Question
Being bullied was measured by three items concerning
teasing, exclusion, and physical assault [3], each rated on a
0- to 5-point scale from ‘‘never’’ to ‘‘more than three times
a week’’ during the past 6 months, in school or on the way
to school. The following items were used: ‘‘I am being
804 Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry (2010) 19:803–811
123
made a fool of, teased in a painful way, or somebody has
said mean things to me’’ (teasing); ‘‘Sometimes somebody
is intentionally excluded by fellow students, or somebody
is not allowed to come along. Has such a thing also hap-
pened to you?’’ (exclusion); and ‘‘I am tormented, beaten,
pulled by the hair, kicked, or attacked in a bad way’’
(physical assault). These items have previously been used
in Norwegian studies [2, 3]. The total sum score on the
being bullied scale was determined; this ranged from 0 to
15. The scale has good internal consistency, with a Cron-
bach’s alpha coefficient of 0.68. A dichotomized variable
was constructed, including students who were exposed
once a week or more (‘‘frequently’’) during the past
6 months to any of the items versus students who had not
reported being bullied or had reported being bullied only
once or twice during the past 6 months, consistent with the
cutoff made by Roland [27].
Aggressive behavior toward others
A composite scale was constructed from four items from
the Youth Self-Report (YSR) [1] that describe aggressive
behavior: ‘‘I treat others badly’’; ‘‘I physically attack peo-
ple’’; ‘‘I tease others a lot’’; and ‘‘I threaten to hurt people’’.
The time range was the previous 6 months. No specific
attempts were made to make the students aware that these
items could represent a bullying focus. Each item was rated
on a 0–2 scale: 0 = ‘‘not true’’; 1 = ‘‘somewhat or
sometimes true’’; 2 = ‘‘very true or often true’’. A total
sum score was determined. This scale ranged from 0 to 8.
The internal consistency of the scale was 0.69. The variable
was dichotomized to ‘‘often’’ versus ‘‘not true or some-
times’’ being aggressive toward others during the past
6 months on any of the items.
Emotional and behavioral problems
The YSR [1] is a widely used self-reporting measure for
assessing social competence and mental health problems
among adolescents aged 11–18 years. A Norwegian version
of the YSR was used to assess students’ psychosocial
problems [23]. The YSR consists of 103 problem items rated
on a 0- to 2-point scale: 0 = ‘‘not true’’; 1 = ‘‘somewhat or
sometimes true’’; 2 = ‘‘very true or often true’’. The time
range was the past 6 months. The YSR consists of nine
subscales, and all of the subscales were used in the present
study. The social problem subscale included items like ‘‘I act
too young for my age,’’‘‘I am not liked by other kids,’’‘‘I
keep from getting involved with others,’’ and ‘‘I am too
dependent on adults’’.
The instrument had construct validity and good test–
retest reliability [1]. In the present study, a Cronbach’s
alpha of 0.89 on the sum score scale was found. The alpha
values for the seven subscales ranged from 0.65 to 0.86
(except for withdrawn, 0.57, and social problems, 0.58).
Participants who omitted more than eight items on the YSR
were excluded from the analyses, in accordance with
the manual instructions; this excluded 10.9% of the
adolescents.
Depressive symptoms
The Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) is a 34-item
questionnaire designed for children and adolescents aged
8–18 years, who report depressive symptoms as specified
by the DSM-III-R diagnostic system [5]. The individual is
asked to report on his or her feelings during the preceding
2 weeks on a 3-point scale (‘‘not true’’, ‘‘sometimes true’’,
and ‘‘true’’). The total score range is 0–68. High scores
represent high depressive symptom levels. In the present
sample, 3-week and 2-month test–retest reliabilities have
been reported to be r = 0.84 and r = 0.80, respectively
[33], while internal consistency was alpha = 0.91, and
convergent validity with the Beck depression inventory
was r = 0.91. The MFQ has been validated using clinical
samples [12, 36].
Self-esteem
Self-esteem was measured using a revised version of The
self-perception profile for adolescents (SPPA) [14, 35]. The
SPPA consists of several subscales. Each domain is mea-
sured by five items and is scored on a 4-point scale from
‘‘applies very well’’ to ‘‘applies very badly’’. In this study,
the three following subscales were included: global self-
worth, social acceptance, and physical appearance. Internal
consistencies, as assessed by Cronbach’s alpha, for the sub-
scales global self-worth and social acceptance were 0.80
and 0.89 for the subscale physical appearance. High mean
item scores represent high self-esteem on the three scales
(range 1–4).
summarise the above extract short
teasing, exclusion, and physical assault [3], each rated on a
0- to 5-point scale from ‘‘never’’ to ‘‘more than three times
a week’’ during the past 6 months, in school or on the way
to school. The following items were used: ‘‘I am being
804 Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry (2010) 19:803–811
123
made a fool of, teased in a painful way, or somebody has
said mean things to me’’ (teasing); ‘‘Sometimes somebody
is intentionally excluded by fellow students, or somebody
is not allowed to come along. Has such a thing also hap-
pened to you?’’ (exclusion); and ‘‘I am tormented, beaten,
pulled by the hair, kicked, or attacked in a bad way’’
(physical assault). These items have previously been used
in Norwegian studies [2, 3]. The total sum score on the
being bullied scale was determined; this ranged from 0 to
15. The scale has good internal consistency, with a Cron-
bach’s alpha coefficient of 0.68. A dichotomized variable
was constructed, including students who were exposed
once a week or more (‘‘frequently’’) during the past
6 months to any of the items versus students who had not
reported being bullied or had reported being bullied only
once or twice during the past 6 months, consistent with the
cutoff made by Roland [27].
Aggressive behavior toward others
A composite scale was constructed from four items from
the Youth Self-Report (YSR) [1] that describe aggressive
behavior: ‘‘I treat others badly’’; ‘‘I physically attack peo-
ple’’; ‘‘I tease others a lot’’; and ‘‘I threaten to hurt people’’.
The time range was the previous 6 months. No specific
attempts were made to make the students aware that these
items could represent a bullying focus. Each item was rated
on a 0–2 scale: 0 = ‘‘not true’’; 1 = ‘‘somewhat or
sometimes true’’; 2 = ‘‘very true or often true’’. A total
sum score was determined. This scale ranged from 0 to 8.
The internal consistency of the scale was 0.69. The variable
was dichotomized to ‘‘often’’ versus ‘‘not true or some-
times’’ being aggressive toward others during the past
6 months on any of the items.
Emotional and behavioral problems
The YSR [1] is a widely used self-reporting measure for
assessing social competence and mental health problems
among adolescents aged 11–18 years. A Norwegian version
of the YSR was used to assess students’ psychosocial
problems [23]. The YSR consists of 103 problem items rated
on a 0- to 2-point scale: 0 = ‘‘not true’’; 1 = ‘‘somewhat or
sometimes true’’; 2 = ‘‘very true or often true’’. The time
range was the past 6 months. The YSR consists of nine
subscales, and all of the subscales were used in the present
study. The social problem subscale included items like ‘‘I act
too young for my age,’’‘‘I am not liked by other kids,’’‘‘I
keep from getting involved with others,’’ and ‘‘I am too
dependent on adults’’.
The instrument had construct validity and good test–
retest reliability [1]. In the present study, a Cronbach’s
alpha of 0.89 on the sum score scale was found. The alpha
values for the seven subscales ranged from 0.65 to 0.86
(except for withdrawn, 0.57, and social problems, 0.58).
Participants who omitted more than eight items on the YSR
were excluded from the analyses, in accordance with
the manual instructions; this excluded 10.9% of the
adolescents.
Depressive symptoms
The Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) is a 34-item
questionnaire designed for children and adolescents aged
8–18 years, who report depressive symptoms as specified
by the DSM-III-R diagnostic system [5]. The individual is
asked to report on his or her feelings during the preceding
2 weeks on a 3-point scale (‘‘not true’’, ‘‘sometimes true’’,
and ‘‘true’’). The total score range is 0–68. High scores
represent high depressive symptom levels. In the present
sample, 3-week and 2-month test–retest reliabilities have
been reported to be r = 0.84 and r = 0.80, respectively
[33], while internal consistency was alpha = 0.91, and
convergent validity with the Beck depression inventory
was r = 0.91. The MFQ has been validated using clinical
samples [12, 36].
Self-esteem
Self-esteem was measured using a revised version of The
self-perception profile for adolescents (SPPA) [14, 35]. The
SPPA consists of several subscales. Each domain is mea-
sured by five items and is scored on a 4-point scale from
‘‘applies very well’’ to ‘‘applies very badly’’. In this study,
the three following subscales were included: global self-
worth, social acceptance, and physical appearance. Internal
consistencies, as assessed by Cronbach’s alpha, for the sub-
scales global self-worth and social acceptance were 0.80
and 0.89 for the subscale physical appearance. High mean
item scores represent high self-esteem on the three scales
(range 1–4).
summarise the above extract short
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The extract outlines the assessment of bullying, aggressive behavior, emotional and behavioral problems, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem among adolescents.
1. **Bullying**: Measured by three items (teasing, exclusion, physical assault) on a 0-5 scale. Total scores ranged from 0 to 15, with good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.68). A dichotomized variable classified students as "frequently" bullied if exposed at least once a week.
2. **Aggressive Behavior**: Assessed using a composite scale from the Youth Self-Report (YSR) with four items rated on a 0-2 scale. The total score ranged from 0 to 8 (internal consistency alpha = 0.69), with a dichotomized variable for "often" aggressive behaviors.
3. **Emotional and Behavioral Problems**: The YSR assesses social competence and mental health in adolescents with a total of 103 items. The tool showed strong internal consistency (alpha = 0.89) and identified various psychosocial issues. Participants omitting more than eight items were excluded (10.9%).
4. **Depressive Symptoms**: Measured using the Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ), which has 34 items rated on a 3-point scale. High scores indicate severe depressive symptoms, with internal consistency (alpha = 0.91) and strong test-retest reliability.
5. **Self-Esteem**: Evaluated with a revised self-perception profile for adolescents (SPPA) focusing on global self-worth, social acceptance, and physical appearance. Internal consistency for these subscales was high (0.80 to 0.89).
Overall, the study utilized various validated instruments to measure the mental health and self-esteem of adolescents, highlighting the prevalence of bullying and its associated behavioral and emotional issues.
1. **Bullying**: Measured by three items (teasing, exclusion, physical assault) on a 0-5 scale. Total scores ranged from 0 to 15, with good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.68). A dichotomized variable classified students as "frequently" bullied if exposed at least once a week.
2. **Aggressive Behavior**: Assessed using a composite scale from the Youth Self-Report (YSR) with four items rated on a 0-2 scale. The total score ranged from 0 to 8 (internal consistency alpha = 0.69), with a dichotomized variable for "often" aggressive behaviors.
3. **Emotional and Behavioral Problems**: The YSR assesses social competence and mental health in adolescents with a total of 103 items. The tool showed strong internal consistency (alpha = 0.89) and identified various psychosocial issues. Participants omitting more than eight items were excluded (10.9%).
4. **Depressive Symptoms**: Measured using the Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ), which has 34 items rated on a 3-point scale. High scores indicate severe depressive symptoms, with internal consistency (alpha = 0.91) and strong test-retest reliability.
5. **Self-Esteem**: Evaluated with a revised self-perception profile for adolescents (SPPA) focusing on global self-worth, social acceptance, and physical appearance. Internal consistency for these subscales was high (0.80 to 0.89).
Overall, the study utilized various validated instruments to measure the mental health and self-esteem of adolescents, highlighting the prevalence of bullying and its associated behavioral and emotional issues.