23 www.pedijatrijadanas.com
Objective - The aim of the present study was to assess if girls
and boys who are classified as bullies, victims, bully/victims and
neutral differ in Eysenck's personality dimensions.
Subjects and method - Three hundred and seventy-two chil-
dren, age range 10 to 14 years (mean age 12.3±1.6 years) com-
pleted a School Relationship Questionnaire (SRQ) and the Junior
Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ Junior). To examine
whether there are differences in the studied dimensions of per-
sonality with regard to their roles in bullying behavior and the
gender of the respondents, we used one–way analysis of variance
(ANOVA) with Tukey HSD Post Hoc analysis.
Results - Based on the results of the SRQ, 57% of children were
classified as involved in bullying behavior, either as bullies (13%),
victims (16%) or bullies/victims (28%), while 41% were neutral.
Girls showed significantly higher levels of neuroticism (F (1.325)
= 9.983, p<0.001) and dissimulation tendency (F(1.331) = 7.270,
p<0.05) than boys, while boys showed significantly higher le-
vels of psychoticism (F(1.331) = 37.632, p<0.001). Bullies and
bully/victims had higher levels of extraversion (F(3.323) = 3.105,
p <0.05) while victims and bully/victims were found to have
higher levels of neuroticism (F (3.325) = 20.390, p<0.001) com-
pared to neutral. Significantly higher levels of psychoticism (F
(3.331) = 13.929, p<0.001) were found for bully/victims in re-
lation to bullies, victims and neutrals. Victims had significantly
higher levels of psychoticism in relation to neutral, and bullies
in relation to victims and neutrals. Significantly higher levels of
affinity towards dissimulation (F (3.331) = 23.916, p<0.001) were
found for neutrals in relation to bullies and bully/victims, and for
victims in relation to bullies and bully/victims.
Conclusion - Differences in Eysenck’s personality dimensions
were found with regard to gender and role in bullying behavior.
A higher level of psychoticism was found in boys, while girls had
Kristina SESAR
1
, Nataša ŠIMIĆ
2
, Marijana BARIŠIĆ
3
ROLES IN BULLYING BEHAVIOR AND EYSENCK'S PERSONALITY
DIMENSIONS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN
1
Center for Mental Health
Siroki Brijeg Health Care Center
Bosnia and Herzegovina
2
Department of Psychology
University of Zadar, Croatia
3
Department of Psychology
University of Mostar
Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Kristina Sesar
Center for Mental Health
Siroki Brijeg Health Care Center
Dr. J. Grubišića 11
88220 Široki Brijeg
Bosnia and Herzegovina
e-mail: kristina.sesar@tel.net.ba
Tel.: + 387 39 703 870
Fax: + 387 39 704 936
Received: May 31, 2010
Accepted: January 12, 2011
Copyright © 2009 by University
Clinical Center Tuzla. E-mail
for permission to publish:
pedijatrijadanas@ukctuzla.ba
Original article
Paediatrics Today 2011;7(1)26-36
DOI 10.5457/p2005-114.11