B4657 - Investigating the links between bullying and youth violence - 26/07/2024

B number: 
B4657
Principal applicant name: 
Alison Teyhan | University of Bristol (United Kingdom)
Co-applicants: 
Dr. Rosie Cornish, Dr. Jasmine Rollings, Prof. Iain Brennan
Title of project: 
Investigating the links between bullying and youth violence
Proposal summary: 

Successful violence interventions depend on the identification of upstream risk factors, an understanding of their relative importance, and how they relate to each other. The project outlined in this proposal would focus on examining bullying as a potential risk factor. Bullying is a common, worldwide social problem, which tends to peak in early to mid-adolescence as children develop greater independence, form new peer groups, shape their adult identities and behavioural patterns. There can be an overlap between bullying and being bullied – ‘bully-victims’ are those who bully others and who are bullied themselves. The pathway from bullying behaviours in childhood and early adolescence to violent behaviour in young adulthood could be causal, or could reflect common factors that predispose young people to both being a bully or a victim and to later violence, such as abuse, negative peer group influences, low connectedness to school, and poor academic achievement.

Impact of research: 
There is currently a lack of evidence as to the most important upstream risk factors for violence and whether observed relationships between violent offending and bullying are causal. The aim is that our study will contribute to the evidence base on whether interventions to reduce bullying are likely in turn to lead to a reduction in youth violence.
Date proposal received: 
Tuesday, 16 July, 2024
Date proposal approved: 
Tuesday, 16 July, 2024
Keywords: 
Epidemiology, Behaviour - e.g. antisocial behaviour, risk behaviour, etc., Statistical methods, Violence, bullying