DOI: 10.33631/sabd.1971414 ISSN: 2792-0542

Evaluation of Peer Bullying in Pediatric Forensic Cases

Betül Altıner, Nihal Yurteri, Fatma Süheyla Aliustaoğlu
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Aim: This study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic characteristics, bullying subdimensions, and forensic characteristics of children and adolescents referred for forensic evaluation following peer bullying.Material and Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study included 104 children and adolescents referred to a Forensic Medicine Outpatient Clinic due to peer bullying. Participants were categorized as children (8–13 years, n=39) and adolescents (14–18 years, n=65). Data were collected using versions of the Peer Bullying Identification Scale, a Sociodemographic Data Form, and the Questionnaire for Patients Presenting Due to Assault. Because bullying scores were not normally distributed, continuous variables are presented as median (minimum–maximum).Results: Median victim and perpetrator scores were 67.5 (37–148) and 49 (37–69) in children, and 67 (53–131) and 61 (53–96) in adolescents, respectively. Participants lived predominantly in urban areas and with both parents. Smoking, alcohol, and substance use were more common among adolescents. Insulting or swearing was the most common incident type, and injuries resulted from punching. Among children, girls had higher rumor-spreading and damage-to-property victimization scores, whereas boys had higher physical bullying perpetration scores. Bullying-related scores differed according to parental educational level, academic achievement, and school satisfaction. Among adolescents, males had higher sexual bullying perpetration scores, while exclusion and total bullying scores differed according to grade level.Conclusion: Among children and adolescents referred for forensic evaluation because of peer bullying, bullying-related characteristics were associated with sociodemographic, educational, and family-related factors. These findings provide descriptive evidence from a referred sample and should be confirmed in larger, multicenter longitudinal studies.

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