Young girls are far more prone than boys to getting stuck in the role of bullying victim.
Among the girls, the 44 who were victims of so-called “direct bullying” (physical and verbal abuse) at baseline, were two and a half times more likely than their classmates to also be a victim of direct bullying at follow up. Boys who were victims of direct bullying at baseline were no more likely than their classmates to be a victim at follow up.
The researchers said that girls’ “tightly knit” friendship networks could make it difficult for them to “escape the victimization role”.