Self-Reported Frequency and Perceived Severity of Being Bullied Among Elementary School Students

BACKGROUNDThis study reports students' perspectives on the frequency and perceived severity of being bullied. METHODSA sample of 1816 elementary school students completed self-report surveys of perceived severity and frequency of being bullied. A Rasch technique aligned different victimized behaviors on interval logit scales. A 4-fold schema was used to identify the intersection between the perceived severity and frequency of being bullied. RESULTSThere was not a statistically significant correlation between the 2 measures (r=.02). Behaviors that included being hit and kicked, being cursed at, being ostracized, being threatened, being shoved or tripped, having one's friendship ruined, and being spoken ill of in public were perceived as severe and frequent bullying experiences. While boys reported more frequent experiences of being bullied, girls perceived bullying to have greater severity. CONCLUSIONSSelf-reported frequency does not necessarily correspond to the perceived severity of school bullying, a finding with implications for prevention and intervention initiatives designed or carried out by researchers and school psychologists.