The association between bullying behaviour, arousal levels and behaviour problems.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Criminology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Bullying behavior is categorized into direct and relational types.
• Distinct profiles exist: pure bullies, pure victims, bully/victims, and neutral children.
• Arousal theory suggests arousal levels influence behavior patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between direct and relational bullying profiles, arousal levels, and behavior problems.
• To test the differential association of arousal with distinct bullying behaviors.
• To inform bullying intervention strategies and school environment management.

Main Methods:

• 242 secondary school pupils (mean age 13.5 years) participated.
• Data collected via Arousal Predisposition Scale (APS), School Relationships Questionnaire (SRQ), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
• Analysis focused on correlations between bullying profiles, arousal, and behavior problems.

Main Results:

• Bully/victims displayed the highest arousal levels across direct and relational bullying.
• Direct pure bullies showed significantly low arousal levels.
• Clinical behavior problems, per SDQ, correlated with high arousal; low arousal was not associated with bullying profiles or behavior issues.

Conclusions:

• Findings align with arousal theory, indicating distinct arousal levels are linked to specific bullying behaviors.
• Bully/victim profiles are characterized by high arousal, contrasting with low-arousal pure bullies.
• Intervention strategies should consider individual arousal levels and their relation to behavior problems.