Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS)

Abstract

The Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS), developed by Shaw and colleagues in 2013, is a comprehensive self-report measure designed to assess the frequency of involvement in various forms of bullying behavior among adolescents. The scale is split into two distinct, parallel versions: the Victimization Version (FBS-V), which measures the frequency with which an individual has been subjected to bullying, and the Perpetration Version (FBS-P), which measures the frequency with which an individual has engaged in bullying others. The FBS captures a wide spectrum of aggressive behaviors, including physical, verbal, relational, property-related, and coerced acts, providing robust data crucial for research and intervention efforts targeting peer aggression in school settings.

Keywords

Bullying, Victimization, Perpetration, Relational Aggression, Cyberbullying, Peer Violence, Psychological Assessment, Adolescence.

Authors

Shaw, T. M., Dooley, J. J., Cross, D. S., Zubrick, S., Waters, S. K.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS) is to provide a psychometrically sound, efficient, and comprehensive tool for quantifying the prevalence and specific types of bullying involvement (both as a target and as an aggressor) within youth populations. By simultaneously addressing both victimization and perpetration roles using identically worded items, the instrument facilitates crucial research into the dynamics of peer aggression, including the overlap between bully and victim statuses.

The development of the FBS was motivated by the need to update existing measures to reflect modern understandings of aggression, specifically incorporating items related to indirect aggression, social exclusion, and acts that border on cyberbullying, which were often overlooked in older scales such as the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. This breadth ensures accurate mapping of contemporary aggressive behaviors.

Construct

The FBS measures the psychological construct of peer bullying behavior, which is operationally defined as repeated aggressive behavior intended to cause harm or distress, typically characterized by an imbalance of power. The scale assesses 10 distinct manifestations of this construct across both versions, covering the spectrum of aggression that occurs in school and social environments.

The underlying dimensions of the construct measured by the FBS include Direct Bullying (e.g., physical harm, name-calling), Indirect Bullying (e.g., spreading rumors, social exclusion, breaking up friendships), Property Damage/Theft, and Coercive Behavior (e.g., threats and intimidation). The use of a frequency rating scale allows researchers to gauge the intensity and consistency of involvement in these behaviors over a recent, specified time frame (the last school term).

Validity

The original psychometric study by Shaw et al. (2013) focused on establishing the validity of the FBS for measures of bullying involvement in adolescence. The scale has demonstrated strong construct validity, confirming that the items accurately measure the intended types of aggressive behavior (e.g., physical, relational).

Evidence of convergent and discriminant validity supports the scale’s utility. The FBS scores show appropriate correlations with other established peer aggression measures while remaining distinct from measures of unrelated psychological constructs. Furthermore, the clear separation between the FBS-V and FBS-P versions provides crucial evidence that the instrument can distinguish between the experiences of being bullied and the behaviors of bullying others.

Reliability

The Forms of Bullying Scale exhibits high internal consistency, indicating strong reliability across both the Victimization and Perpetration versions. High Cronbach’s alpha coefficients reported in the foundational research suggest that the 10 items within each version consistently measure the unified underlying constructs of bullying involvement.

The consistent reliability estimates across different samples and various forms of bullying (e.g., relational, verbal, physical) confirm that the FBS is a stable and trustworthy measure, making it highly suitable for large-scale epidemiological studies and clinical assessments where consistency of measurement is paramount.

Factor Analysis

While the source material is brief, the validation paper (Shaw et al., 2013) detailed the factor structure of the FBS. Factor Analysis, typically involving Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), was used to test whether the 10 items in each version load onto the hypothesized dimensions of bullying. The results generally support a robust measurement model, confirming that the scale effectively captures the broad range of bullying behaviors.

The factor structure supports the scale’s utility in capturing both general bullying involvement and potentially specific sub-dimensions of aggression, such as the distinction between direct (overt) and indirect (relational) forms of aggression, which is crucial for targeted intervention strategies.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire designed for psychological and educational research.

Format: 5-point Likert-type frequency scale, administered via paper-and-pencil or electronically.

Language Available: English (Original version).

Population Group: School-aged youth and early Adolescents.

Age Group: Typically utilized with participants in middle school and high school age ranges.

Population Details: Developed and validated using community samples of young people, suitable for general population screening and clinical assessment of peer aggression.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the frequency of 10 specific behaviors they experienced (FBS-V) or enacted (FBS-P) during the previous school term, using a scale ranging from “This did not happen to me/I did not do this” to “Several times a week or more.”

Keywords

Bullying, Peer Aggression, School Violence, Psychometrics, Self-report, Relational Bullying, Perpetration, Victimization, Adolescence.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source).

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source).

Correspondence Address: Correspondence related to the original publication often directs to the lead author’s affiliation at the time, typically Edith Cowan University, Western Australia.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Forms of Bullying Scale was first published and validated in 2013 by Shaw et al. The scale is often utilized in academic research settings. For specific permission requirements and usage fees, users should consult the primary authors or the publishing journal, Psychological Assessment.

The instrument and related materials are often made available through institutional repositories. The original study and scale documentation can be accessed at: http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworks2013/743/. The full text of the article detailing the psychometrics is also available here: http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1743&context=ecuworks2013.

Reference’s

• Olweus, D. (1996). The Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Bergen, Norway: Research Centre for Health Promotion, University of Bergen.
• Rigby, K. (1998). Manual for the Peer Relations Questionnaire. Point Lonsdale, Victoria (Aust): The Professional Reading Guide for Educational Administrators.
• Shaw, T. M., Dooley, J. J., Cross, D. S., Zubrick, S., & Waters, S. K. (2013). The Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS): Validity and reliability estimates for a measure of bullying victimization and perpetration in adolescence. Psychological Assessment, 25(4), 1045-1057.

Items of the Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS)

Response Scale: “This did not happen to me/I did not do this”; “Once or twice”; “Every few weeks”; “About once a week”; and “Several times a week or more”

Victimization Version (FBS-V)

Last term, how often were you bullied (including cyberbullying) by one or more young people in the following ways?

1. I was TEASED in nasty ways
2. SECRETS were told about me to others to hurt me
3. I was hurt by someone trying to BREAK UP A FRIENDSHIP
4. I was MADE TO FEEL AFRAID by what someone said he/she would do to me
5. I was deliberately HURT PHYSICALLY by someone and/or by a group GANGING UP on me
6. I was CALLED NAMES in nasty ways
7. Someone told me he/she WOULDN’T LIKE ME UNLESS I DID what he/she said
8. My THINGS were deliberately DAMAGED, DESTROYED or STOLEN
9. Others tried to hurt me by LEAVING ME OUT of a group or NOT TALKING TO ME
10. LIES were told and/or FALSE RUMOURS spread about me by someone, to make my friends or others NOT LIKE me

Perpetration Version (FBS-P)

Last term, how often did you bully (or cyberbully) another young person(s) in the following ways (on your own or in a group)?

1. I TEASED someone in nasty ways
2. I told SECRETS about someone to others to deliberately HURT him/her
3. I hurt someone by trying to BREAK UP A FRIENDSHIP they had
4. I deliberately FRIGHTENED or THREATENED someone
5. I deliberately PHYSICALLY HURT or GANGED UP on someone
6. I CALLED someone NAMES in nasty ways
7. I told someone I would NOT LIKE THEM UNLESS THEY DID what I said
8. I deliberately DAMAGED, DESTROYED and/or STOLE someone’s things
9. I tried to hurt someone by LEAVING THEM OUT of a group or by NOT TALKING to them
10. I told LIES and/or spread FALSE RUMOURS about someone, to make their friends or others NOT LIKE them