Self-esteem in pure bullies and bully/victims: a longitudinal analysis.
Past research on the self-esteem of bullies has produced equivocal results. Recent studies have suggested that the inconsistent findings may be due, in part, to the failure to account for bully/victims: those children who both bully and are victims of bullying. In this longitudinal study, we examined the distinctions among pure bullies, pure victims, bully/victims, and noninvolved children in a sample of 307 middle school students. Analyses of cross-sectional and longitudinal results supported the importance of distinguishing between pure bullies and bully/victims. In addition, results revealed some interesting sex differences: girls in the pure bully and bully/victim groups reported significant increases in self-esteem over time, with girls in the pure bully group reporting the greatest increase, whereas boys in these groups reported no significant changes in self-esteem over time.
Pollastri
Alisha R
AR
Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610, USA. apollastri@clarku.edu
Cardemil
Esteban V
EV
O'Donnell
Ellen H
EH
D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data