Initial Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Assess Risk of Personal Victimization and Bullying

Abstract

The goals of the research were to (a) develop methods of predicting bullying and victimization rates for potential research and practice purposes, (b) compare methods for developing measures of prediction scales (factor based scales and criterion-related item selection), (c) compare the cross-validated validity of regression-weighted versus unit-weighted composites, and (d) assess the rates of correct and incorrect predictions when identifying people who are potentially at greatest risk of bullying or victimization. This research tested the factors on a university aged population. The factor based scales that best predicted bullying or victimization rates were negative self-esteem, hostile behaviors to others, and risky behaviors. Both the regression equations and the unit weighting method produced significant correlations between the predictive and outcome measures. Two potential applications of the questionnaires are to help researchers gain a better understanding of bullying or victimization and to target interventions with potential to prevent future bullying or victimization.