Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Specifying Type and Location of Peer Victimization in a National Sample of Children and Youth

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Much of the existing research on the prevalence and consequences of peer victimization focuses on “bullying” at school, often omitting from consideration non-bullying types of peer victimization as well as events that occur outside of school. The purpose of this study was to examine past-year exposure to peer-perpetrated victimization, occurring both within and outside of school contexts, among school-aged children in the United States. The study is based on a representative sample of 2,999 youth ages 6–17 (50% female; 45% non-white) from the 2008 National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV). Findings revealed age, gender, race, and family structure variations in many forms of peer victimization and demonstrated significant independent and cumulative effects of six different types of peer victimization (physical assault, physical intimidation, emotional victimization, sexual victimization, property crime, and internet harassment) on trauma symptoms. Findings also showed that, although victimization at school is substantial, a considerable proportion of peer victimizations occur away from school contexts. The findings highlight the importance of comprehensive measurement of multiple forms of peer victimization that occur both at school and elsewhere, rather than focusing exclusively on traditional measures of school-focused bullying.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acierno, R., Resnick, H., Kilpatrick, D. G., & Stark-Riemer, W. (2003). Assessing elder victimization: Demonstration of a methodology. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 38(11), 644–653.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Atrostic, B. K., Bates, N., Burt, G., & Silberstein, A. (2001). Nonresponse in U.S. government household surveys: consistent measures, recent trends, and new insights. Journal of Official Statistics, 17(2), 209–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Babbie, E. (2007). The practice of social research (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bajos, N., Spira, A., Ducot, B., & Messiah, A. (1992). Analysis of sexual behavior in France (ACSF): A comparison between two modes of investigation: Telephone survey and face-to-face survey. AIDS, 6(3), 315–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bermack, E. (1989). Effects of telephone & face-to-face communication on rated extent of self-disclosure by female college students. Psychological Reports, 65(1), 259–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Briere, J. (1996). Trauma symptoms checklist for children (TSCC): Professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

    Google Scholar 

  • Briere, J., Johnson, K., Bissada, A., Damon, L., Crouch, J., Gil, E., et al. (2001). The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC): Reliability and association with abuse exposure in a multi-site study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 25, 1001–1014.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cornell, D. G., & Loper, A. B. (1998). Assessment of violence and other high-risk behaviors with a school survey. School Psychology Review, 27(2), 317–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Currie, C., Nic Gabhainn, S., Godeau, E., Roberts, C., Smith, R., & Currie, D. (2008). Inequalities in young people’s health: Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) International Report from 2005/2006 Survey. Copenhagen, Denmark: WHO Regional Office for Europe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtin, R., Presser, S., & Singer, E. (2000). The effects of response rate changes on the index of consumer sentiment. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64, 413–428.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Curtin, R., Presser, S., & Singer, E. (2005). Changes in telephone survey nonresponse over the past quarter century. Public Opinion Quarterly, 69(1), 87–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Czaja, R. (1987). Asking sensitive behavioral questions in telephone interviews. International Quarterly of Community Health Education, 8(1), 23–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Voe, J. F., Peter, K., Kaufman, P., Miller, A., Noonan, M., Snyder, T. D., et al. (2004). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2004 (No. NCES 2005–002/NCJ 205290). Washington, DC: US Department of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Esbensen, F.-A., & Carson, D. C. (2009). Consequences of being bullied: Results from a longitudinal assessment of bullying victimization in a multisite sample of American students. Youth & Society, 41(2), 209–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Felix, E. D., Furlong, M. J., & Austin, G. (2009). A cluster analytic investigation of school violence victimization among diverse students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24(10), 1673–1695.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finkelhor, D., Hamby, S. L., Ormrod, R. K., & Turner, H. A. (2005a). The JVQ: Reliability, validity, and national norms. Child Abuse and Neglect, 29(4), 383–412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R. K., & Turner, H. A. (2007). Poly-victimization: A neglected component in child victimization trauma. Child Abuse and Neglect, 31, 7–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R. K., Turner, H. A., & Hamby, S. L. (2005b). Measuring poly-victimization using the JVQ. Child Abuse and Neglect, 29(11), 1297–1312.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R. K., Turner, H. A., & Hamby, S. L. (2005c). The victimization of children and youth: A comprehensive, national survey. Child Maltreatment, 10(1), 5–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R., Turner, H. A., & Hamby, S. L. (2011). School, police, and medical authority involvement with children who have experienced victimization. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 165(1), 9–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finkelhor, D., Turner, H. A., Ormrod, R., & Hamby, S. L. (2009). Violence, abuse, and crime exposure in a national sample of children and youth. Pediatrics, 124(5), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groves, R. M. (2006). Nonresponse rates and nonresponse bias in household surveys. Public Opinion Quarterly, 70(5), 646–675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamby, S. L., Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R. K., & Turner, H. A. (2004). The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ): Administration and Scoring Manual. Durham, NH: Crimes against Children Research Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanish, L. D., Eisenberg, N., Fabes, R. A., Spinrad, T. L., Ryan, P., & Schmidt, S. (2004). The expression and regulation of negative emotions: Risk factors for young children’s peer victimization. Development & Psychopathology, 16, 335–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawker, D., & Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty years’ research on peer victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: A meta- analytic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41(4), 441–455.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D. G. (1999). Personal and interpersonal antecedents and consequences of victimization by peers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 677–685.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Juvonen, J., & Gross, E. F. (2008). Bullying experiences in cyberspace. The Journal of School Health, 78, 496–505.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keeter, S., Kennedy, C., Dimock, M., Best, J., & Craighill, P. (2006). Gauging the impact of growing nonresponse on estimates from a national RDD telephone survey. Public Opinion Quarterly, 70(5), 759–779.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keeter, S., Miller, C., Kohut, A., Groves, R. M., & Presser, S. (2000). Consequences of reducing nonresponse in a national telephone survey. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64, 125–148.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, Y. S., Leventhal, B. L., Koh, Y.-J., Hubbard, A., & Boyce, W. T. (2006). School bullying and youth violence: Causes or consequences of psychopathologic behavior? Archives of General Psychiatry, 63, 1035–1041.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marin, G., & Marin, B. (1989). A comparison of three interviewing approaches for studying sensitive topics with Hispanics. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 11(4), 330–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAuliffe, W. E., Geller, S., LaBrie, R., Paletz, S., & Fournier, E. (1998). Are telephone surveys suitable for studying substance abuse? Cost, administration, coverage and response rate issues. Journal of Drug Issues, 28(2), 455–481.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGee, R. A., Wolfe, D. A., Yuen, S. A., Wilson, S. K., & Carnachan, J. (1995). The measurement of maltreatment: A comparison of approaches. Child Abuse and Neglect, 19, 233–249.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Merkle, D., & Edelman, M. (2002). Nonresponse in exit polls: A comprehensive analysis. In R. M. Groves, D. A. Dillman, J. L. Eltinge, & R. J. A. Little (Eds.), Survey nonresponse (pp. 343–358). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. C. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. JAMA, 285(16), 2094–2100.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olweus, D. (1993). Bullies on the playground: The role of victimization. In C. H. Hart (Ed.), Children of playgrounds: Research perspectives and applications (pp. 85–128). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olweus, D. (1996). Bullying at school: Knowledge base and an effective intervention program. In C. F. Ferris & T. Grisso (Eds.), Understanding aggressive behavior in children: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (Vol. 794 (pp. 265–276). New York: New York Academy of Sciences.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olweus, D., & Limber, S. P. (2010). Bullying in school: Evaluation and dissemination of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(1), 124–134.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pruchno, R. A., & Hayden, J. M. (2000). Interview modality: Effects on costs and data quality in a sample of older women. Journal of Aging and Health, 12(1), 3–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reijntjes, A., Kamphuis, J. H., Prinzie, P., & Telch, M. J. (2010). Peer victimization and internalizing problems in children: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34, 244–252.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rigby, K. (2003). Consequences of bullying in schools. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48, 583–590.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, W., & Smith, J. D. (2009). Antibullying programs in schools: How effective are evaluation practices? Prevention Science, 10(3), 248–259.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., Gorman, A. H., Nakamoto, J., & Toblin, R. L. (2005). Victimization in the peer group and children’s academic functioning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 425–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, E. (2006). Introduction: Nonresponse bias in household surveys. Public Opinion Quarterly, 70(5), 637–645.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solberg, M. E., & Olweus, D. (2003). Prevalence estimation of school bullying with the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Aggressive Behavior, 29, 239–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spriggs, A. L., Iannotti, R. J., Nansel, T. R., & Haynie, D. L. (2007). Adolescent bullying involvement and perceived family, peer and school relations: Commonalities and differences across race/ethnicity. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(3), 283–293.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Storch, E. A., & Ledley, D. R. (2005). Peer victimization and psychosocial adjustment in children: Current knowledge and future directions. Clinical Pediatrics, 44, 29–38.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A. (2002). I’ll call you back on my mobile: a critique of the telephone interview with adolescent boys. Westminster Studies in Education, 25(1), 19–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tokunaga, R. S. (2010). Following you home from school: A critical review and synthesis of research on cyberbullying victimization. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 277–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, H. A., Finkelhor, D., & Ormrod, R. (2010). Poly-victimization in a national sample of children & youth. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 38(3), 323–330.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vaillancourt, T., Trinh, V., McDougall, P., Duku, E., Cunningham, L., Cunningham, C., et al. (2010). Optimizing population screening of bullying in school-aged children. Journal of School Violence, 9, 233–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weeks, M. F., Kulka, R. A., Lessler, J. T., & Whitmore, R. W. (1983). Personal versus telephone surveys from collecting household health data at the local level. American Journal of Public Health, 73(12), 1389–1394.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

For the purposes of compliance with Section 507 of PL 104–208 (the “Stevens Amendment”), readers are advised that 100% of the funds for this program are derived from federal sources, (this project was supported by Grant No. 2006-JW-BX-0003) awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice). The total amount of federal funding involved is $2,709,912. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA

    Heather A. Turner, David Finkelhor, Anne Shattuck & Richard K. Ormrod

  2. Sewanee, The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA

    Sherry L. Hamby

Authors
  1. Heather A. Turner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Finkelhor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sherry L. Hamby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anne Shattuck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Richard K. Ormrod
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heather A. Turner.

Appendices

Appendix 1

NATSEV Screeners Used to Define Peer Victimization Types (Only incidents with non-family juvenile perpetrators counted)

Peer Property Victimization

C1.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did anyone use force to take something away from (your child/you) that (he/she was/you were) carrying or wearing?

C2.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did anyone steal something from (your child/you) and never give it back? Things like a backpack, money, watch, clothing, bike, stereo, or anything else?

C3.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did anyone break or ruin any of (your child’s/your) things on purpose?

Peer Physical Assault

C4.:

Sometimes people are attacked with sticks, rocks, guns, knives, or other things that would hurt. At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did anyone hit or attack (your child/you) on purpose with an object or weapon? Somewhere like: at home, at school, at a store, in a car, on the street, or anywhere else?

C5.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did anyone hit or attack (your child/you) WITHOUT using an object or weapon?

C6.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did someone start to attack (your child/you), but for some reason, it didn’t happen? For example, someone helped (your child/you) or (your child/you) got away?

C9.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, (has your child/have you) been hit or attacked because of (your child’s/your) skin color, religion, or where (your child’s/your) family comes from? Because of a physical problem (your child has/you have)? Or because someone said (your child was/you were) gay?

P1.:

Sometimes groups of kids or gangs attack people. At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did a group of kids or a gang hit, jump, or attack (your child/you)?

P2.:

(If yes to P1, say: “Other than what you just told me about…”) At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did any kid, even a brother or sister, hit (your child/you)? Somewhere like: at home, at school, out playing, in a store, or anywhere else?

P3.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did any kids try to hurt (your child’s/your) private parts on purpose by hitting or kicking (your child/you) there?

P6.:

At any time in your life, did a boyfriend or girlfriend or anyone you went on a date with slap or hit you?

Peer Physical Imtimidation (Formerly Referred to as Physical Bullying)

P4.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did any kids, even a brother or sister, pick on (your child/you) by chasing (your child/you) or grabbing (your child/you) or by making (him/her/you) do something (he/she/you) didn’t want to do?

Peer Emotional Victimization (Formerly Referred to as Emotional Bullying)

P5.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did (your child/you) get really scared or feel really bad because kids were calling (him/her/you) names, saying mean things to (him/her/you), or saying they didn’t want (him/her/you) around?

Peer Sexual Victimization

S3.:

Now think about other kids, like from school, a boy friend or girl friend, or even a brother or sister. At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did another child or teen make (your child/you) do sexual things?

S4.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did anyone TRY to force (your child/you) to have sex, that is sexual intercourse of any kind, even if it didn’t happen?

S5.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did anyone make (your child/you) look at their private parts by using force or surprise, or by “flashing” (your child/you)?

S6.:

At any time in (your child’s/your) life, did anyone hurt (your child’s/your) feelings by saying or writing something sexual about (your child/you) or (your child’s/your) body?

Peer Internet Harassment

INT1.:

Has anyone ever used the Internet to bother or harass (your child/you) or to spread mean words or pictures about (your child/you)?

Appendix 2

See Table 5.

Table 5 Correlation matrix for past year peer victimization types
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Turner, H.A., Finkelhor, D., Hamby, S.L. et al. Specifying Type and Location of Peer Victimization in a National Sample of Children and Youth. J Youth Adolescence 40, 1052–1067 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9639-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9639-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation