A LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION OF SELF- AND PEER REPORTS OF BULLYING VICTIMIZATION ACROSS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Cross-sectional studies indicate how many students are victims of bullying at a single time, but do not tell us whether the same students continue to be bullied or whether there is a cumulative impact of bullying over time. This study examined the longitudinal stability and the cumulative impact of victimization in a sample of 382 students assessed in the fall and the spring of Grades 6, 7, and 8. Victimization assessed by both self- and peer reports indicated substantial variability in who was bullied, with nearly 51% of students reporting bullying victimization during at least one of the six assessments. The cumulative impact of victimization over 3 years was demonstrated on Grade-8 outcome measures of absences, disciplinary infractions, suspensions, grade point averages, standardized test scores, reports of youth risk behavior, and perceptions of school climate. This study provides new information about the cumulative impact of peer- and self-reported bullying across middle school.