Dynamics of bullies and victims among Korean youth: A propensity score stratification analysis

Abstract

Bully-victims are youth who have bullied others and have been victimized themselves. Motivated by general strain theory and dominance perspectives, the current study investigated the dynamics of transitioning between bully and victim roles using three waves of a nationally representative sample of Korean adolescents (age range of 12-14; N = 1872). Results from propensity score stratification analysis indicated that the effect of victimization on bullying was significant for youth with the lowest propensity for victimization-the "socially dominant" victims who reported more advantaged individual and family characteristics. Effect of bullying on victimization was only significant for the youth with the highest propensity for bullying-the "socially marginalized" youth who were disadvantaged in terms of individual and family characteristics. Findings may contribute toward developing preventive intervention programs and targeting social resources.