Illinois Bully Scale

Abstract

The Illinois Bully Scale (IBS) is an 18-item self-report psychometric instrument developed by Espelage and Holt in 2001. It is designed to measure the frequency of involvement in various forms of peer conflict among students, focusing specifically on three related but distinct dimensions: Bullying perpetration, physical Fighting behavior, and Victimization experience. The scale utilizes a 5-point frequency rating system, allowing researchers to quantify an individual’s role as an aggressor, a target, or a participant in physical conflict during a specified period, typically relevant to Early Adolescence.

The IBS has been widely used in school-based research focusing on the Psychosocial Correlates of aggression and victimization, offering a nuanced perspective beyond simple perpetrator/victim dichotomies by isolating behaviors related to fighting versus relational or verbal aggression.

Keywords

Bullying, Victimization, Peer Aggression, School Violence, Early Adolescence, Fighting Behavior, Self-Report Scale, Psychometrics, Peer Conflict, Dorothy Espelage.

Authors

Dorothy Espelage, Melissa Holt

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Illinois Bully Scale is to provide a reliable and concise measure for assessing the extent to which early adolescent students engage in or are subjected to three specific categories of peer aggression. By separating these behaviors into distinct subscales (Bullying, Fighting, and Victimization), the instrument allows researchers and clinicians to identify differential patterns of involvement.

The scale is crucial for understanding the multidimensional nature of aggression in school settings, helping to inform targeted intervention and prevention strategies. It aims to capture both direct, overt behaviors (like fighting) and more subtle forms of aggression (like spreading rumors or social exclusion).

Construct

The IBS measures the overarching construct of Peer Aggression and Conflict Involvement, which is broken down into three specific sub-constructs:

• Bullying Perpetration: Items addressing intentional, repeated aggressive behavior characterized by a power imbalance (e.g., teasing, spreading rumors, social exclusion).
• Fighting Behavior: Items measuring physical conflict involvement, including initiation of fights, threatening violence, and defensive fighting.
• Victimization Experience: Items reflecting the frequency with which a student is targeted by others’ aggressive behaviors (e.g., being picked on, called names, hit, or pushed).

The distinct subscales reflect the understanding that a student may simultaneously occupy different roles in the conflict dynamic (e.g., being both a victim and a bully/fighter), which is common in studies concerning adolescent peer relationships.

Validity

While specific detailed validity coefficients (such as factor loadings or correlations with external criterion measures) are often detailed in the original publication, the overall structure supports strong construct validity, as evidenced by the high internal consistency coefficients reported for each hypothesized subscale.

The scale’s theoretical grounding aligns with established definitions of Bullying and Victimization, suggesting robust face and content validity. Subsequent research utilizing the IBS, such as the 2005 work by Poteat & Espelage, further established its utility in exploring complex correlates, including the relation between aggressive behavior and homophobic verbal content, thus supporting its criterion and convergent validity in related fields of study.

Reliability

The reliability of the Illinois Bully Scale is typically measured using internal consistency, specifically Cronbach’s Alpha. The original study by Espelage and Holt (2001) reported high reliability coefficients across all three subscales, indicating that the items within each subscale consistently measure the intended construct.

The reported Cronbach’s Alpha values are:

• Bullying Subscale: 0.87
• Fighting Subscale: 0.83
• Victimization Subscale: 0.88

Factor Analysis

The structure of the Illinois Bully Scale is based on a three-factor model derived from factor analysis, which successfully separates the 18 items into three empirically supported dimensions: Bullying, Fighting, and Victimization. This structure confirms the scale’s ability to differentiate between these specific types of peer aggression involvement.

The specific item assignments for each derived factor are as follows:

• Victim Subscale: Items 4, 5, 6, and 7
• Bully Subscale: Items 1, 2, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18
• Fight Subscale: Items 3, 10, 11, 12, and 13

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: 18 items rated on a 5-point Likert frequency scale.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Students/Adolescents

Age Group: Early Adolescence (typically middle school age)

Population Details: Originally validated on students in the early adolescent phase, suitable for school-based settings studying peer dynamics.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate the frequency with which they engaged in or experienced the listed behaviors over a specified time frame. Point values are assigned based on frequency:

• Never = 0
• 1 or 2 times = 1
• 3 or 4 times = 2
• 5 or 6 times = 3
• 7 or more times = 4

Keywords

Bully Perpetration, Victimization Measurement, Peer Relations, Aggressive Behavior, School Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Reliability, Psychosocial Correlates, Intervention.

Authors

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

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Contact Email for Paul Poteat, PhD, a subsequent researcher utilizing the scale)

Correspondence Address: Paul Poteat, PhD, Boston College, Dept. of Counseling, Developmental, & Educational Psychology, Lynch School of Education, Campion Hall 307, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, Tel: 617-552-4234

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Illinois Bully Scale was developed and published in 2001. Copyright is held by The Haworth Press, Inc. (now Taylor & Francis). The original publication source is: Journal of Emotional Abuse, referenced in the article “Bullying and victimization during early adolescence: Peer influences and psychosocial correlates” by Dorothy Espelage and Melissa Holt. Researchers should seek permission from the publisher for commercial use or large-scale academic studies.

The instrument is also compiled in a widely available resource document. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullycompendiumbk-a.pdf. This compendium is titled Measuring Bullying Victimization, Perpetration, and Bystander Experiences: A Compendium of Assessment Tools, where the IBS can be found on page 49.

Reference’s

The primary references associated with the scale include:

• Espelage, D., & Holt, M. (2001). Bullying and victimization during early adolescence: Peer influences and psychosocial correlates. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904. (Copyright © 2001 The Haworth Press, Inc.)
• Poteat, V. P., & Espelage, D. L. (2005). Exploring the relation between bullying and homophobic verbal content: The Homophobic Content Agent Target (HCAT) Scale. Violence and Victims, 20, 513–528.

Items of the Illinois Bully Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I upset other students for the fun of it.
2. In a group I teased other students.
3. I fought students I could easily beat.
4. Other students picked on me.
5. Other students made fun of me.
6. Other students called me names.
7. I got hit and pushed by other students.
8. I helped harass other students.
9. I teased other students.
10. I got in a physical fight.
11. I threatened to hurt or hit another student.
12. I got into a physical fight because I was angry.
13. I hit back when someone hit me first.
14. I was mean to someone when I was angry.
15. I spread rumors about other students.
16. I started (instigated) arguments or conflicts.
17. I encouraged people to fight.
18. I excluded other students from my clique of friends.