The overlap between bullying and victimization in adolescent residential care: Are bully/victims a special category?

This research examined whether bully/victims in adolescent residential care are qualitatively different from pure bullies and pure victims. Male and female young people (N = 601) aged 11–21 from 22 residential institutions in Croatia completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire measuring bullying as well as the Basic Empathy Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and the Big Five Personality Inventory. Based on the bullying questionnaire, the residents were classified as pure bullies, pure victims, bully/victims and those not involved in bullying/victimization. Bully/victims were compared to pure bullies and pure victims on a number of background and personality variables. The differences found were in degree rather than in kind. Bully/victims did not differ from both pure bullies and pure victims on any of the measures nor did they differ from pure bullies and pure victims in the way they bully or in the way they are victimized. Above those that could be expected by chance, there were no independent predictors that were unique to bully/victims nor were there strong interaction effects between bully and victim statuses. The results are discussed with reference to the existing prison and school-based literature about bully/victims and a number of research and policy recommendations are provided. It is concluded that bully/victims are not qualitatively different from pure bullies and pure victims, and that future research should focus on bullies and victims rather than bully/victims.