Experience of bullying and bullying behaviours in childhood and adolescence

Bullying among children and young people remains prevalent in Ireland and is regarded as an important policy area, with recent initiatives (such as the Department of Education’s Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying and Bí Cineálta Procedures) to prevent and address school-based bullying. To date, much of the research has been based on cross-sectional analyses and has focused on school-based and online bullying rather than behaviour in other domains. The Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study provides the opportunity to look at how bullying experiences (at or outside school) may change between middle childhood and adolescence and the relationship between being a victim of bullying and young people’s wellbeing. This report draws on data on 9- and 13-year-olds collected from the members of Cohort ’08. The main research questions addressed are:
 

1. What groups of young people are more likely to experience bullying behaviour at 9 and 13 years of age?
2. What behaviours do 13-year-olds consider to be bullying?
3. How likely are young people to tell someone about the bullying and what factors predict doing so?
4. How is experience of bullying associated with wellbeing?