Investigating factors associated with bullying utilizing latent class analysis among adolescents

Abstract

Few studies have been conducted to investigate typologies of perpetration and victimization of traditional and cyber bullying together to develop a risk profile by considering factors from different contexts. National data from the 2009–2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study in the United States was utilized for these purposes. Four latent classes were identified: severe bully-victims, moderate bullies, moderate victims and those not involved. Various individual, family, peer and school factors were found to be associated with bullying involvement. The risk profiles developed based on these factors can be used to provide a theoretical background for researchers and practical guides for schools to offer interventions to students, which will benefit adolescent development in the long run.