Bully and Victim Problems in Elementary Schools and Students' Beliefs about Aggression

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Abstract
The study was undertaken to survey the prevalence and nature of bullying in elementary school children; and to investigate the bullies and victims' beliefs supporting aggression. A total of 379 grades 4 to 6 students in Calgary were surveyed. Results of the Bully/Victim Questionnaire (Olweus, 1989) indicated that 21.3% were bullied and 11.6% bullied others "sometimes" or more often at school that term. Victims tended to be the youngest students of the sample, both boys and girls, and were at risk for being bullied by both age-males and older students. Verbal abuse was the most common form of bullying, and there was no significant association between gender and either direct or indirect forms of bullying. The playground was the most commonly cited location where bullying occurred. Bullies tended to be in the older grades and were mainly boys. Also, results of the Beliefs Measure revealed that bullies were more likely than victims and students who were neither victims nor bullies to endorse certain aggression-supporting beliefs. Implications for antibullying programs are discussed.

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