Full title: Neighborhood predictors of bullying perpetration and victimization trajectories
among South Korean adolescents
Yoonsun Han | Department of Social Welfare, Seoul National University
Hayoung Kim | Youth Career Development Center, National Youth Policy Institute
Julie Ma | Department of Social Work, University of Michigan‐Flint
Juyoung Song | Administration of Justice, Pennsylvania State University
Hyunhee Hong | Department of Child Psychology and Education, Sungkyunkwan University
Abstract
Aims: This study examined latent trajectories of bullying perpetration and victimization, and identified neighborhood antecedents of these trajectories among South Korean
adolescents.
Methods: Nationally representative individual‐level data from waves 2 to 6 (middle school to high school) of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey were merged with neighborhood‐ level data drawn from the Korean Census and the Korean Ministry of Education. Latent class growth analysis (N = 2,178) and logistic regression were conducted (N=2,021).
Results: Three unique trajectories of bullying experience— low‐risk (80.8%), transient (13.3%), high‐risk (5.9%)—were identified. Neighborhood factors (e.g., public assistance
receipt, marital status, official bullying incidents, collective efficacy) predicted these distinct developmental paths.
Conclusion: Joint trajectories of perpetration and victimization can inform service or policy decisions as each developmental path may represent unique experiences for youth in need of specific resources for treatment or intervention. Neighborhood indicators are important predictors of developmental trajectories of bullying experience among adolescents.
KEYWORDS
adolescent well‐being, bullying, latent class growth analysis, logistic regression, neighborhood, Republic of Korea, trajectory
J Community Psychol. 2019;47:1714–1732.
DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22226