Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
07:52
Investigating Motor Skill Learning Processes with a Robotic Manipulandum
Published on: February 12, 2017
Poor motor skills: a risk marker for bully victimization
Susanne Bejerot1, Stephanie Plenty, Alice Humble
1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Aggressive Behavior
|June 21, 2013
Summary
Children with poor gross motor skills are at a significantly higher risk of being bullied. This study highlights motor skills as a key factor in understanding bullying victimization vulnerability.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Epidemiology
Background:
- Bullying victimization is a significant issue affecting children's well-being.
- Motor skills, particularly gross motor skills, have been under-researched in relation to bullying.
- Clumsiness in children is often linked to social difficulties and peer victimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between poor gross motor skills and bullying victimization in a large adult cohort.
- To determine if motor skill deficits are an independent risk factor for being bullied.
- To explore other contributing factors to bullying victimization, such as socioeconomic status and academic performance.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective survey of 2,730 Swedish adults assessing childhood bullying, gross motor skills, and academic performance.
- Gross motor skills were indicated by self-reported talents in physical education (coordination, ball skills).
- Statistical analysis adjusted for covariates including socioeconomic status, academic performance, childhood obesity, and bully perpetration.
Main Results:
- 29.4% of adults reported being bullied in school; 18.4% reported below-average gross motor skills.
- Individuals with below-average gross motor skills had a 3-fold increased odds of being bullied (OR 3.01).
- Poor motor skills remained a significant risk factor even after adjusting for socioeconomic status, academic performance, obesity, and bully perpetration.
Conclusions:
- Poor gross motor skills are a robust and independent risk marker for bully victimization.
- Interventions targeting motor skill development may help reduce bullying vulnerability in children.
- Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms linking motor skills and social interactions in peer groups.
Related Concept Videos
02:04Bullying
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is bullying.
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
01:28Conduct Disorder
Conduct disorder is a complex mental health diagnosis characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates societal norms, the rights of others, or age-appropriate rules. The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder require the presence of at least three problematic behaviors within the past 12 months, with at least one occurring in the past six months. These behaviors are grouped into four categories: aggression toward people and animals; destruction of property;...
01:25Motivational Bias
Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
01:30Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by a cyclical pattern of binge-and-purge eating pattern. It generally involves an episode of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, laxative use, or fasting, to prevent weight gain. Despite often maintaining a normal weight, individuals with bulimia are intensely preoccupied with their body image and harbor an overwhelming fear of gaining weight. This can contribute to the...
01:18Hierarchy of Motor Control
The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.