title: Individual and social network predictors of the short-term stability of bullying victimization in the United Kingdom and Germany.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is still relatively little research on the social context within which bullying develops and remains stable.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the short-term stability of bullying victimization among primary school students in the United Kingdom and Germany (mean age, 8.9 years) and the individual and social network factors that contributed to remaining a victim of bullying.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 454 children (247 males and 207 females).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants completed questionnaires on bullying victimization at three assessment points over a 9-week period. Other measures consisted of self-reported demographic, peer, and family relationship characteristics. Social network indices of density, reciprocity, and hierarchy were constructed using friendship and peer acceptance nominations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative risk analyses indicated a six-fold increased risk of remaining a victim at consequent follow-ups, compared to a child not victimized at baseline becoming a victim over the follow-up period. Individual characteristics explained substantially more variance in the stability of bullying victimization than class-level factors. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses revealed that being victimized by siblings and being rejected by peers predicted remaining a victim over a 9-week period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bullying victimization among primary school students proved moderately stable over a 9-week period. Individual characteristics were more influential in predicting the stable victim role than class-level factors. Our findings have implications for the identification of stable victims in primary school and early preventative bullying programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sapouna
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wolke
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vannini
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Sibylle
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Enz
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aylett
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D005858:Germany; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012944:Social Support; D012963:Sociometric Techniques; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom