Clustering Bullying Behavior of Teenager Students Based on Social Competence and Social Preference

Bullying at school is an interpersonal type of violence which could have serious short-term and long-term consequences for both the bullying and the victimized students. The present study aimed to cluster the bullying and victimized students based on their social competence and social preference.

This study was descriptive and exploratory Clustering. The statistical population included all 13-15 year old students in Kashan. Using cluster sampling, 414 students (202 females & 212 males) were chosen. The participants filled in Illinois Bullying Scale and Smart and Sanson Social Competence Questionnaire, The Warden and Mackinnon Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ), and Sociogram.

The data were clustered using hierarchical method, showing four distinct clusters of students. The statistical and empirical validity of the data were confirmed: social preferred (35.99%), bullying (20.77%), social competent (26.81%), and victimized (16.42%). In addition, comparison of the clusters by considering gender, practical prosocial behavior, relational prosocial behavior, overt antisocial behavior, relational antisocial behavior, victimization showed that our clustering was sufficiently valid. The findings indicate that the bullying and victimized students have different behavior profiles with different characteristics.

Cluster analysis could help identify these profiles and thereby be used as a basis for designing and taking necessary measures regarding the prevention and intervention of the bullying behavior and its consequences.