NCJ Number
218024
Journal
Journal of Adolescent Health Volume: 40 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 372-375
Date Published
April 2007
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study examined bullying/victimization and internalizing symptoms among low-income racial/ethnic-minority adolescents.
Abstract
Researchers suggest that stress associated with victimization may create internalizing problems, such as depression or anxiety. For minority youth, other stresses may exacerbate their feelings of victimization. In relation to the sample of low-income youth, poverty-level stress may also exist. In the total sample and for females only, victims and bully-victims were more likely to report symptomology. Middle and high school victims, but only middle school bully-victims were more likely to experience internalizing symptoms. Internalizing symptomology was not significantly increased for bullies in any analysis. Across all analyses, there was no association between being a bully and experiencing increased internalizing symptoms. Results of this study expand the association between bully/victim status and internalizing symptoms to a less-studied population. Adolescent bullying behaviors are prevalent in today’s society. Bullying and victimized minority youth may be at risk for mental health internalizing disorders, such as depression or anxiety. It is important to determine whether minority bullies and victims experience internalizing symptomology and whether there are subgroup differences among this population. This study examined the association between bullying and victimization and internalizing symptomology among low-income African-American and Hispanic adolescents. Tables, references