Peer on Peer Sexualised Bullying

Childhood sexual bullying may lead to long-lasting mental and physical health consequences for both the victim and the perpetrator, especially when such acts are frequent and persistent. Although a uniform definition of sexual bullying is lacking, it is usually understood to incorporate any behaviour that denigrates someone through the use of sexualised language (either face-to-face or behind someone’s back), gestures, and/or physical violence. In extreme cases, such behaviour can result in sexual assault or rape. Research indicates that sexualised bullying is mostly perpetrated by boys against girls, but sexual bullying perpetrated by girls against both girls and boys is becoming more and more frequent. Despite the serious consequences and increasing incidence of peer-on-peer sexualised bullying, however, insight into children’s understanding and comprehensive assessment of such behaviour is missing. Thus, the purpose of this project is to (1) explore children’s understanding of what constitutes sexualised bullying, (2) develop a reliable assessment of peer-on-peer sexualised bullying inside and outside school, in social groups, and online, and (3) create a psychosocial profile of individuals at increased risk of sexualised bullying perpetration and victimisation to enable targeted prevention.