Bullying: Adolescent victims and aggressors. implication in cycles of violence

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. An ecological and systems approach was used as a framework for analyzing the multiple associations between bullying and other adolescent violent risk behaviors, accounting for gender and educational streaming. METHOD. This cross-sectional study −both of a descriptive and relational nature−, analyzed the results obtained from an anonymous, self-reporting questionnaire administered to a sample of 433 adolescents from 4 High Schools and Vocational Training Centres in metropolitan Bilbao. RESULTS. There were differences in bullying according to gender, with a higher prevalence among boys at High School, and no significant differences amongst students of Basic Vocational Training. There was also a link found both with boys and girls in the victimization and reproduction of school violence, being in many cases both aggressors and victims at the same time. Furthermore, being a victim of bullying shows associations with involvement in other violent behaviors such as teen dating violence and antisocial behavior, as well as with violence in the school environment, with differences according to gender. DISCUSSION. Data obtained were discussed in the context of other studies. The concept of the cycle of violence was incorporated, where roles and behaviors entailing the risk of violence interchange. The same person tends to be involved in different violent behaviors; bullying, cyberbullying, partner violence, and antisocial or infracting behavior in different roles (aggressor and victim). An interesting area of study that could frame various socio-educational interventions with adolescents is that of considering them not only as victims or aggressors, but also as the possibility of so-called aggressive victims (double role) and their involvement in different types of violence.