Growing up in socioeconomic disadvantage increases risk of peer bullying at school. Both socioeconomic status and involvement in bullying are predictive of a range of adverse developmental outcomes. However, neither (a) the mechanisms whereby disadvantage increases bullying risk nor (b) the developmental outcomes for which bullying may mediate disadvantage are clear. This review scoped the literature on the relationships between socioeconomic disadvantage, bullying, and health and developmental outcomes for school-aged children and adolescents. Four databases were searched up to June 3, 2023 with 565 studies retrieved, of which 17 met criteria. Most studies were cross-sectional, and studies varied greatly in their definition and measurement of both bullying involvement and disadvantage. No intervention studies were found. Mediators of the disadvantage-bullying association ranged from individual level (e.g., depression) to the national level (e.g., homicide rate); only two studies examined bully–victim status. Of studies where bullying was a mediator, none examined bullying perpetration; the range of outcomes examined was narrowly focused on mental health, failing to capture the full range of developmental outcomes associated with either socioeconomic disadvantage or bullying involvement. This review highlights that future research is needed on identifying and understanding the mediators of the association between disadvantage and bullying victimization, and on the developmental outcomes mediated by bullying perpetration for disadvantaged children. These insights are critical to increase the effectiveness of community- and school-based bullying prevention, particularly in communities with high proportions of socioeconomically disadvantaged families.
CampbellM.StraatmannV. S.LaiE. T. C.PotierJ.PereiraS. M. P.WickhamS. L.Taylor-RobinsonD. C. (2019). Understanding social inequalities in children being bullied: UK Millennium Cohort study findings. PLOS ONE, 14(5), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217162
2.
*ChenJ.-K.WangZ.WongH.TangV. M. (2021). Child deprivation as a mediator of the relationships between family poverty, bullying victimization, and psychological distress. Child Indicators Research, 14(5), 2001–2019.
3.
*ChoiJ.-K.TeshomeT.SmithJ. (2021). Neighborhood disadvantage, childhood adversity, bullying victimization, and adolescent depression: A multiple mediational analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 279, 554–562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.10.041
4.
CohenP.ChenH.GordonK.JohnsonJ.BrookJ.KasenS. (2008). Socioeconomic background and the developmental course of schizotypal and borderline personality disorder symptoms. Development and Psychopathology, 20(2), 633–650. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095457940800031X
5.
CookC. R.WilliamsK. R.GuerraN. G.KimT. E.SadekS. (2010). Predictors of bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic investigation. School Psychology Quarterly, 25(2), 65–83. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020149
6.
Covidence systematic review software, Veritas Health Innovation. (2023). www.covidence.org.
7.
CunninghamT.HoyK.ShannonC. (2016). Does childhood bullying lead to the development of psychotic symptoms? A meta-analysis and review of prospective studies. Psychosis, 8(1), 48–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/17522439.2015.1053969
8.
DevenishB.HooleyM.MellorD. (2017). The pathways between socioeconomic status and adolescent outcomes: A systematic review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 59(1–2), 219–238. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12115
9.
*DietrichL.FergusonR. F. (2020). Why stigmatized adolescents bully more: The role of self-esteem and academic-status insecurity. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 305–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1622582
10.
*ElgarF. J.CraigW.BoyceW.AntonyM.Vella-ZarbR. (2009). Income inequality and school bullying: Multilevel study of adolescents in 37 countries. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(4), 351–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.04.004
11.
ElgarF. J.GariepyG.DirksM.WalshS. D.MolchoM.CosmaA.Malinowska-CieslikM.DonnellyP. D.CraigW. (2019). Association of early-life exposure to income inequality with bullying in adolescence in 40 countries. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(7), Article e191181. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1181
12.
*ElgarF. J.PickettK. E.PickettW.CraigW.MolchoM.HurrelmannK.LenziM. (2013). School bullying, homicide and income inequality: A cross-national pooled time series analysis. International Journal of Public Health, 58(2), 237–245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0380-y
13.
FangM. (2018). School poverty and the risk of attempted suicide among adolescents. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 53(9), 955–967. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-018-1544-8
14.
GaffneyH.TtofiM. M.FarringtonD. P. (2019). Evaluating the effectiveness of school-bullying prevention programs: An updated meta-analytical review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 45, 111–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2018.07.001
15.
GiniG.CardN. A.PozzoliT. (2018). A meta-analysis of the differential relations of traditional and cyber-victimization with internalizing problems. Aggressive Behavior, 44(2), 185–198. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21742
16.
GiniG.PozzoliT.LenziM.VienoA. (2014). Bullying victimization at school and headache: A meta-analysis of observational studies. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 54(6), 976–986. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.12344
17.
HarfieldS. G.DavyC.McArthurA.MunnZ.BrownA.BrownN. (2018). Characteristics of Indigenous primary health care service delivery models: A systematic scoping review. Globalization and Health, 14, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0332-2
18.
HawleyP. H. (1999). The ontogenesis of social dominance: A strategy-based evolutionary perspective. Developmental Review, 19(1), 97–132. https://doi.org/10.1006/drev.1998.0470
19.
HenriksenP. W.RayceS. B.MelkevikO.DueP.HolsteinB. E. (2016). Social background, bullying, and physical inactivity: National study of 11- to 15-year-olds. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 26(10), 1249–1255. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12574
20.
HoltM. K.Vivolo-KantorA. M.PolaninJ. R.HollandK. M.DeGueS.MatjaskoJ. L.WolfeM.ReidG. (2015). Bullying and suicidal ideation and behaviors: A meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 135(2), e496–e509. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1864
21.
HongJ. S.LeeJ.EspelageD. L.HunterS. C.PattonD. U.RiversT. (2016). Understanding the correlates of face-to-face and cyberbullyling victimization among U.S. adolescents: A social-ecological analysis. Violence & Victims, 31(4), 638-663. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-15-00014
22.
*HongJ. S.ChoiM.-J.KimI.AlgoodC. L.EspelageD. L.RoseC. A. (2021). Caregiver’s difficulty paying child’s healthcare bills and bullying victimization of adolescents with physical disabilities. Research in Nursing & Health, 44(4), 653–663. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.22142
23.
*HongJ. S.ChoiM.-J.O’DonnellL. A.EspelageD. L.AlbdourM.WuC-F. (2023). Exploring the linkage between family financial struggle and children’s bullying victimization: Implications for nursing and psychotherapeutic practices. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 28(1), Article e12400. https://doi.org/10.1111/jspn.12400
24.
*HongJ. S.KimD. H.NarveyC.PiqueroA. R.deLaraE.PadillaY. C. (2021). Understanding the link between family economic hardship and children’s bullying behavior. Youth & Society, 53(7), 1066–1089. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X20932594
25.
*JiangS. (2020). Psychological well-being and distress in adolescents: An investigation into associations with poverty, peer victimization, and self-esteem. Children and Youth Services Review, 111, 104824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104824
26.
KillerB.BusseyK.HawesD. J.HuntC. (2019). A meta-analysis of the relationship between moral disengagement and bullying roles in youth. Aggressive Behavior, 45, 450–462. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21833
27.
KowalskiR. M.GiumettiG. W.SchroederA. N.LattannerM. R. (2014). Bullying in the digital age: A critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 1073–1137. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035618
28.
*LeeJ.HongJ. S.ChoiM.-J.LeeJ. (2023). Testing pathways linking socioeconomic status, academic performance, and cyberbullying victimization to adolescent internalizing symptoms in South Korean middle and high schools. School Mental Health, 15(1), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-022-09532-3
29.
*LiB.HuT.TangW. (2022). The effects of peer bullying and poverty on suicidality in Chinese left behind adolescents: The mediating role of psychotic-like experiences. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 16(11), 1217–1229. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13271
30.
ManhicaH.StraatmannV. S.LundinA.AgardhE.DanielssonA. K. (2021). Association between poverty exposure during childhood and adolescence, and drug use disorders and drug-related crimes later in life. Addiction, 116(7), 1747–1756. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15336
31.
*McCallopsK.AvilesA. M.EarnshawV. A.PalkovitzR. (2021). Homelessness and suicidality: The role of bullying and parental support. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 70, 1150–1161. http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12437
32.
ModeckiK. L.MinchinJ.HarbaughA. G.GuerraN. G.RunionsK. C. (2014). Bullying prevalence across contexts: A meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(5), 602–611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.06.007
33.
MunnZ.PetersM. D. J.SternC.TufanaruC.McArthurA.AromatarisE. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18, 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x
34.
OlweusD. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Blackwell Publishing.
35.
OlweusD. (1994). Bullying at school: Basic facts and effects of a school based intervention program. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 35(7), 1171–1190.
*OrriM.RussellA. E.MarsB.TureckiG.GunnellD.HeronJ.TremblayR. E.BoivinM.NuytA. M.CôtéS. M.GeoffroyM. C. (2022). Perinatal adversity profiles and suicide attempt in adolescence and young adulthood: Longitudinal analyses from two 20-year birth cohort studies. Psychological Medicine, 52(7), 1255–1267. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720002974
38.
*PabayoR.BennyC.VeugelersP. J.Senthilselvan AmbikaipakanP.LeatherdaleS. T. (2022). Income inequality and bullying victimization and perpetration: Evidence from adolescents in the COMPASS study. Health Education & Behavior, 49(2), 313–322. https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981211071031
39.
ReijntjesA.KamphuisJ. H.PrinzieP.TelchM. J. (2010). Peer victimization and internalizing problems in children: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Child Abuse & Neglect, 34(4), 244–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.07.009
40.
ReissF. (2013). Socioeconomic inequalities and mental health problems in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 90, 24–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.04.026
41.
RunionsK. C.SalmivalliC.ShawT.BurnsS.CrossD. (2018). Beyond the reactive-proactive dichotomy: Rage, revenge, reward, and recreational aggression predict early high school bully and bully/victim status. Aggressive Behavior, 44(5), 359–389. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21770
42.
RunionsK. C.WongJ.PaceG.SalminI. (2020). Borderline personality disorder and peers: A scoping review of friendship, victimization and aggression studies. Adolescent Research Review, 6, 359–389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-020-00137-y
43.
SavageJ.EllisS. K.WozniakK. H. (2019). The role of poverty and income in the differential etiology of violence: An empirical test. Journal of Poverty, 23(5), 384–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2019.1577325
44.
SchoelerT.DuncanL.CecilC. M.PloubidisG. B.PingaultJ. B. (2018). Quasi-experimental evidence on short- and long-term consequences of bullying victimization: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 144(12), 1229–1246. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000171
45.
SolbergM. E.OlweusD. (2003). Prevalence estimation of school bullying with the Olweus Bully/victim questionnaire. Aggressive Behavior, 29(3), 239–268. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.10047
46.
SouranderA.KlomekA. B.IkonenM.LindroosJ.LuntamoT.KoskelainenM.HeleniusH. (2010). Psychosocial risk factors associated with cyberbullying among adolescents: A population-based study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67(7), 720–728. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.79
47.
TaquetteS. R.MonteiroD. L. M. (2019). Causes and consequences of adolescent dating violence: A systematic review. Journal of Injury and Violence Research, 11(2), 137–147. https://doi.org/10.5249/jivr.v11i2.1061
48.
TippettN.WolkeD. (2014). Socioeconomic status and bullying: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Public Health, 104(6), e48–e59. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301960
49.
TtofiM. M.FarringtonD. P. (2011). Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: A systematic and meta-analytic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7(1), 27–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-010-9109-1
50.
TtofiM. M.FarringtonD. P.LöselF. (2012). School bullying as a predictor of violence later in life: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective longitudinal studies. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17(5), 405–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.05.002
51.
TtofiM. M.FarringtonD. P.LöselF.CragoR. V.TheodorakisN. (2016). School bullying and drug use later in life: A meta-analytic investigation. School Psychology Quarterly, 31(1), 8–27. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000120
52.
TtofiM. M.FarringtonD. P.LöselF.LoeberR. (2011). The predictive efficiency of school bullying versus later offending: A systematic/meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies. Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, 21(2), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.808
53.
van DamD. S.van der VenE.VelthorstE.SeltenJ. P.MorganC.de HaanL. (2012). Childhood bullying and the association with psychosis in non-clinical and clinical samples: A review and meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, 42(12), 2463–2474. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291712000360
54.
*WangL.JiangS. (2021). The effects of strain and negative emotions on adolescent cyberbullying perpetration: An empirical test of general strain theory. Current Psychology, 42, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02426-8
55.
*WangL.JiangS.ChengY.ZhouZ. (2023). Extending the link between family financial stress and bullying of children: A moderated mediation model. Journal of School Violence, 22(3), 353–366. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2023.2186418
56.
*WangX.WangW. (2023). Perceived economic stress and adolescents’ bullying victimization: The roles of self-esteem and student-student relationships. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 44(2), 250–274.
57.
ZychI.TtofiM. M.FarringtonD. P. (2019). Empathy and callous-unemotional traits in different bullying roles: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 20(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838016683456
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
