Objective: This study determined whether demographic and psychosocial factors explain reported teasing and bullying experiences in a sample of middle-school youth.
Design: Non-experimental descriptive explanatory design.
Population, Sample, Setting: Data were collected from this nonprobability purposive sample of 708 youth in grades 6-8 from schools in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Montana.
Study Variables: The predictor variables were youth demographics (age, race/ethnicity, siblings, school grade, course grades, SES) child's self-concept and psychosocial problems. The outcome variable was child-reported teasing and bullying experiences.
Methods: The sample of 708 middle-school youth, 52% female and 48% male,with 74% white, 11% Latino/Hispanic, 10% Black/African-American and 5% other. Almost 64% reported grades of A's and B's. Over 90% of parents were high school graduates. The test packet included a demographic form, Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, (PHCSCS) the Pediatric Symptom Checklist, and the Child-Adolescent Teasing Scale (CATS). All measures demonstrated Cronbach's alphas ranging from .84-.93.
Findings: Data were examined for systematic missing data, marked skewness, outliers and multicollinearity. Hierarchical multiple regression with forced entry at each step was used to answer the research question. A total of 22% of adjusted variance in teasing and bullying was explained mainly by two of the six PHCSCS subscales.
Conclusions: Regardless of their gender, race, grade, SES, and psychosocial factors, middle school youth who had lower self-concept scores related to behavior, anxiety, and popularity but higher scores on intellectual and school status were more likely to report significantly higher teasing and bullying experiences than their counterparts.
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