Question
Being bullied and aggressive behavior are serious problems
that negatively affect schoolchildren’s mental health
and achievement [24]. Olweus [25] defines bullying or
victimization in terms of being bullied, intimidated, or
victimized when students are exposed, repeatedly and over
time, to negative actions from more powerful peers. Such
negative behavior may be manifested in various ways, for
example, as teasing, active exclusion from a social group,
or physical assaults [27].
In a cross-national study of 113,000 students between
the ages of 11 and 15, from 25 countries, involvement in
bullying (as being bullied or as being aggressive toward
others) varied from 5 to 54% across countries [24, 27]. The
estimates differ widely. Prevalence numbers for Norway
are somewhat lower than for most countries [30].
Being bullied is known to be associated with a wide
range of mental health problems. Victims are more anxious
and insecure than other students, in general [25, 26]. The
results of meta-analyses have shown victimization to be
correlated with internalizing problems [15]. According to
Perren and Alsaker [26], victimized children’s lack of
friends might render them psychologically and socially
vulnerable, and thus more prone to becoming easy targets.
In a Swedish study, a substantial proportion of the ado-
lescents in the victim group showed psychiatric symptoms
and functioned socially less well than students not involved
as victims or as aggressive toward others (hereafter,
‘‘noninvolved’’ students) [18]. Nansel and colleagues [24]
report remarkable consistency across countries on the
relationships between bullying and psychosocial adjust-
ment, with persons who bully others and victims both
exhibiting poorer emotional adjustment than those who are
not involved in such behaviors.
In general, individuals who are aggressive and bully
others show externalizing symptoms [18], while findings
concerning internalizing symptoms are less consistent [19].
The long-term effects of both being bullied and being
aggressive in childhood are poor, and are reported to be
potential risk factors for adolescent depression, suicidal
behavior, and self-harm [8, 19, 20, 22, 31, 32]. A worri-
some consequence for students who are aggressive toward
others is susceptibility to future problems of violence and
delinquency [28, 31].
Gender differences have been found in a cross-national
study: boys reported higher rates of aggressive behavior in all
40 countries, and rates of victimization were higher for girls
in 29 of 40 countries [11]. In a large Finnish study, each
gender also had a different risk profile. Male victims were at
risk of anxiety and later suicide attempts and suicide, and
aggressive males were at risk of personality disorders.
However, an aggressive status did not predict any psychiatric
outcomes or suicidal behavior when psychiatric problems in
year 8 were controlled. Among girls, frequent victimization
predicted suicide attempts and suicides even when problem
levels at 8 years of age were controlled for [20, 22].
In the present study, in contrast to other studies, specific
questions about being bullied both at school and on the way
to school were included, in addition to assessment of levels
of being bullied. Being aggressive toward others was
measured by a scale constructed of four items, while other
studies often use a single question. The present study
focused the social behavior of the adolescents, their social
acceptance, their self-esteem as well as their mental health
status, to examine characteristics of bullied and aggressive
students. Social problems represented by extreme shyness
and related characteristics are suggested as a first step to
harassment [13] and were assessed and discussed in the
present study, something that has seldom been done in
earlier research. Although children involved as victims or
as aggressive are more likely to have used mental health
services at some time during their lives [21], the use of
mental health services for such problems might also differ
across countries.
The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of
being bullied and behaving aggressively toward others and
the psychosocial characteristics of exposed students, and to
make comparisons with noninvolved students. In addition,
the help-seeking behaviors of affected students were
addressed, and differences between genders were explored.
summarise the extract shorter
that negatively affect schoolchildren’s mental health
and achievement [24]. Olweus [25] defines bullying or
victimization in terms of being bullied, intimidated, or
victimized when students are exposed, repeatedly and over
time, to negative actions from more powerful peers. Such
negative behavior may be manifested in various ways, for
example, as teasing, active exclusion from a social group,
or physical assaults [27].
In a cross-national study of 113,000 students between
the ages of 11 and 15, from 25 countries, involvement in
bullying (as being bullied or as being aggressive toward
others) varied from 5 to 54% across countries [24, 27]. The
estimates differ widely. Prevalence numbers for Norway
are somewhat lower than for most countries [30].
Being bullied is known to be associated with a wide
range of mental health problems. Victims are more anxious
and insecure than other students, in general [25, 26]. The
results of meta-analyses have shown victimization to be
correlated with internalizing problems [15]. According to
Perren and Alsaker [26], victimized children’s lack of
friends might render them psychologically and socially
vulnerable, and thus more prone to becoming easy targets.
In a Swedish study, a substantial proportion of the ado-
lescents in the victim group showed psychiatric symptoms
and functioned socially less well than students not involved
as victims or as aggressive toward others (hereafter,
‘‘noninvolved’’ students) [18]. Nansel and colleagues [24]
report remarkable consistency across countries on the
relationships between bullying and psychosocial adjust-
ment, with persons who bully others and victims both
exhibiting poorer emotional adjustment than those who are
not involved in such behaviors.
In general, individuals who are aggressive and bully
others show externalizing symptoms [18], while findings
concerning internalizing symptoms are less consistent [19].
The long-term effects of both being bullied and being
aggressive in childhood are poor, and are reported to be
potential risk factors for adolescent depression, suicidal
behavior, and self-harm [8, 19, 20, 22, 31, 32]. A worri-
some consequence for students who are aggressive toward
others is susceptibility to future problems of violence and
delinquency [28, 31].
Gender differences have been found in a cross-national
study: boys reported higher rates of aggressive behavior in all
40 countries, and rates of victimization were higher for girls
in 29 of 40 countries [11]. In a large Finnish study, each
gender also had a different risk profile. Male victims were at
risk of anxiety and later suicide attempts and suicide, and
aggressive males were at risk of personality disorders.
However, an aggressive status did not predict any psychiatric
outcomes or suicidal behavior when psychiatric problems in
year 8 were controlled. Among girls, frequent victimization
predicted suicide attempts and suicides even when problem
levels at 8 years of age were controlled for [20, 22].
In the present study, in contrast to other studies, specific
questions about being bullied both at school and on the way
to school were included, in addition to assessment of levels
of being bullied. Being aggressive toward others was
measured by a scale constructed of four items, while other
studies often use a single question. The present study
focused the social behavior of the adolescents, their social
acceptance, their self-esteem as well as their mental health
status, to examine characteristics of bullied and aggressive
students. Social problems represented by extreme shyness
and related characteristics are suggested as a first step to
harassment [13] and were assessed and discussed in the
present study, something that has seldom been done in
earlier research. Although children involved as victims or
as aggressive are more likely to have used mental health
services at some time during their lives [21], the use of
mental health services for such problems might also differ
across countries.
The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of
being bullied and behaving aggressively toward others and
the psychosocial characteristics of exposed students, and to
make comparisons with noninvolved students. In addition,
the help-seeking behaviors of affected students were
addressed, and differences between genders were explored.
summarise the extract shorter
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Bullying and aggressive behavior among schoolchildren significantly impact their mental health and academic performance. Defined by Olweus, bullying involves repeated negative actions from more powerful peers, manifesting as teasing, exclusion, or physical assault. A study of 113,000 students across 25 countries revealed varied rates of involvement in bullying (5-54%). Victims often experience higher anxiety and social vulnerability, while both victims and aggressors face poorer emotional adjustment. Long-term effects include risks for depression, suicidal behavior, and delinquency. Gender differences show boys report more aggression, while girls face higher victimization rates. This study uniquely assessed students' experiences of bullying both at school and en route, measuring aggression with a multi-item scale. It aimed to evaluate the prevalence of bullying and aggression, examine psychosocial characteristics, and explore help-seeking behaviors, considering gender differences in outcomes and mental health service usage.