Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Is Exposure to Domestic Violence and Violent Crime Associated with Bullying Behaviour Among Underage Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients?

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry & Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We examined the relationship of exposure to domestic violence and violence occurring outside home to bullying behaviour in a sample (508; 40.9% males, 59.1% females) of underage psychiatric inpatient adolescents. Participants were interviewed using K-SADS-PL to assess DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses and to gather information about domestic and other violence and bullying behaviour. Witnessing interparental violence increased the risk of being a victim of bullying up to 2.5-fold among boys. For girls, being a victim of a violent crime was an over 10-fold risk factor for being a bully–victim. Gender differences were seen in witnessing of a violent crime; girls were more likely to be bullies than boys. Further, as regards being a victim of a violent crime outside home and physical abuse by parents at home, girls were significantly more often bully–victims than boys. When interfering and preventing bullying behaviour, it is important to screen adolescents’ earlier experiences of violence.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Baldry AC (2003) Bullying in schools and exposure to domestic violence. Child Abuse Negl 27:713–732

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Olweus D (1994) Bullying at school: basic facts and effects of a school based intervention program. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 35:1171–1190

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Sourander A, Helstela L, Helenius H, Piha J (2000) Persistence of bullying from childhood to adolescence—a longitudinal 8-year follow-up study. Child Abuse Negl 24:873–881

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Dake JA, Price JH, Telljohann SK (2003) The nature and extent of bullying at school. J Sch Health 73:173–180

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Lamb J, Pepler DJ, Craig W (2009) Approach to bullying and victimization. Can Fam Physician 55:356–360

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Bauer NS, Herrenkohl TI, Lozano P, Rivara FP, Hill KG, Hawkins JD (2006) Childhood bullying involvement and exposure to intimate partner violence. Pediatrics 118:235–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Bowes L, Arseneault L, Maughan B, Taylor A, Caspi A, Moffitt TE (2009) School, neighbourhood, and family factors are associated with children’s bullying involvement: a nationally representative longitudinal study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 48:545–553

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Dussich JP, Maekoya C (2007) Physical child harm and bullying-related behaviors: a comparative study in Japan, South Africa, and the United States. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol 51:495–509

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Shields A, Cicchetti D (2001) Parental maltreatment and emotion dysregulation as risk factors for bullying and victimization in middle childhood. J Clin Child Psychol 30:349–363

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Ilomäki R, Riala K, Hakko H, Lappalainen J, Ollinen T, Räsänen P et al (2008) Temporal association of onset of daily smoking with adolescent substance use and psychiatric morbidity. Eur Psychiatry 23:85–91

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Kaufman J, Birmaher B, Brent D, Rao U, Flynn C, Moreci P et al (1997) Schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children-present and lifetime version (K-SADS-PL): initial reliability and validity data. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 36:980–988

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Shanee N, Apter A, Weizman A (1997) Psychometric properties of the K-SADS-PL in an Israeli adolescent clinical population. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci 34:179–186

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kokkevi A, Hartgers C (1995) European adaptation of a multidimensional assessment instrument for drug and alcohol dependents. Eur Addict Res 1:208–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Widom CS, Czaja SJ, Dutton MA (2008) Childhood victimization and lifetime revictimization. Child Abuse Negl 32:785–796

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Logan JE, Leeb RT, Barker LE (2009) Gender-specific mental and behavioral outcomes among physically abused high-risk seventh-grade youths. Public Health Rep 124:234–245

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Jaffe P, Wolfe D, Wilson SK, Zak L (1986) Family violence and child adjustment: a comparative analysis of girls’ and boys’ behavioral symptoms. Am J Psychiatry 143:74–77

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Bandura A (1978) Social learning theory of aggression. J Commun 28:12–29

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Johnson JG, Smailes EM, Cohen P, Brown J, Bernstein DP (2000) Associations between four types of childhood neglect and personality disorder symptoms during adolescence and early adulthood: findings of a community-based longitudinal study. J Pers Disord 14:171–187

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Joyce PR, McKenzie JM, Luty SE, Mulder RT, Carter JD, Sullivan PF et al (2003) Temperament, childhood environment and psychopathology as risk factors for avoidant and borderline personality disorders. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 37:756–764

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Luukkonen AH, Riala K, Hakko H, Räsänen P, Study-70 workgroup (2010) Bullying behaviour and substance abuse among underage psychiatric inpatient adolescents. Eur Psychiatry 25:382–389

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Perren S, Alsaker FD (2006) Social behavior and peer relationships of victims, bully–victims, and bullies in kindergarten. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 47:45–57

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Sourander A, Jensen P, Ronning JA, Elonheimo H, Niemelä S, Helenius H et al (2007) Childhood bullies and victims and their risk of criminality in late adolescence: the Finnish from a boy to a man study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 161:546–552

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Wolke D, Woods S, Bloomfield L, Karstadt L (2000) The association between direct and relational bullying and behaviour problems among primary school children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 41:989–1002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Vaughn MG, Fu Q, Bendre K, DeLisi M, Beaver KM, Howard MO et al (2010) Psychiatric correlates of bullying in the United States: findings from a national sample. Psychiatr Q 81:183–195

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ranta K, Kaltiala-Heino R, Rantanen P, Marttunen M (2009) Social phobia in Finnish general adolescent population: prevalence, comorbidity, individual and family correlates, and service use. Depress Anxiety 26:528–536

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Herrera VM, McCloskey LA (2001) Gender differences in the risk for delinquency among youth exposed to family violence. Child Abuse Negl 25:1037–1051

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Thompson MP, Kingree JB, Desai S (2004) Gender differences in long-term health consequences of physical abuse of children: data from a nationally representative survey. Am J Public Health 94:599–604

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. McDonald R, Jouriles EN, Norwood W, Ware HS, Ezell E (2000) Husbands’ marital violence and the adjustment problems of clinic-referred children. Behav Ther 31:649–655

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Wolfe DA, Crooks CV, Lee V, McIntyre-Smith A, Jaffe PG (2003) The effects of children′s exposure to domestic violence: a meta-analysis and critique. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 6:171–187

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Scott ST (2007) Multiple traumatic experiences and development and posttraumatic stress disorder. J Interpers Violence 22:932–938

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study received support from the Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, the Ethel F. Donaghue Women’s Health Investigator Program at Yale, the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation (ABMRF), VA MIRECC, the Alma and K. A. Snellman Foundation, the Jalmari and Rauha Ahokas Foundation, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, the Orion-Farmos Research Foundation, the Finnish Psychiatric Research Foundation, the Finnish Graduate School of Psychiatry, the Oulu University Pharmacy Fund for Postgraduate Studies, the Finnish Cultural Foundation Grants/Central Fund Grants and the Finnish Medical Foundation/Teemu Pohjanpelto Fund. We thank the staff of the adolescent unit 70 of Oulu University Hospital for data collection, and all the adolescents and their families who participated in this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Susanna Mustanoja, Anu-Helmi Luukkonen & Pirkko Räsänen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital (OYS), P.O. Box 26, 90029, Oulu, Finland

    Helinä Hakko, Hannu Säävälä & Kaisa Riala

Authors
  1. Susanna Mustanoja
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anu-Helmi Luukkonen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Helinä Hakko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Pirkko Räsänen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hannu Säävälä
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kaisa Riala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Consortia

The STUDY-70 workgroup

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kaisa Riala.

Additional information

The study is conducted on behalf of the STUDY-70 workgroup. The investigators and institutions participated in this study are listed in Appendix.

Appendix

Appendix

The STUDY-70 workgroup consists of: Medical supervisors: professor Pirkko Räsänen, University of Oulu, Department of Psychiatry; professor Jaakko Lappalainen, Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; professor Mauri Marttunen, Helsinki University, Department of Psychiatry; Administrative supervisors: Kaisa Riala, MD, PhD, Taru Ollinen, MD, PhD, and Kristian Läksy, MD, PhD, Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry; Statistical consultants: Helinä Hakko, PhD, and Kaisa Karvonen, B.Sc, Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry; Senior researchers: professor Markku Timonen, University of Oulu, Department of Public Health Sciences and General Practice; Researchers: Essi Ilomäki, MD, Risto Ilomäki, MD, Anu-Helmi Luukkonen, B.Med, University of Oulu, Department of Psychiatry; Matti Laukkanen, M.Sc, Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mustanoja, S., Luukkonen, AH., Hakko, H. et al. Is Exposure to Domestic Violence and Violent Crime Associated with Bullying Behaviour Among Underage Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients?. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 42, 495–506 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-011-0222-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-011-0222-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation