Measuring the youth bullying experience: a systematic review of the psychometric properties of available instruments.
BACKGROUND
Bullying is a significant problem in schools and measuring this concept remains problematic. The purposes of this study were to (1) identify the published self-report measures developed to assess youth bullying; (2) evaluate their psychometric properties and instrument characteristics; and (3) evaluate the quality of identified psychometric papers evaluating youth bullying measures.


METHODS
A systematic review of the literature was conducted using 4 electronic databases. Data extraction and appraisal of identified instruments were completed using a standardized method and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.


RESULTS
Thirty-one articles describing 27 self-report instruments were evaluated in our analysis. Quality assessments ranged from 18% to 91%, with 6 papers reaching or exceeding a quality score of 75%. Limited evidence supporting the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of existing youth bullying measures was identified.


CONCLUSIONS
Evidence supporting the psychometric soundness of the instruments identified was limited. Many measures were in early development and additional evaluation is necessary to validate their psychometric properties. A pool of instruments possesses acceptable initial psychometric dependability for selected assessment purposes. These findings have significant implications for assessing youth bullying and designing and evaluating school-based interventions.
Boston College, William F. Connell School of Nursing, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Cushing Hall, Room 427, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. Judith.vessey@bc.edu.
Judith
J
Vessey
Tania D
TD
Strout
Rachel L
RL
DiFazio
Allison
A
Walker
D000293:Adolescent; D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic; D006801:Humans; D010379:Peer Group; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
bullying; child and adolescent health; instruments; research