Profile of Bullies and Victims Among Urban School-going Adolescents in Gujarat.

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of bullying, identifying bullies, victims and their associations. Methods Questionnaire having 'Peer Interaction in Primary Schools' and 'Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire' scales, and demographic information was administered to 7th, 8th and 9th graders (N=1106). RESULTS Prevalence of bullying was 49%. Boys were more likely to be bullies (P=0.03), whereas students having less friends (P=0.001), overweight/obese (P=0.02), and boys (P<0.001) were more likely to be victims. Association between bullying behavior and poor academic performance was noted. CONCLUSION We found high prevalence of bullying. The reasons for the same and scope of intervention needs further study.