The relationship between bullying and social skills in elementary school students

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between bullying and social skills in a sample of 120 students in grades 4 through 6. A total of 14 teachers completed questionnaires about their students to determine (1) the relationship between two forms of bullying (i.e., direct physical bullying and indirect bullying) and social skills (i.e., cooperation, assertion, and self-control), and (2) gender differences in the relationship between the two forms of bullying and social skills. A series of partial correlation analyses were performed. Results revealed a significant relationship between direct physical bullying and social skills (r = -.46 p < .001), and indirect bullying and social skills (r = -.26 p < .01). Furthermore, the relationship between bullying and social skills differed according to gender. These combined results suggest that children who bully others, regardless of the form of bullying, are not likely to possess well-developed social skills to effectively manage interpersonal relationships.