title: Time trends in bullying behavior in Italy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Given the severity of outcomes associated with involvement in bullying and the resources spent in an effort to reduce its prevalence, it is important to investigate trends in the bullying's occurrence. The main aim of this study was to identify trends from 2002 to 2010 in prevalence of bullying and victimization among Italian adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The survey reported here is part of the larger population-based cross-sectional (2002, 2006, and 2010) "Health Behaviour in School Aged Children" (HBSC) transnational study. The sample was comprised of 13,174 Italian middle and secondary school students (11- to 15-year-olds; 50.3% girls). Data were collected through a self-report questionnaire. Measures included involvement in bullying as either a perpetrator or a victim. Trends were determined using Gamma statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consistent and robust decreases in the prevalence of bullying between 2002 and 2010 were detected in Italy. During this time frame both frequent and occasional bullying and victimization decreased by half.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We measured a strong decrease in involvement in bullying behavior in Italy, in particular after 2006, when the Italian government invested more systematically in the prevention effort on bullying. This is encouraging news for policymakers and practitioners working in the field of bullying prevention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Belzoni 80, 35131, Padova, Italy. alessio.vieno@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vieno
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Belzoni 80, 35131, Padova, Italy. michela.lenzi@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Belzoni 80, 35131, Padova, Italy. gianluca.gini@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gini
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Belzoni 80, 35131, Padova, Italy. tiziana.pozzoli@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pozzoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena, 5-bis, 10126 Torino, Italy. franco.cavallo@unito.it.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cavallo
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Belzoni 80, 35131, Padova, Italy. massimo.santinello@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santinello
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D058445:Bullying / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012574:Schools / Q000639:trends*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Italy; adolescence; bullying; sex differences; time trend