Measuring Bullying Victimization, Perpetration, and Bystander Experiences: A Compendium of Assessment Tools National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Division of Violence Prevention Measuring Bullying Victimization, Perpetration, and Bystander Experiences: A Compendium of Assessment Tools is a publication of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Director National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Linda C. Degutis, DrPH, MSN, Director Division of Violence Prevention W. Rodney Hammond, PhD, Director Suggested Citation: Hamburger ME, Basile KC, Vivolo AM. Measuring Bullying Victimization, Perpetration, and Bystander Experiences: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2011. Measuring Bullying Victimization, Perpetration, and Bystander Experiences: A Compendium of Assessment Tools Compiled and Edited by Merle E. Hamburger, PhD Kathleen C. Basile, PhD Alana M. Vivolo, MPH, CHES Atlanta, Georgia 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Division of Violence Prevention 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS-F64 Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3742 www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention Acknowledgments We would like to acknowledge several colleagues who contributed to this document: Renee Wilson- Simmons, DrPH, and Anna Wang, PhD, conducted much of the initial research that led to the creation of this compendium; Elizabeth Gaylor assisted with editing; and the following CDC colleagues provided valuable feedback: E. Lynn Jenkins, PhD Linda Dahlberg, PhD Mikel Walters, PhD We also want to thank Alida Knuth and Peggy Dana for editing, layout, and design assistance. Contents Introduction. 1 Section A Bully - Only Scales ..................................... 7 Section B Victim - Only Scales .................................. 15 Section C Bully and Victim Scales ................................37 Section D Bystander, Bully, and/or Victim Scales . 67 References ..........................................111 Appendix ...........................................117 Scale Index .........................................119 Introduction and Definition of the Problem Bullying, particularly among school-age children, Studies indicate that bullying experiences are is a major public health problem both domestically associated with a number of behavioral, emotional, and internationally (Nansel, Craig, Overpeck, and physical adjustment problems. Adolescents Saluja, & Ruan, 2004). Current estimates suggest who bully others tend to exhibit other defiant that nearly 30% of American adolescents reported and delinquent behaviors, have poor school at least moderate bullying experiences as the bully, performance, be more likely to drop-out of school, the victim, or both. Specifically, of a nationally and be more likely to bring weapons to school representative sample of adolescents, 13% reported (e.g., Berthold & Hoover, 2000; Nansel et al., 2003; being a bully, 11% reported being a victim of Nansel et al., 2004; Sourander, Helstela, Helenius, bullying, and 6% reported being both a bully and a & Piha, 2000). Victims of bullying tend to report victim (Nansel et al., 2001). feelings of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, How bullying experiences are defined and and isolation; poor school performance; suicidal measured, however, varies greatly. Much of the ideation; and suicide attempts (e.g., Bond, Carlin, work on bullying has adopted the definition Thomas, Ruin, & Patton, 2001; Eisenberg, Neumark- of Daniel Olweus, whose work in the 1990s Sztainer, & Perry, 2003; Gladstone, Parker, & Malhi, increased attention on bullying as a research topic. 2006; Hawker & Boulton, 2000; Klomeck, Marrocco, According to Olweus, a person is bullied when Kleinman, Schonfeld, & Gould, 2007; Nansel he or she is exposed repeatedly over time to et al., 2004; Sourander et al., 2000). Evidence negative actions by one or more others, excluding further suggests that people who are the victims cases where two children of similar physical and of bullying and who also perpetrate bullying (i.e., psychological strength are fighting (Olweus, 1994). bully-victims) may exhibit the poorest functioning, Olweus added that bullying can be direct (open in comparison with either victims or bullies (e.g., attacks that are physical or verbal in nature) and Nansel et al., 2004). Emotional and behavioral indirect (exclusion). Since the 1990s, researchers problems experienced by victims, bullies, and bully- have modified Olweus’ definition of bullying, for victims may continue into adulthood and produce example, to assess the difference in power between long-term negative outcomes, including low self- bullies and victims (e.g., Vaillancourt, Hymel, & esteem and self-worth, depression, antisocial McDougall, 2003). Regarding measurement, some behavior, vandalism, drug use and abuse, criminal scholars provide respondents with a definition behavior, gang membership, and suicidal ideation of bullying similar to Olweus’ definition (e.g., (e.g., Nansel et al., 2001; Gladstone et al., 2006; Nansel, Overpeck, Haynie, Ruan, & Schiedt, Hugh-Jones & Smith, 1999; Olweus, 1994). 2003) before inquiring about their experiences In the bullying literature, the experiences of with bullying, while others measure bullying by bystanders—that is, individuals who watch providing behaviorally specific questions, such bullying happen or hear about it—have largely as the frequency of name-calling or hitting (e.g., been overlooked (Twemlow, Fonagy, & Sacco, Bosworth, Espelage, & Simon, 1999). 2004). What is known is that youth who witness Despite the variability in the literature, scholars bullying often report increased feelings of guilt agree that bullying experiences include not only or helplessness for not confronting the bully physical aggression, but also verbal aggression, and/or supporting the victim (Hoover, Oliver, & including verbal harassment, spreading rumors, or Hazler, 1992; O’Connell, Pepler, & Craig, 1999). social rejection and isolation. Moreover, research Additionally, adolescent bystanders may separate suggests that boys are more likely to engage in themselves from a bullied peer to avoid being physical aggression, while verbal aggression, often bullied (Salmivalli, 2001). called relational aggression, is more common among girls (e.g., Baldry & Farrington, 2000; Nansel et al., 2001; Rivers & Smith, 1994). 1 Purpose of the Compendium among adolescents and young adults. These This compendium provides researchers, terms were used to conduct searches of multiple prevention specialists, and health educators with electronic databases, which yielded a variety of tools to measure a range of bullying experiences: different measures and scales. bully perpetration, bully victimization, bully- We used the following inclusion criteria: victim experiences, and bystander experiences. • To maximize inclusiveness of our review of Some researchers continue to examine the measures, we included a measure if the article in risk and protective factors associated with which it was published referred to the construct bullying experiences. Others are working “bullying,” even if the authors did not assess the to design, implement, and evaluate bully power differential and chronicity of the target prevention interventions aimed at reducing behavior or did not label the behavior as bullying bully victimization and perpetration, as well as for the research participants. increasing prosocial bystander involvement in • The measure had to assess constructs related to bullying situations. The ability to measure bullying bullying, such as physical aggression, relational experiences broadly and completely is crucial to aggression, sexualized and homophobic the success of these activities. bullying, and bystander experiences. Given that numerous measures of bullying • The measure had to have been administered to experiences exist, researchers and practitioners— respondents between 12 and 20 years of age. particularly those new to the field—may find it challenging to identify which of the available • Since the bulk of work on bullying began in measures is appropriate for assessing a particular the 1990s, the measures had to be developed bullying experience. This compendium represents a or revised between 1990 and 2007 (when the starting point from which researchers can consider review of literature was concluded). a set of psychometrically sound measures for • Measures had to be self-administered in English. assessing self-reported incidence and prevalence of • The measure had to be published in a a variety of bullying experiences. peer-reviewed journal or book, including psychometric information about the measure, What the Compendium Includes when available. This compendium contains 33 measures, which If the authors modified a measure, and the were selected using specific procedures. Bullying psychometric properties of the modified version search terms were drawn from a review of the had been published, we included only the modified most salient literature on bullying victimization version of the measure in the compendium. The current compendium contains more bullying and 2 and perpetration as well as bystander experiences victimization measures than it does bully-victim or information about each of the measures in the bystander measures. This likely reflects the