The relation between retrospective bullying, life satisfaction and risk behaviors

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between previously experienced bullying with students’ current risk behaviors. The participants were 341 university students in Sweden and the data were collected with a web-based survey. The results showed that students with high experiences of previous bullying were less satisfied with their lives today than students with low experiences of bullying. In addition, male students who experienced bullying in childhood had higher levels of risk behaviors today, whereas female students who experienced bullying in adolescence had higher levels of risk behaviors today. This could be discussed by the fact that relational bullying, which is more common among females, occurs the most in adolescence, while physical bullying, which is more common among males, occurs mostly in childhood. Future research should control for sensation seeking and risk behaviors in adolescence, as well as the effects of cyberbullying.