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Differences in predictors of traditional and cyber-bullying: a 2-year longitudinal study in Korean school children

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Abstract

Traditional bullying has received considerable research but the emerging phenomenon of cyber-bullying much less so. Our study aims to investigate environmental and psychological factors associated with traditional and cyber-bullying. In a school-based 2-year prospective survey, information was collected on 1,344 children aged 10 including bullying behavior/experience, depression, anxiety, coping strategies, self-esteem, and psychopathology. Parents reported demographic data, general health, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. These were investigated in relation to traditional and cyber-bullying perpetration and victimization at age 12. Male gender and depressive symptoms were associated with all types of bullying behavior and experience. Living with a single parent was associated with perpetration of traditional bullying while higher ADHD symptoms were associated with victimization from this. Lower academic achievement and lower self esteem were associated with cyber-bullying perpetration and victimization, and anxiety symptoms with cyber-bullying perpetration. After adjustment, previous bullying perpetration was associated with victimization from cyber-bullying but not other outcomes. Cyber-bullying has differences in predictors from traditional bullying and intervention programmes need to take these into consideration.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to all the families who participated in this study and the school personnel who supported to work. This work has been funded by a grand of the Korea Health 21 R&D, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (A050047). The Ministry of Health and Welfare had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publications. RS is part-funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no competing interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Gangnam Severance Hospital, 211 Eonjuro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-720, Republic of Korea

    Su-Jin Yang

  2. King’s College London (Institute of Psychiatry), London, UK

    Robert Stewart & Michael E. Dewey

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Chonnam National University Medical School, Kwangju, Republic of Korea

    Jae-Min Kim, Sung-Wan Kim, Il-Seon Shin & Jin-Sang Yoon

  4. South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

    Sean Maskey

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  1. Su-Jin Yang
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  2. Robert Stewart
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  4. Sung-Wan Kim
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Correspondence to Su-Jin Yang.

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Yang, SJ., Stewart, R., Kim, JM. et al. Differences in predictors of traditional and cyber-bullying: a 2-year longitudinal study in Korean school children. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 22, 309–318 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-012-0374-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-012-0374-6

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