Psychotics, neurotics, and extroverts ; who are the bullies and how are they feeling ? Bully / victim involvement and its association with personality, health and self-esteem

Abstract

Bullying behaviour in schools is a well-documented topic. Some governments (like in Northern Ireland) issued legislation stating that all schools must adhere to an anti-bullying policy. The aim of this current study is to measure involvement in bully/victim problems, and its association with physical health, self-esteem and personality. Seven questionnaires (including Revised Bully/Victim Questionnaire, Olweus, 1996) were administered to 99 Year 9 students in a Northern Ireland school. Results show significant correlations between victims and low self-esteem, Neuroticism and poor physical health. Significant correlations were also found between bullies and Psychoticism and poor physical health. However, difficulties occurred in ascertaining bully/victim incidence rates, as a result of some students perhaps misunderstanding some questions. Future research may require more comprehensive questionnaires.