Bullying Victimisation, Internalising Symptoms, and Conduct Problems in South African Children and Adolescents: A Longitudinal Investigation
Abstract
Bullying victimisation has been prospectively linked with mental health problems among children and adolescents in longitudinal studies in the developed world. However, research from the developing world, where adolescents face multiple risks to social and emotional development, has been limited by cross-sectional designs. This is the first longitudinal study of the psychological impacts of bullying victimisation in South Africa. The primary aim was to examine prospective relationships between bullying victimisation and internalising and externalising symptoms in South African youth. Secondary aims were to examine gender and age-related differences in experiences of bullying victimisation. Children and adolescents (10-17 years, 57 % female, n = 3,515) from high HIV-prevalent (>30 %) communities in South Africa were interviewed and followed-up 1 year later (97 % retention). Census enumeration areas were randomly selected from urban and rural sites in two provinces and door-to-door sampling included all households with a resident child/adolescent. Exposure to multiple experiences of bullying victimisation at baseline predicted internalising symptoms and conduct problems 1 year later. Additionally, baseline mental health scores predicted later bullying victimisation, demonstrating bi-directionality of relationships between bullying victimisation and mental health outcomes in this sample. Expected gender differences in physical, verbal, and relational bullying victimisation were…
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When emotional symptoms are assessed broadly (both anxiety and depressive symptoms), they are reciprocally associated with peer victimisation.
“The few cross‐lagged studies that have assessed emotional symptoms broadly (i.e., both anxiety and depressive symptoms) consistently show that emotional symptoms are reciprocally associated with peer victimisation, thereby supporting the transactional model (e.g., Boyes, Bowes, Cluver, Ward, & Badcock, 2014; Smith et al., 2022).”
From A cross‐lagged twin study of emotional symptoms, social isolation and peer victimisation from early adolescence to emerging adulthood (2023) · cites this paper as Boyes, Bowes, Cluver, Ward, & Badcock, 2014
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“…have assessed emotional symptoms broadly (i.e., both anxiety and depressive symptoms) consistently show that emotional symptoms are reciprocally associated with peer victimisation, thereby supporting the transactional model (e.g., Boyes, Bowes, Cluver, Ward, & Badcock, 2014; Smith et al., 2022).”
Result
- Authors
- Boyes, M. E., Bowes, L., Cluver, L. D., Ward, C. L., & Badcock, N. A.
- Affiliations
- Curtin University (AU)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Boyes, Mark E.
- Venue
- Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
- Published
- 2014-06-03
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1313-1324
- ISSN
- 0091-0627 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-2835
- OpenAlex
- W2062903223
- Cited by
- 79
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 9.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eSpace (Curtin University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
- National Research Foundation
- Economic and Social Research Council (ES/H001743/1)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Workplace Violence and Bullying
- Keywords
- bullying victimization, internalizing problems, conduct problems, children and adolescents, South Africa, gender differences, age differences, physical bullying, verbal bullying, relational bullying, bidirectional relationship, bullying prevention programs, mental health
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Anxiety, Child, Depression, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Poverty, South Africa, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Crime Victims, Conduct Disorder, Bullying
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