Adolescent Bullying Involvement and Perceived Family, Peer and School Relations: Commonalities and Differences Across Race/Ethnicity

• NCJ Number: 220471
• Journal: Journal of Adolescent Health Volume: 41 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2007 Pages: 283-293
• Author(s): Aubrey L. Spriggs M.A.; Ronald J. Iannotti Ph.D.; Tonja R. Nansel Ph.D.; Denise L. Haynie Ph.D.
• Date Published: September 2007
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using a nationally representative sample, this study examined association between bullying and family, peer, and school relations for White, African-American, and Hispanic adolescents.

Abstract

Study results indicate that 9 percent of respondents were victims of bullying, 9 percent were bullies, and 3 percent were bully-victims. African-American adolescents reported a significantly lower prevalence of victimization than White and Hispanic students. Multivariate results indicate modest racial/ethnic variation in associations between bullying and family, peer, and school factors. Parental communication, social isolation, and classmate relationships were similarly related to bullying across racial/ethnic groups. Living with two biological parents was protective against bullying involvement for White students only. In addition, although school satisfaction and performance were negatively associated with bullying involvement for White and Hispanic students, school factors were largely unrelated to bullying among African-American students. The conclusions in this study are that although school attachment and performance were inconsistently related to bullying behavior across race/ethnicity, bullying behaviors were consistently related to peer relationship across African-American, White, and Hispanic adolescents. In addition, negative associations between family communication and bullying behaviors for White, African-American, and Hispanic adolescents suggest the importance of addressing family interactions in future bullying prevention efforts. Although bullying is recognized as a serious problem in the United States, little is known about racial/ethnic differences in bullying risk. This study examined a nationally representative sample of 11,033 adolescents on the associations between bullying and family, peer, and school relations for White, African-American, and Hispanic adolescents. Tables, references