Factor structure and internal consistency of the "Questionnaire for assessing bullying"

Bullying is a problem that involves many young people, either as victims, aggressors or witnesses. Therefore, the detection of the role of the participant is really important to tackle it. The objective of this study was to analyze the validity of a questionnaire, which was developed for the assessment of bullying among peers in school and social settings. With this aim in mind, a sample of 363 adolescents between 12 years and 17 years old, from 10 public high schools in the state of Aguascalientes and Mexico City was selected. The research design was cross-sectional. A total of 57 four-point Likert scale items were assessed. The reagents were organized into three scales (receive, engage in or witness bulling behavior), with 19 mirrored items each one. For each scale, a factor analysis with Promax rotation was performed in order to identify the type of aggression used and the role played by the students (as victim, perpetrator or witness). The results confirmed that the questionnaire is an instrument that allows measuring bullying in adolescents, with an overall reliability index of 0.90. Therefore, it is concluded that this instrument is suitable for assessing bullying in the Mexican context.