Diagnostic criteria for postbullying disorder: A phenomenological research design of bullying victims

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic criteria for postbullying disorder, which enable the persons who provide therapy services for bullying victims, because until now, there are no criteria to help clinicians diagnose postbullying disorder. This study employed phenomenological research design. Purposive sampling was adopted to sample six university students who are experiencing the bullying behavior from their colleagues in the university campus. The results revealed that there are eight criteria for diagnosing postbullying disorder among victims. These are trauma exposure, symptoms of penetration, avoidance, perception and negative emotions, self-destructive behavior, dysfunction due to symptoms, duration (1 month or more) of symptoms, and the criteria that the bullying symptoms cannot be attributed to the use of substances or drugs of another medical conditions. Results shed new light on the diagnostic criteria for postbullying disorder and proved the usefulness of these criteria in understanding the development of the postbullying symptoms among victims. These findings enable schools and universities to plan psychotherapy interventions for victims.