Bullying, aggression and victimization in young children: measurement, nature and prevention

School bullying and victimisation have long been a focus of attention and concern. In 1857 a fictional account of bullying was published (‘Tom Brown’s School Days’ by Thomas Hughes) which described an older pupil bullying younger boys in an English public school. However, it was not until the late 1970s that empirical research was conducted on school bullying, beginning with the important work of Dan Olweus in Scandinavia. Research began by describing the nature and extent of the phenomenon, highlighting the different forms which bullying can take and the numbers of pupils involved either as perpetrators or victims of this aggression. Research has now moved towards understanding the diverse and often interrelated triggers for this aggression, leading to the development of theories which may assist in the planning of more appropriate intervention and prevention programmes (Monks et al., 2009)