Research Showcase Gallery (Poster 2239)

When Hurt People Hurt People: Bully-Victim Status and its Links to Health and Internalizing Symptoms in Youth with and without Chronic Pain

Abstract

Objective: Peer victimization is a pervasive problem among youth, with negative consequences for their social and emotional functioning. Research has shown that bullies who are themselves victims of peer aggression tend to have worse mental health outcomes; however, little is known about bully-victim status and physical health. This study is the first to examine bully-victim status in a clinical sample of youth with chronic pain. We examine links between bully-victim status and pain outcomes, social anxiety, and depression in adolescents with and without chronic pain.

Methods: 150 participants (70 with chronic pain) were classified as uninvolved (36%), victims (26%), bullies (4.7%), or bully-victims (33%), based on their report of experiencing or perpetrating traditional bullying, or cyberbullying more than once or twice in the past year. Participants also completed questionnaires evaluating depression, social anxiety, usual pain intensity, and pain-related disability.

Results: First, there were no differences between youth with and without chronic pain in regard to their peer victimization status; thus, all analyses were conducted on the total sample. One-way ANOVA revealed significant between group differences in physical and mental health outcomes as a function of peer victimization status. Compared to uninvolved youth, victims reported significantly higher intensity pain (p=.04), but no differences in mental health outcomes. In contrast, bully-victims reported significantly higher depression symptoms (p= .003), and higher symptoms of social anxiety (p=02).

Conclusions: By understanding the implications of the bully-victim status, bullying intervention programs can further develop effective strategies in preventing bullying, and address the negative impacts of victimization.


About the Presenter

photo of Lyvinna Lee

Lyvinna Lee

Lyvinna Lee is a first year post-bacc student majoring in Psychology. She graduated from WSU in Pullman with a B.S. in Zoology, and a minor in Music in 2018. During her gap year, she served as an AmeriCorps member at the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Washington, where she developed an interest in child psychology. As a research assistant in Dr. Fales’s Adolescent Health & Wellness Lab, Lyvinna is working on analytical studies and collaborating with other researchers. She strives to obtain a master’s or doctorate in child clinical psychology.