Validity and reliability of traditional and cyber bullying victimization scale: Findings from a school-based survey in urban areas of Ha Noi and Hai Duong

Abstract

      Bullying victimization is associated with mental health of adolescents. The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable and valid scale, which determines victimization behaviours (including traditional and cyber bullying victimization) among school students. A total of 1,424 adolescents (female accounting for 54.9%, mean age = 14.7, SD = 1.9) enrolled in two secondary schools and two high schools in Ha Noi and Hai Duong province completed self-administered questionnaires in 2014. Results of principal component analysis indicated that two emerged factors accounted for 58.0% of the total variance. For predictive validity, results showed high correlations between mean score of victimization and gender, age, depressive syndromes, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation. Internal consistency coefficients for reliability of cyber-bullying victimization and traditional bullying victimization subscales were 0.92 and 0.73 respectively, and 0.85 for the whole scale. Results demonstrated that the traditional and cyber-bullying victimization scale is a valid and reliable instrument.