Capturing the complexity of bullying perpetration and victimization: A network approach in a representative sample of Brazilian adolescents

Introduction Person-centred approaches, such as classifying children as bullies, victims, and bully-victims, assume homogenous subgroups and are limited in capturing the nuanced relationships between different forms of bullying. The current study proposes network analysis, a variable-centred method, as an alternative approach to examining bullying involvement.Methods We used data from the São Paulo Project for the Social Development of Children and Adolescents (SP-PROSO), a representative cross-sectional survey of high school students aged 15 years in São Paulo, Brazil (N = 2,598; 48.0% female). The self-reported Zurich Brief Bullying Scales were used to measure social exclusion, property destruction, verbal and physical aggression, and sexual bullying. To identify unique item combinations categorised into bullying roles, we created an UpSet plot. We estimated a mixed graphical model using a regularised nodewise regression approach via the Extended Bayesian Information Criterion, and subsequently examined node predictability, clustering, centrality, and network stability.Results There was substantial heterogeneity in bullying roles, particularly for bully-victims. The network model revealed a relatively high density, with 33 out of 45 edges, and two distinct but deeply intertwined dimensions of bullying perpetration and victimisation, which were primarily linked by victimisation through physical aggression. Perpetration through verbal aggression was most strongly connected to individual bullying behaviours. Node predictability was modest, suggesting greater influence from factors outside the network. Verbal aggression showed higher predictability and could be reduced by targeting other forms of bullying, whereas physical aggression with lower predictability may be best addressed directly or by targeting external risk factors. Conclusions The network approach represents an alternative approach to mapping the complexity of bullying, conceptualising bullying as mutually reinforcing behaviours. Researchers may want to integrate the network approach and leverage its decade of progress to uncover new insights into bullying involvement, leading to more effective prevention and treatment strategies.