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Behavioral Sciences
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Prevalence and Correlates of Bullying Behaviors among Children and Young...
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Prevalence and Correlates of Bullying Behaviors among Children and Young People

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Educational Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1702

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Laura M. Crothers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA
Interests: bullying; relational aggression; cognitive predictors of bullying; professional issues in school psychology
Prof. Dr. Jered B. Kolbert

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA
Interests: bullying and bullying prevention; relational aggression; the school counseling profession; gender identity; moral development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Prevalence and Correlates of Bullying Behaviors among Children and Young People”, will provide an updated look at what contemporary research has revealed about those likely to bully and be bullied. Meta-analyses have demonstrated that anti-bullying programs are only modestly effective in reducing bullying in children younger than seventh grade and may worsen bullying behaviors in those older than early adolescence. Given that state anti-bullying laws and Tier I prevention approaches, such as whole-school anti-bullying programs, are not robustly effective in reducing bullying, it is important to recognize what may be helpful in preventing bullying and intervening in issues with children who are at risk of bullying or are already involved, either as perpetrators or as victims. Furthermore, we will discuss the need for the protection of specific groups of children who have been shown through research to be more likely than their classmates to be bullied. These may include students who are of sexual or gender minorities, are overweight or obese, or are culturally or ethnically at risk at being targeted by majority peers for their interests or abilities at school. Recommendations related to protecting these children and creating just, equitable, safe spaces for them in school systems will be helpful in promoting healthy development in all children.

Abstract Deadline: 06/01/2025

Notification of Abstract Acceptance: 06/15/2025

Prof. Dr. Laura M. Crothers
Prof. Dr. Jered B. Kolbert
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • tier III interventions
  • prevention of bullying
  • targets of bullying
  • LGBTQ++IA
  • overweight/obese
  • students who have an interest in STEM
  • types of bullying
  • predictors of bullies
  • predictors of victims

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 436 KB  
Article
Examining the Relationship Between State Anxiety, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Peer Defending Using Virtual Reality
by Anna MacGillivray, Julia Byron, Ralph Redden and Laura J. Lambe
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(2), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16020252 - 10 Feb 2026
Viewed by 452
Abstract
Bullying—a form of deliberate aggressive behaviour where one peer causes harm to another in the context of a power imbalance—is among the top threats facing youth. Witnessing bullying can evoke many feelings, including anxiety, especially for individuals who have been victimized of bullying [...] Read more.
Bullying—a form of deliberate aggressive behaviour where one peer causes harm to another in the context of a power imbalance—is among the top threats facing youth. Witnessing bullying can evoke many feelings, including anxiety, especially for individuals who have been victimized of bullying in the past. Anxiety can shape how individuals navigate social situations, including if and how bystanders intervene in bullying situations. The current study examined how previous bullying victimization, state anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity interact to influence defending behaviours while witnessing social exclusion in a virtual reality (VR) environment. Data were collected from 40 undergraduate participants who completed self-report measures and an in-lab VR task where they had the opportunity to defend against social exclusion. Although bullying victimization was unrelated to state anxiety, results of a moderated mediation model indicated that trait anxiety sensitivity moderated the link between state anxiety and peer defending. For those with low anxiety sensitivity, increased state anxiety after witnessing social exclusion predicted higher rates of defending. However, for individuals with high anxiety sensitivity, the opposite pattern was found, such that state anxiety predicted lower rates of defending. Given these findings, bullying prevention programmes should consider incorporating strategies to address anxiety sensitivity to promote peer defending. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevalence and Correlates of Bullying Behaviors among Children and Young People)
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21 pages, 434 KB  
Article
Retrospective Perceptions of Income Inequality, School, and Neighborhood Conditions: Associations with Peer Victimization During Adolescence and Young Adulthood
by Joseph Cino, Sierra Barnes, Ann H. Farrell, Mollie J. Eriksson and Tracy Vaillancourt
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(2), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16020237 - 7 Feb 2026
Viewed by 534
Abstract
Several immediate and distal social environmental factors work directly and indirectly with one another to contribute to multiple forms of peer victimization. Bullying is the most prevalent form of peer victimization during adolescence; however, peer victimization typically takes the form of indirect aggression [...] Read more.
Several immediate and distal social environmental factors work directly and indirectly with one another to contribute to multiple forms of peer victimization. Bullying is the most prevalent form of peer victimization during adolescence; however, peer victimization typically takes the form of indirect aggression during young adulthood. Therefore, we examined how perceptions of school and neighborhood income inequality worked through perceptions of school climate, neighborhood violence, and neighborhood distrust to predict retrospective adolescent bullying victimization and current young adulthood indirect peer victimization. In a cross-sectional sample of 460 young adults (Mage = 20.2, SDage = 2.18; 59.6% women; 40.4% men; 51.6% White), path analyses revealed that higher school income inequality indirectly predicted higher levels of bullying and indirect peer victimization through lower school climate. Higher neighborhood income inequality also indirectly predicted higher levels indirect peer victimization through higher neighborhood violence. Our findings highlight the importance of targeting adverse environmental risk factors to prevent and intervene in multiple forms of peer victimization across development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevalence and Correlates of Bullying Behaviors among Children and Young People)
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