Bullying and Subsequent Delinquency

The purpose of this study was to determine whether bullying perpetration in early adolescence is capable of predicting delinquency 1 year later. Nine control variables were included in a regression analysis of the bullying–delinquency relationship in 1,001 schoolchildren (X⎯⎯⎯

age = 12.97 years). The nine control variables (age, sex, race, social support, bullying victimization, probullying attitudes, parental knowledge, impulsivity, and peer delinquency), along with bullying perpetration and prior delinquency, were regressed onto delinquency measured 1 year later. Because the majority of participants (63.3%) were missing data on the outcome measure, a full information maximum likelihood (FIML) with auxiliary variables was performed.

The results of a preliminary confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the bullying and delinquency scales employed in this study were assessing separate constructs. The main analysis revealed that parental knowledge, impulsivity, bullying, and precursor delinquency predicted delinquency one year later.