Bullying and Victimization Behaviors in Boys and Girls at South Korean Primary Schools

To investigate the prevalence and correlates of bullying and victimization behaviors in boys and girls at South Korean primary schools. In a cross-sectional survey, 1,344 fourth-grade primary school children completed a questionnaire on self-reported bullying and victimization behaviors, depression, anxiety, body image, coping strategies, and self-esteem as well as the self-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Parents completed a questionnaire on demographic data, the General Health Questionnaire-12, and the Korean version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The prevalence of bullies, victims, and bullies/victims was 12.0%, 5.3%, and 7.2%, respectively. Boys were significantly more likely to be bullies and bullies/victims. In the multivariate analyses, bullying and victimization behaviors were associated with gender, greater than average height, higher depression, higher trait anxiety, lower self-esteem, and total difficulties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Differences in the associations were found between boys and girls. The authors found that bullying is common among South Korean primary school students and that bullying and victimization behaviors are related to various emotional, behavioral, and social problems; some gender-related differences are also evident.