Fear of bullying among prisoners

This study explores the association between fear of bullying and psychological distress. Participants were 293 adult prisoners, including men (n = 169) and women (n = 124), split into groups of ‘pure bullies’ (ie. solely reporting perpetration), ‘bully/victims’ (reporting perpetration and being victimised), ‘pure victims’ (reporting being victimised) and those ‘not‐involved’. All completed the Direct and Indirect Prisoner Behaviour Checklist ‐ Revised (DIPC‐R), a measure of psychological health (General Health Questionnaire: GHQ‐28) and the Fear of Bullying Scale (FBS). The FBS was piloted on a sample of adult male prisoners (n = 69) prior to the main study. It was hypothesised that experience of victimisation would associate with higher levels of fear; that bully/victims would present with higher levels of fear than pure bullies (perpetrators); that fear would be associated with increased levels of psychological distress; and, finally, that women would report higher levels of fear than men. Pure victims reported higher levels of fear than pure bullies and those not‐involved, with bully/victims reporting increased levels of fear in comparison to those not‐involved. These findings did not, however, hold across sex, with women overall reporting higher levels of fear than men. Structural equation models indicated no direct relationship between experiencing victimisation and psychological distress, but rather an indirect relationship through fear of victimisation. The results are discussed with reference to the association between victimisation and psychological distress and the importance of this finding to the wider research field

Association (psychology · Distress · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Mental health · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Psychiatry · Psychological distress · Victimisation · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Clinical Psychology · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Medicine · Psychology · Workplace Violence and Bullying

• The Effects of Physical Victimization in Prison on Perceptions of Personal Safety and Culture of Violence

  Open Access•Grant Duwe, Susan Mcneeley et al.•Criminal Justice Review•2026

  Añadir item

• The Role of Social Information Processing and Cognitive Schema in the Acquisition and Maintenance of Habitual Aggressive Behavior

  L Rowell Huesmann•Human aggression•1998

  Añadir item

• A scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire

  Open Access•D Goldberg, D P Goldberg et al.•Psychological Medicine•1979

  Añadir item

• Sex differences in physical, verbal, and indirect aggression

  Open Access•Kaj Bj�rkqvist•Sex Roles•1994

  Añadir item

• Gender and Perceptions of Danger

  Open Access•Mary B Harris, Kari C Miller•Sex Roles•2000

  Añadir item

• Understanding and Preventing Bullying

  David P Farrington•Crime and Justice•1993

  Añadir item

• Intra‐group aggression among prisoners

  Open Access•Jane L Ireland, Carol A Ireland•Aggressive Behavior•2008

  Añadir item

• The Effect of Fear of Sexual Victimization on Adolescent Fear of Crime

  David C May•Sociological Spectrum•2001

  Añadir item