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Review
. 2023 Jan;95(1):34-55.
doi: 10.1002/jad.12109. Epub 2022 Oct 25.

Bullying perpetration and social status in the peer group: A meta-analysis

Maria Wiertsema  1 , Charlotte Vrijen  1 , Rozemarijn van der Ploeg  1 , Miranda Sentse  2 , Tina Kretschmer  1
Affiliations
Review

Bullying perpetration and social status in the peer group: A meta-analysis

Maria Wiertsema et al. J Adolesc. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Introduction: Associations between bullying perpetration and social status vary, not only between different facets of social status but also between bullying in primary versus secondary school. The main aim of the present study was to meta-analyse existing evidence regarding the prospective associations between bullying perpetration and various facets of social status, that is, popularity, peer acceptance, peer rejection, and social preference.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched to identify studies on bullying perpetration and later social status published up to January 17, 2022. Multilevel random effects models were performed using Metafor and differences in effect sizes as a function of substantive and methodological moderators were tested.

Results: In total, 116 effects were included from 18 publications, reporting on 17 different samples and more than 15,000 participants (mean age bullying assessment = 11.57 years, on average 51% female participants). Most samples were from the United States (7) or Europe (7). Overall, bullies were more popular, but also more rejected and scored lower on social preference compared with non-bullies. These associations remained when effects were adjusted for previous social status and other confounders. No link between bullying perpetration and acceptance was found. There was little evidence that effect sizes differed as a function of moderators.

Conclusions: Bullies become more popular over time, but also have a higher risk of being rejected and being less socially preferred. Bullying perpetrators are more popular but also more rejected by their peers. There is no evidence that these links differ depending on sex or age at which perpetrators bully, reporter or type of bullying.

Keywords: bullying perpetration; meta-analysis; peer acceptance; peer rejection; popularity; social preference.

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Conflict of interest statement

Four of the included articles in the present meta‐analysis were co‐authored by Dr. Kretschmer, Dr. Sentse and/or Dr. Van der Ploeg. To avoid bias toward own papers as much as possible, a third screener was involved if these co‐authors had been assigned to screen their own papers and they were not involved in the data extraction or risk of bias assessment. None of the authors have other conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of included and excluded studies. aOther reasons for exclusion included the following: social status not assessed by means of peer‐ or teacher‐reports (n = 3); social status as predictor (n = 3); duplicates discovered during full‐text screening (n = 2); unavailability of full‐text or unavailability of necessary additional information (n = 2); no control group or comparison with uninvolved children (n = 2); bullying perpetration as covariate and no information about outcomes of bullying itself (n = 1). bIn this study, categorical outcome measures were used, which were incomparable with the continuous outcome measures of the other eligible studies. [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot unadjusted effect of bullying perpetration in childhood and adolescence on later popularity. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot adjusted effect of bullying perpetration in childhood and adolescence on later popularity. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot unadjusted effect of bullying perpetration in childhood and adolescence on later acceptance. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot adjusted effect of bullying perpetration in childhood and adolescence on later acceptance. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Forest plot unadjusted effect of bullying perpetration in childhood and adolescence on later rejection. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Forest plot adjusted effect of bullying perpetration in childhood and adolescence on later rejection. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Forest plot unadjusted effect of bullying perpetration in childhood and adolescence on later social preference. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Forest plot adjusted effect of bullying perpetration in childhood and adolescence on later social preference. CI, confidence interval.
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References

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