Pure Victims Research Articles

How does assertiveness relate to bullying behaviour among prisoners?

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to address how assertiveness relates to bullying behaviour among adult prisoners.Methods. The sample was selected from six separate prison establishments (three male, three female) and consisted of 502 adult prisoners (285 men, 217 women). Prisoners were placed into one of four bully‐categories (‘pure bullies’, ‘bully/victims’, ‘pure victims’ or ‘not involved’) on the basis of a self‐report behavioural checklist (DIPC: Direct and Indirect Prisoner Behaviour Checklist). They also completed the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS).Results. Assertiveness among prisoners was made up of three components: social assertiveness, argumentative and combativeness, and a willingness to converse with others. Men reported significantly higher overall assertiveness and social assertiveness scores than women. Pure victims reported lower total assertiveness scores than the other categories and there was a trend for pure bullies to report higher total assertiveness scores than the other bully‐categories. Bully/victims scored significantly higher on the argumentative and combative scale in comparison to the overall mean and there was a trend in the same direction for pure bullies. There was a trend for pure victims to score lower on this scale and those not involved in bullying reported significantly lower scores on this scale. Those not involved also scored significantly higher on social assertiveness and there was a trend for both bully/victims and pure victims to score lower on this component.Conclusions. The present research showed how certain components of assertiveness relate to bullying behaviour among prisoners. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research, and possible implications for intervention are outlined.

The perceived consequences of responding to bullying with aggression: A study of male and female adult prisoners

AbstractThis research addresses whether prisoners who bully others and/or are victimised themselves can be distinguished by the perceptions that they have of the consequences about using aggression as a solution to being bullied. Male and female adult prisoners (n = 406) were required to complete a self‐report behavioural checklist (Direct and Indirect Prisoner Behaviour Checklist [DIPC]) that addressed the level of bullying behaviour at their present institution. Prisoners were also required to complete a questionnaire (Bullying Social Problem Solving Questionnaire [BSPSQ]) that provided them with five different bullying situations and asked them what would be the consequences if they were to respond aggressively to each. Four categories of prisoners were examined: pure bullies, pure victims, those who reported both bullying others and being victimised themselves (bully/victims), and those not involved in bullying/victimisation. Pure bullies reported significantly more positive than negative consequences of aggression compared with the overall category mean in response to theft‐related bullying. Bully/victims reported significantly more positive than negative consequences compared with the overall category mean in response to indirect and indirect‐physical bullying. Those not involved reported significantly more negative than positive consequences compared with the overall category mean in response to all scenarios except one involving indirect‐physical bullying. Males reported significantly more positive than negative consequences compared with females for all types of bullying. Aggr. Behav. 28:257–272, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Distinguishing the perpetrators and victims of bullying behaviour in a prison environment: A study of male and female adult prisoners

Purpose. The main aim of this study was to explore prison‐based behavioural characteristics and personal/descriptive characteristics of the different groups involved in bullying behaviour, with a subsidiary aim of exploring gender differences regarding these characteristics. Methods. The sample was selected from four separate prison establishments (two male and two female) and consisted of 406 adult prisoners (196 females and 210 males). Prisoners were placed into one of four groups (‘pure bullies’, ‘bully/ victims’, ‘pure victims’ or ‘not involved’) on the basis of a self‐report behaviour checklist (Direct and Indirect Prisoner behaviour Checklist (DIPC); Ireland, 1998). Results. Prison‐based behaviours shown by prisoners appeared to be more predictive of group membership than the personal/descriptive characteristics such as age, sentence length, offence and institutional history addressed in the present study. The victim groups (i.e. pure victims and bully/victims) showed the most drug‐related behaviour and negative behaviour towards staff. Gender differences were found with negative behaviour more predictive of group membership for female bully/victims, whereas for male bully/victims, drug‐related and proactive/positive behaviours were more predictive of group membership. Conclusions. The present research showed how the personal/descriptive characteristics that adult prisoners brought with them to the prison environment appeared to be less important in predicting group membership than the behaviours that they displayed within the prison. The importance of these findings for bullying intervention programmes and directions for future research are discussed.

Self‐esteem and its relationship to bullying behaviour

AbstractFrom the rapidly growing literature on bullying, it is increasingly recognised that peer relationship problems as manifested in being bullied are associated with low self‐esteem. However, the literature on self‐esteem in relation to children who bully others is controversial. The objective of this paper is to elucidate further our understanding of the relationship between self‐concept and bullying behaviour. Data from a nationwide study of bullying behaviour carried out in Ireland during 1993‐1994 have been reviewed. The relevant results from 8,249 school children aged 8 to 18 years are presented. The paper examines the global and dimensional nature of self‐esteem and how it relates to children and adolescents who either have been victimised or bullied others. A distinction is made between “pure victims,” “pure bullies,” and children and adolescents who were both bullied and who bullied others. In other words, pure victims were those who had not bullied others, and pure bullies had not themselves been bullied. Those who were both bullied and bullied others were subdivided further into victims who bully occasionally, sometimes, and frequently and bullies who are victimised, occasionally, sometimes, and frequently. The results show that children of both primary and post‐primary age who were involved in bullying as victims, bullies, or both had significantly lower global self‐esteem than did children who had neither bullied nor been bullied. However, the pure bullies, in contrast to the pure victims, placed the same value on their physical attractiveness and attributes and on their popularity as did their peers who had not bullied others or been bullied. The bully‐victims of all ages had the lowest self‐esteem of the subgroups in the study. Also, the more frequently children were victimised or bullied others, the lower was their global self‐esteem. The typology and frequency of bullying and the age of the children when they were involved in bullying influenced the status of the specific domains of self‐esteem. There were, e.g., significant differences in anxiety between the pure bullies of post‐primary age and their peers who had not bullied others or been bullied. The post‐primary children who bullied most frequently were the least anxious. The results indicate that high self‐esteem protects children and adolescents from involvement in bullying. Thus, in view of the strong relationship between self‐esteem and bullying that has been found in the present paper, it is recommended that top priority be given by parents and teachers to preventing and reducing feelings of poor self‐worth among children and adolescents. Aggr. Behav. 27:269–283, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

The relationship between social problem‐solving and bullying behaviour among male and female adult prisoners

AbstractThe association between social problem solving and bullying behaviour among adult male and female prisoners is presented. A total of 210 male and 196 female prisoners were categorised into four groups: pure bullies, pure victims, bully/victims, and those not involved in bullying or victimisation. Prisoners completed a questionnaire that presented them with different bullying scenarios and were asked to suggest ways of dealing with each. Female bully/victims produced significantly more solutions in response to theft‐related bullying than male bully/victims. There were no further significant group or gender differences in the number of solutions generated. The bully group favoured aggressive responses for all scenarios. Males reported more aggressive responses than females. The results are discussed with reference to the environment in which the social problem solving is taking place and highlights the importance of distinguishing between the different groups involved in bullying. Aggr. Behav. 27:297–312, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Descriptive analysis of the nature and extent of bullying behavior in a maximum-security prison

This aim of this study was to investigate the nature and extent of direct and indirect bullying in a maximum-security prison and to assess prisoners' attitudes toward victims of bullying. A total of 194 adult male prisoners completed the Direct and Indirect Prisoner Behavior Checklist (DIPC) [Ireland (1998): University of Central Lancashire; Ireland (1999a): Aggressive Behavior] and a modified version of the Rigby and Slee [1991: J Social Psychol 131:615–627] provictim scale. The results showed that more than half of the prisoners sampled had been bullied in the past week. Only a small number of prisoners could be classified as either a pure bully or a pure victim, with almost half classified as both a bully and a victim. The most frequent types of bullying used were psychological/verbal and indirect forms. No significant differences were found between pure bullies, bully/victims, pure victims, and the not involved groups' attitudes toward the victims of bullying. These findings hold implications for anti-bullying programs that fail to fully consider the prevalence of indirect forms of bullying and that an individual can be both a bully and a victim. Aggr. Behav. 26:213–223, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Provictim attitudes and empathy in relation to bullying behaviour among prisoners

Purpose. The main aims of the study were to investigate attitudes towards the victims of bullying, and to explore the role of empathy in bullying others. It was predicted that those who reported ‘bullying others’ would report less positive attitudes towards victims and lower levels of empathy than those who did not engage in bullying behaviour. It was predicted that differences would be found in attitudes and empathy between sex. No predictions were made with regard to adults vs. young offenders.Method. The sample was selected from five separate prison establishments and consisted of 98 young offenders (21 women and 77 men) and 211 adult offenders (53 women and 158 men). Prisoners were categorized as ‘bullies’, ‘bully/victims’, ‘pure victims’ or ‘not involved’ on the basis of a self‐report behaviour checklist (Direct and Indirect Prisoner Behaviour Checklist (DIPC)). A modified version of the Rigby & Slee (1991) Provictim Scale and the Davis (1980) Interpersonal Reactivity Index were used to measure attitudes and empathy respectively.Results. The attitudes of the ‘bully’ and the ‘bully/victim’ group were found to reflect their behaviour in that both were less ‘provictim’ than those not involved in bullying. Women were significantly more provictim than men, and adults were significantly more provictim than young offenders. Women scored significantly higher on some components of empathy than men. The implications of these findings for bullying intervention programmes are discussed.

Bullying behaviors among male and female prisoners: A study of adult and young offenders

This study describes behaviors generally recognised as bullying among male and female prisoners, with a subsidiary aim of comparing adult and young offenders. The study also describes the different groups involved in bullying and provides a description of the ways in which victims react to their victimization. It was predicted that gender and prison category differences would be found across the different types of bullying, with females reporting more indirect forms than males, who would report more direct forms. It was also predicted that young offenders would report more bullying than adults. The sample consisted of 98 young offenders (21 female and 77 male) and 211 adult offenders (53 female and 158 male). Inmates were surveyed via a self-report behavior checklist (Direct and Indirect Prisoner behavior Checklist: DIPC). More than half of the sample reported being and more than half reported to have bullied at least once in the past week. Males and young offenders were more likely to report bullying others than females and adults, respectively. Males were more likely than females to report bullying others both directly and indirectly. Four different groups of inmates were identified: bullies, bully/victims, pure victims; and not involved. These categories varied in different gender and prison status groups. Victims reported reacting predominantly by crying, staying in their cell when they could be out, and trying to get moved.