Predicting bullying and victimization among early adolescents: Associations with disruptive behavior disorders

Bullying is a common problem faced by children and adolescents in schools. One hypothesis that needs to be examined regarding the causation of this problem is whether being a bully or a victim may stem from disparate underlying patterns of psychopathology. Results are particularly scarce regarding the association between bully-victim problems and disruptive behavior disorders. The present study sought to investigate the association between DSM-IV symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), and bully-victim problems in a sample of 202 adolescents, aged 12-15, attending two junior high schools in Cyprus, to determine whether these symptoms differentiate between bullies and victims and provide a new approach to the understanding of bully-victim problems. Students completed measures of bullying, victimization, disruptive behavior disorder symptoms, and self-esteem, along with demographic questions. On the basis of their responses, teenagers were classified as bullies, victims, or both bullies and victims. Those who were bully/victims reported greater CD symptomatology. CD and low self-esteem were predictive of bullying, whereas ODD and low self-esteem were predictive of victimization. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.