Bullied girls more likely to stay victims

WARWICK, England, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Girls targeted by bullies at primary school are 2 1/2 times more likely to remain victims than boys, British researchers found.

Research at the University of Warwick and University of Hertfordshire in England found girls being directly victimized by bullies -- being beaten and suffering physical or verbal threats -- at age 6 were significantly more likely to still be a direct victim at age 10.

The study, published in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology, also revealed the nature of bullying changes as children grow older, from direct victimization -- physical bullying and threats -- to relational victimization -- spreading of malicious gossip or the withdrawal of friendships leading to social exclusion.

Study leader Dieter Wolke of the University of Warwick said the researchers interviewed 663 children ages 6 to 9 about their bullying experiences. They also examined the peer hierarchies among the children by asking them to nominate the three children they liked most in their class. A follow-up questionnaire was then issued when the children were ages 10 and 11.

The study also revealed 171 children dropped out of the study because they had moved to another school. Wolke examined the data collected for all the original participants and found those who moved schools were 49 percent more likely to have been victims of relational bullying and had fewer friends.