Table 2.
Exposure to bullying victimization and related mental health complaints within and across groups
| Service users (n = 42) | Siblings (n = 17) | Controls (n = 40) | Service users vs. controls | Service users vs. siblings | Siblings vs. controls | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullying victimization n (%) | ||||||
| Any | 32 (76.2) | 11 (64.7) | 27 (67.5) | OR = 1.5 (0.6–4.1) | OR = 1.7 (0.5–5.9) | OR = 0.9 (0.3–2.9) |
| Physical bullying | 20 (47.6) | 2 (11.8) | 6 (15.0) | OR = 5.2 (1.8–14.8)* | OR = 6.8 (1.4–33.6)* | OR = 0.8 (0.1–4.2) |
| Verbal bullying | 24 (57.1) | 10 (58.8) | 23 (57.5) | OR = 1.0 (0.4–2.4) | OR = 0.9 (0.3–2.9) | OR = 1.1 (0.3–3.3) |
| Indirect bullying | 27 (64.3) | 9 (52.9) | 21 (52.5) | OR = 1.6 (0.7–3.9) | OR = 1.6 (0.5–5.0) | OR = 1.0 (0.3–3.2) |
| Bullying victimization, only severe and frequent a n (%) | ||||||
| Any | 21 (50.0) | 2 (11.8) | 10 (25.0) | OR = 3.0 (1.2–7.7)* | OR = 7.5 (1.5–37.0)* | OR = 0.4 (0.1–2.1) |
| Physical bullying | 12 (28.6) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.5) | OR = 15.6 (1.9–126.7)* | – | – |
| Verbal bullying | 14 (33.3) | 1 (5.9) | 5 (12.5) | OR = 3.5 (1.1–10.9)* | OR = 8.0 (0.9–66.6) | OR = 0.4 (0.0–4.1) |
| Indirect bullying | 16 (38.1) | 2 (11.8) | 9 (22.5) | OR = 2.1 (0.8–5.6) | OR = 4.6 (0.9–22.9) | OR = 0.5 (0.1–2.4) |
| Bullying victimization, mean (S.D.) | ||||||
| Overall | 24.6 (11.3) | 18.8 (7.0) | 19.1 (8.0) | β = 0.56 (0.14–0.99)* | β = 0.60 (0.05–0.15)* | β = − 0.03 (− 0.59 to 0.52) |
| Physical bullying | 7.2 (3.7) | 4.8 (2.4) | 4.6 (1.6) | β = 0.86 (0.46–1.26)** | β = 0.77 (0.24–1.29)* | β = 0.09 (− 0.44 to 0.62) |
| Verbal bullying | 8.5 (4.8) | 6.8 (2.8) | 7.3 (3.8) | β = 0.29 (− 0.15 to 0.73) | β = 0.42 (− 0.15 to 0.98) | β = −0.12 (−0.70 to 0.45) |
| Indirect bullying | 8.9 (4.9) | 7.2 (3.6) | 7.3 (4.1) | β = 0.37 (− 0.06 to 0.81) | β = 0.39 (− 0.17 to 0.96) | β = − 0.02 (− 0.59 to 0.54) |
| Self-perceived long-term effects | 17 (54.8) | 1 (9.1) | 5 (18.5) | OR = 5.3 (1.6–17.8)* | OR = 12.1 (1.4–106.8)* | OR = 0.4 (0.0–4.3) |
| Bullying-related mental health complaints n (%) | ||||||
| Absence school | 15 (46.9) | 2 (18.2) | 5 (18.5) | OR = 3.9 (1.2–12.8)* | OR = 4.0 (0.7–21.4) | OR = 1.0 (0.2–6.0) |
| Suicidal thoughts | 17 (53.1) | 1 (9.1) | 6 (22.2) | OR = 4.0 (1.3–12.4)* | OR = 11.3 (1.3–99.2)* | OR = 0.4 (0.0–3.3) |
| Vivid memories | 20 (62.5) | 1 (9.1) | 9 (33.3) | OR = 3.3 (1.1–9.8)* | OR = 16.7 (1.9–146.9)* | OR = 0.2 (0.2–1.8) |
| Nightmares | 9 (28.1) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (11.1) | OR = 3.1 (0.8–13.0) | – | – |
| Re-living the event | 13 (40.6) | 0 (0.0) | 4 (14.8) | OR = 3.9 (1.1–14.1)* | – | – |
| Flashbacks | 14 (43.8) | 1 (9.1) | 6 (22.2) | OR = 2.7 (0.9–8.6) | OR = 7.8 (0.9–68.2) | OR = 0.4 (0.0–3.3) |
| Distressed in situations | 16 (50.0) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (11.1) | OR = 8.0 (2.0–32.0)* | – | – |
S.D. standard deviation, df degrees of freedom, β standardized regression coefficients (mean score differences), CI confidence interval, OR odds ratio
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.001
aDefined as being bullied “sometimes” or more often (frequency) and the experience were evaluated as “quite serious” or “extremely serious” (intensity), for analyses all exposure levels were used