The hazards of growing up: A study of the changing mechanisms of bullying among girls in Shenzhen

Abstract

Among the many contending theories of bullying, the widely accepted thesis known as frustration-aggression assumes that bullying is a form of aggressive behavior induced by external stress. Recently, researchers have discovered that the relationship between external stressors and bullying is sometimes moderated by internal frustration. The present investigation is an attempt to examine which of the above mechanisms can better explain female students' bullying behaviors. Data analysis, using structural equation modeling, was based on 1,069 girls selected from 14 primary schools and 16 junior secondary schools in Shenzhen, China. The result of the analysis suggests that while bullying by girls in primary schools is directly related to external stress, bullying in secondary schools is moderated by internal frustration. The authors suggest that several risk factors, namely, (a) the competitiveness of the education system, (b) socialization processes within families and schools, and (c) developmental changes in females during puberty, may be contributing to the difference between bullying mechanisms in primary and secondary schools. © 2012 The Governors of the University of Alberta.