Bullying behaviors among US youth: prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment.

<bold>Context: </bold>Although violence among US youth is a current major concern, bullying is infrequently addressed and no national data on the prevalence of bullying are available.<bold>Objectives: </bold>To measure the prevalence of bullying behaviors among US youth and to determine the association of bullying and being bullied with indicators of psychosocial adjustment, including problem behavior, school adjustment, social/emotional adjustment, and parenting.<bold>Design, Setting, and Participants: </bold>Analysis of data from a representative sample of 15 686 students in grades 6 through 10 in public and private schools throughout the United States who completed the World Health Organization's Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey during the spring of 1998.<bold>Main Outcome Measure: </bold>Self-report of involvement in bullying and being bullied by others.<bold>Results: </bold>A total of 29.9% of the sample reported moderate or frequent involvement in bullying, as a bully (13.0%), one who was bullied (10.6%), or both (6.3%). Males were more likely than females to be both perpetrators and targets of bullying. The frequency of bullying was higher among 6th- through 8th-grade students than among 9th- and 10th-grade students. Perpetrating and experiencing bullying were associated with poorer psychosocial adjustment (P<.001); however, different patterns of association occurred among bullies, those bullied, and those who both bullied others and were bullied themselves.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>The prevalence of bullying among US youth is substantial. Given the concurrent behavioral and emotional difficulties associated with bullying, as well as the potential long-term negative outcomes for these youth, the issue of bullying merits serious attention, both for future research and preventive intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]