title: Bully/victim problems in Northern Ireland's schools: data from the 2003 Young Persons' Behavior and Attitude Survey.
abstract: McGuckin and Lewis (2003, 2006, 2008), Mc Guckin, Lewis and Cummins (under review b) have reported that little is known about the nature, incidence and correlates of bully/victim problems in the Northern Ireland school system. The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence of self-reported experiences of bully/victim problems among a representative sample of 7,223 11- to 16-year-olds living in Northern Ireland who participated in the 2003 Young Persons' Behaviour and Attitude Survey (YPBAS: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency [NISRA], 2003). Respondents were presented with three questions inquiring explicitly and three questions inquiring implicitly about bully/victim problems. Among other questions, respondents volunteered other salient information about personal experiences of bully/victim problems (i.e., through use of the "other" response option). Almost one-fifth of all respondents (17.2%, n = 1,026) reported being a victim of bullying behavior, and 8.1% (n = 492) reported that they had picked on or bullied another school pupil. Bully/victim problems also pervaded personal experiences of school meal times, sporting activities, and perceptions of personal safety. These findings are placed within the context of previous findings.
authors.affiliation: Anti-Bullying Centre, School of Education, Trinity College, University of Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland. conor.mcguckin@dbs.edu
authors.forename: Conor
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mc Guckin
authors.forename: Pauline K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Cummins
authors.forename: Christopher Alan
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009660:Northern Ireland; D012919:Social Behavior; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data