Longitudinal Analysis of Links Between Bullying Victimization and Psychosomatic Maladjustment in Swedish Schoolchildren |
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| Authors: | Karin Hellfeldt Peter Edward Gill Björn Johansson |
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| Affiliation: | 1. School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, ?rebro University, ?rebro, Swedenkarin.hellfeldt@oru.se;3. Academy for Education and Economics, University College G?vle, G?vle, Sweden;4. School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, ?rebro University, ?rebro, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | Cross-sectional studies of bullying mask variability in categories of and persistence of bullying victimization. Longitudinal, individual-level data offers a greater insight into schoolchildren’s psychosomatic maladjustment as a consequence of bullying. Swedish schoolchildren (n = 3,349), with unique identifiers, in 44 schools (4th–9th grade), answered a questionnaire at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Longitudinal trends for nonvictims (88%), ceased victims (4.7%), new victims (5.7%), and continuing victims (1.6%) revealed that new victims had the largest decrease in well-being; continuing victims had a smaller though not significant decrease; while ceased victims showed a small, (nonsignificant) increase in well-being over the measurement period. It was also discovered that children not bullied at baseline but bullied subsequently, differed, at baseline, from their never-bullied peers through lower levels of overall well-being. It is argued that this finding has implications for prevention strategies. |
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| Keywords: | Bullying individual-level longitudinal data peer victimization somatic and emotional maladjustment well-being |
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