0.04). A significant positive correlation was observed between each component of bullying and each domain of mental health assessed (P &lt; 0.001). A positive correlation was also observed between the total bullying score and each domain of mental health as well as the total mental health scores (P &lt; 0.001). Of all the domains of mental health assessed, symptoms of hyperactivity/distractibility showed the strongest positive correlation with a total bully score (r = 0.69, P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that bullying is prevalent in our secondary schools, with a potential adverse effects on the mental health of affected individuals in the near or remote future. These findings may be useful for improvement in existing policies for school health programs in developing countries.

The Age and Gender Effect on Four Forms of Peer Victimization among Chinese Children and Adolescents

This study is the first to examine the effects of age and gender on different forms of peer victimization among local Chinese schoolchildren in Hong Kong. The cross-sectional study recruited a sample of 8604 schoolchildren aged between 8 and 16 from 24 primary (elementary) and secondary (middle) schools in Hong Kong. The Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale was used to measure how often the participants had experienced physical and verbal victimization, social manipulation, and attacks on property during the last school term. The participants were divided into three age groups (8–10, 11–13, 14–16) based on the average ages of senior primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary school students. Two-way MANOVA and subsequent two-way ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. Physical victimization and attacks on property were found to decrease with age. Across the age groups, boys were more likely than girls to experience physical and verbal victimization, but not social manipulation. However, the gender × age group interaction effects were insignificant. The findings suggest that educators and helping professionals should consider providing gender-specific anti-bullying programs in schools.

Hyperandrogenism in polycystic ovary syndrome affects psychological well-being of adolescents.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinological disorder in reproductive age and criterion have recently been revised for adolescent age group. Research regarding effects of PCOS on psychological well-being is limited; and majority of the studies are conducted in adult patients. We aimed to examine psychological effects of PCOS in adolescents who are diagnosed using latest criterion. Cases were divided into PCOS and control groups according to their clinical, ultrasonographical and biochemical features. Beck depression inventory (BDI), State & Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I/II), Self-Confidence Scale (SCS), Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale (MPVS) and Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) were used in psychiatric evaluation. There were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding psychiatric scale scores. However, several biochemical parameters (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, 17-hydroxyprogesterone) and clinical (Ferriman-Gallwey score [FGS]) of hyperandrogenism affected certain indicators of psychological well-being such as social anxiety, low self-esteem and peer victimization. In some psychiatric scales, biochemical indicators were found correlated while clinical indicators were not. Similar psychiatric scale scores between groups may indicate preliminary stages for adolescent PCOS in which endocrinological, physical and social factors have not yet reached their full potential for their effect on emergence of psychological problems; thus making this age group critical for interventions of prevention measures. In addition, while examining the effects of PCOS on psychological well-being, biochemical parameters of hyperandrogenism might be as effective as physical manifestations (FGS); and high levels of biochemical parameters of hyperandrogenism might also affect psychological state.