Abstract:
Bullying is not only a prevalent problem in children and adolescent community samples, but it also plays a significant role in juvenile sexual offending, Yet, few studies have investigated the role that different types of bullying play in the patterns of offending among juveniles who have sexually offended (JSOs). We administered the Multidimensional Assessment of Sex, and Aggression (the MASA) to 306 incarcerated JSOs. Using their responses to bully and victimization items, we created either broad (inclusive) or narrow (exclusive) bully and victim categories and classified the juveniles into bully, victim, both bully and victim (bully-victims), and neither bully nor victim categories, using both the broad and narrow criteria. The dependent variables were factor-generated scales on offense planning and fantasy. Bully-victims scored significantly higher than victims, neither bully nor victims, and bullies in almost all four scales in offense planning including aggressive/violent planning. The data supported our hypothesis that
bully-victims, when compared with others, would be more likely to experience cognitive distortions such as aggressive planning, intimacy-seeking fantasies, and also detail-oriented offense planning.
