| Bullying is a special type of aggression of high prevalence in which the more powerful oppresses the less powerful without being provoked. A large amount of research has indicated that school bullying can bring harm to both sides of the behavior, especially physical and /or mental damages on the part of victims, and lead to theses children's social maladjustment. If a child is bullied repeatedly, he or she will not only lower gradually his/her self-esteem and self-confidence, become lonely, anxious, depressed, but also show a series of external behavior problems, such as aggressive/destructive behaviors, scatterbrained, lower achievements, social isolation, behavioral withdrawal etc. As to the students frequently bullying others, they will be excluded by peers, and resulting in social interaction difficulties. The children who bully others for a long time will gradually develop aggressive personality, even leading to commit his crime later. To the extent that the content of School adjustment and influence erected on school adjustment by children bullying/victimization under Chinese cultural background may be different with that from other cultures, the present study aims to examine the negative influence of bully/victim problem on school adjustment, and identify the possible variables.The present study aims to examine: (1) the general characteristic of bully/victim problem in primary and junior middle school; (2) how children school behavior, peer relationship, self-esteem, loneliness, depression, anxiety vary across gender, grade, bully/victim status; (3) how well can the frequency and duration of bullying/victimization predict children's school adjustment and mental health.Date were collected via a questionnaire battery and social competence scale. The participants were 827 students from grade 3, 5, 7, 9 in the four primary and junior middle schools. The questionnaire battery contained Olweus bully/victim questionnaire, Children's loneliness scale, Children's depressive scale, Social anxiety scale. Social measurement method contained peer nomination and Class play.The main findings from the present study are as follows:(1) In general, bullying is a problem of high prevalence in primary and junior middle school. 22.8% of primary students and 11.9% of junior middle students reported that they were bullied. 9.3% of primary students and 9.1% of junior middle school students reported that they had bullied others. Bullying and victimization is rather stable in a short term (one school stage or one year), but the frequencies of being bullied and bullying others is stable in the long term. There is significant genderand grade difference in the distribution of the four groups (bully, victim, bully/victim, uninvolved). with more boys more likely to be bullies and bully/victims, but more girls as not-involved children, and more children in primary schools classified as victims than in junior middle schools.(2) In general, there was significant gender difference in the behavioral tendency. Girls displayed less aggressive behavior and more prosocial behavior than boys, and they were more timid than boys. All the children involved into school bullying showed stronger aggressive tendency, victims displayed more withdrawals. Aggressive characteristic of children in different status was affected by school type. In primary school period, bullies were more likely attack others. In junior middle school period, Aggressive behavior of bullies/victims rapidly increased, but that of bullies decreased.(3) Bully/victims had a highest level of peer rejection followed by the victims among bullies, victims, bully/victims and uninvolved. There wasn't significant difference in the peer acceptance. The frequencies of being bullied can significantly and positively predict peer rejection, and it was mediated by children's behavior. That is, children's behavior reaction play an important role in the association between children victimization and peer rejection.(4) Overall, uninvolved children had a h... |
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