A peer victimisation scale based on a behavioural consequences measurement strategy

An accurate assessment of peer victimisation (i.e. bullying) is a necessary precondition for research and intervention. Most assessment instruments use the 'list of acts' measurement strategy, which does not account for the actual physical and psychological damage inflicted by bullying. To resolve this limitation, this study developed a peer victimisation scale (PVS) that includes harmful consequences for judgement and measurement of peer victimisation.

The PVS is a 40-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess the four aspects of peer victimisation: physical, verbal, relational, and interference and control. A total of 1,469 Grade 3-8 students (49.9% male) were recruited to test the psychometric properties of the PVS. Another 420 Grade 3-8 students were examined by a modified PVS supplemented with a semi-structured interview for scale validation and establishment of the cut-off points for severe bullying. Incidence, age and gender distribution of peer victimisation were also analysed.

The PVS demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.73-0.83) and test-retest reliability two weeks later (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.71-0.80). The scores for each dimension were significantly and positively correlated with the scores from the questionnaire-interview sample (r = 0.73-0.78), and modestly correlated with the scores for symptoms of anxiety and depression (r = 0.36-0.54).

The results were consistent with the measurement constructs, demonstrating that the PVS is a reliable and effective instrument for assessing peer victimisation in children. It may enable more reliable longitudinal studies assessing the impact of peer victimisation to be conducted.