Peer victimization and its relationship to self-concept and depression among schoolgirls

Bullying is thought to be a widespread phenomenon in schools, one which often has serious psychological consequences for those who are victimized. There is a need, therefore, to identify those children who are being bullied. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to develop a brief self-report scale which can address this problem. A 6-item scale was developed which can be immersed within the Self-Perception Profile for Children thus reducing the saliency of the items. The scale was found to have good internal reliability and validity with respect to self- and peer-ratings among 60 schoolgirls. In addition, higher scores on the scale were associated with poorer perceptions of self-worth and competence in a variety of specific domains as well as greater depression.