ERIC Number: EJ1461641
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jun
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1866-2625
EISSN: EISSN-1866-2633
Available Date: 2023-02-25
Factors Predictive of Being Bullies or Victims of Bullies in US Elementary Schools
Paul L. Morgan1; George Farkas2; Adrienne D. Woods3; Yangyang Wang1; Marianne M. Hillemeier4; Yoonkyung Oh5
School Mental Health, v15 n2 p566-582 2023
We analyzed a population-representative cohort (N = 13,611; M[subscript age] at kindergarten, first, and second grade = 67.5, 79.5, and 91.5 months, respectively) to identify kindergarten to second grade factors predictive of being bullies or victims during third to fifth grade. We did so by estimating a block recursive structural equation model (SEM) with three sets of predictors. These were: (a) individual and school socio-demographics; (b) family distress and harsh parenting; and (c) individual behavior and achievement. Relations between each of the included variables and the bullying outcomes were simultaneously estimated within the SEM. Thus, each variable served as a control for estimating the effects of the other variables. We used robust standard errors to account for student clustering within schools. Results indicated that externalizing problem behavior strongly predicted being a bully ([ES] = 0.56, p < 0.001) and a victim (ES = 0.29, p < 0.001). We observed a negative relation between being Hispanic and being a victim (ES = -0.10, p < 0.001) and a positive relation between being Black and being a bully (ES = 0.11, p < 0.001). We also observed statistically significant relations between a family's socioeconomic status and being a bully (ES = -0.08, p < 0.001) as well as school poverty and being a victim (ES = 0.07, p < 0.001). The results advance the field's limited understanding of risk and protective factors for bullying perpetration or victimization during elementary school and provide additional empirical support for assisting young children already exhibiting externalizing problem behaviors.
Descriptors: Bullying, Victims, Elementary School Students, Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Predictor Variables, Socioeconomic Background, Family Problems, Parent Child Relationship, Student Behavior, Achievement, Student Characteristics
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Related Records: ED670643
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education; Grade 1; Grade 2; Grade 3; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Grade 5; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED); Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A220293; R305A230406; P2CHD041025
Department of Education Funded: Yes
Author Affiliations: 1Penn State, Department of Education Policy Studies, 310E Rackley Building, University Park, USA; 2University of California, School of Education, Irvine, USA; 3SRI International, Education Division, Arlington, USA; 4Penn State, Department of Health Policy and Administration, University Park, USA; 5University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Pediatrics and Children’s Learning Institute, Houston, USA