Retrospective Accounts of Bullying Victimization at School: Associations with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms an
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Retrospective Accounts of Bullying Victimization at School: Associations with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Post-Traumatic Growth among University Students Eleni Andreou 1 & Stella Tsermentseli 2
&
Olga Anastasiou 1 & Evangelia-Chrysanthi Kouklari 2
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract This retrospective study investigated the association between bullying victimization experiences at school, current post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among Greek university students. A sample of 400 university students aged 17 to 40 years (M age = 20.33, SD = 3.18) completed self-reported scales measuring school bullying victimization experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and post-traumatic growth. Results showed that victims of school bullying reported mild levels of PTSD and moderate feelings of post-traumatic growth. Females presented higher scores of post-traumatic growth. Duration and frequency of victimization of school bullying were found to present a significant effect on PTSD symptoms and PTG, respectively. Post-traumatic growth as a result of school-bullying victimization was related to PTSD symptom severity and this relationship was curvilinear. The findings have implications in terms of informing prospective interventions targeting the enhancement of students’ sense of growth for handling peer aggression effectively. Keywords School- bullying . Victimization . Post-traumatic stress . Post-traumatic growth
Bullying victimization at school has become a topic of international concern over the past decades, as it is estimated that approximately 20% to 45% of children in various countries report involvement in bully/victim incidents (Craig et al. 2009; Skrzypiec et al. 2018). Bullying has been defined as aggressive behaviors or acts by peers with the aim to harm; these behaviors are carried out repeatedly and involve an imbalance of power, either actual or perceived, between the victim and the bully (Olweus 1995). School bullying is a cause of concern; research findings suggest that children and adolescents who are involved in bullying victimization exhibit negative emotions, poor physical health, and school avoidance (Ortega et al. 2009; Rigby 2003). They are also at higher risk for mental health problems, such as internalizing disorders
* Stella Tsermentseli [email protected] 1
University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
2
Department of Psychology, Social Work & Counselling, University of Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College, Park Row, London SE10 9LS, UK
(Arseneault et al. 2010) and post-traumatic stress disorder (Tehrani 2004). Even though a great deal of the literature on school bullying has focused on children and adolescents, fewer studies have paid attention to the long-term effects of childhood bullying victimization experiences among young adult populations. Recent findings suggest that the psychosocial effects of childhood bullying are evident beyond childhood and adolescence. For example, children who were
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