Bullied Cognitions Inventory (BCI)

Abstract

The Bullied Cognitions Inventory (BCI), developed by Graham and Ehlers in 2023, is a 15-item psychometric instrument designed to rigorously assess specific self- and other-related Cognitions arising in the context of Bullying experiences among young individuals who have been victimized. This scale addresses a critical gap in psychological assessment by focusing exclusively on cognitive appraisals within bullied samples, moving beyond general trauma or social anxiety measures.

The initial scale development utilized a comprehensive approach, starting with twenty-three items derived from qualitative analysis of interviews with young victims, an extensive literature review, and consultation with expert clinicians. After administration to young individuals in the UK who had experienced Bullying, subsequent statistical analysis, including exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), supported a robust and reliable four-factor structure, ultimately retaining 15 items. The BCI has demonstrated strong reliability and validity metrics in clinical and research settings.

Keywords

Bullied Cognitions, Bullying Experiences, Bullying-Related Cognitions, Degraded in the Eyes of Others, Negative Interpretations of Reactions to Bullying, Recognizable as a Bullying Victim, Social Defeat, Cognitions, Self-Concept, Self-Evaluation, Social Interaction, Victimization, Bullying, Emerging Adulthood, Traumatic Experiences, Cognitive Measures, Youth Mental Health

Authors

Graham, Belinda; Ehlers, Anke

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Bullied Cognitions Inventory (BCI) is to quantitatively measure the maladaptive beliefs and cognitive appraisals that individuals form about themselves and others as a direct consequence of experiencing Bullying. By focusing specifically on these cognitions, the BCI aims to provide a targeted assessment tool for researchers and clinicians working with victims of victimization.

The instrument is designed to capture the specific negative self-perception and relational damage that often underlies subsequent mental health issues, such as anxiety and trauma-related symptoms, in this population. Higher scores on the BCI indicate a greater degree of maladaptive cognitive processing related to the bullying experience.

Construct

The BCI measures a specific construct known as Bullied Cognitions, which are negative, persistent beliefs shaped by the experience of victimization. The final 15-item scale is structured around four distinct, yet related, factors identified through Factor Analysis:

• Degraded in the Eyes of Others: Reflects perceived shame and weakness associated with having been victimized.
• Negative Interpretations of Reactions to Bullying: Focuses on self-blame, embarrassment, and perceived failure to recover or “move on” from the trauma.
• Recognizable as a Bullying Victim: Captures the belief that one possesses visible qualities or markers that make them perpetually vulnerable or easily identified as a target.
• Social Defeat: Measures feelings of complete humiliation, degradation, and fundamental failure resulting from the social trauma.

Validity

Validation efforts for the BCI confirmed its utility across several domains, although some aspects were marginally acceptable due to the strong correlation between factors.

Convergent Validity: The Convergent Validity was partially established, with most items demonstrating a percentage of variance explained by the extracted factors above 0.5. However, five items (12, 15, 19, 22, and 23) showed slightly lower factor loadings (r² values ranging from 0.397 to 0.472). Discriminant Validity was considered marginally acceptable, indicated by relatively high factor correlations spanning between 0.766 and 0.898.

Criterion Validity: The full BCI scale demonstrated significant associations with relevant clinical outcomes. Medium-to-large Pearson correlations were observed with symptoms of Social Anxiety (r = 0.57) and symptoms of PTSD (r = 0.65). Crucially, the BCI was able to explain additional variance in PTSD symptoms, even when controlling for existing cognitive measures, highlighting its unique contribution to the assessment of trauma resulting from Bullying. This incremental validity was not observed for social anxiety symptoms.

Reliability

The BCI exhibits strong indicators of reliability, supporting its consistent measurement of bullied cognitions over time and across items.

Internal Consistency: The internal consistency was found to be very good. Cronbach’s alpha (𝛼) for the individual factors ranged from 0.82 to 0.85. The internal consistency for the full 15-item scale was excellent, with an overall alpha of 0.93.

Test-retest Reliability: The stability of the measure was assessed over a one-week period, yielding excellent results for the total scale (r = 0.88). Reliability estimates for the four individual factors were also either excellent or good: Factor 1 (r = 0.76), Factor 2 (r = 0.84), Factor 3 (r = 0.80), and Factor 4 (r = 0.68).

Factor Analysis

The development of the final 15-item BCI was guided by rigorous statistical procedures, ensuring a clear and meaningful factor structure.

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): The initial pool of 23 items was reduced by five items due to issues such as extreme skewness, low correlation with primary outcomes, unclear wording, or item redundancy. The remaining 18 items underwent EFA. Fit statistics indicated that the four-factor solution provided an excellent fit to the data (TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.06, χ² = 245.48 on df = 101, χ²:df = 2.43). Further refinement involved deleting items with low factor loadings (below 0.4) or high cross-loadings. The resulting final four-factor solution, comprising 15 items, accounted for 52.5% of the total variance (TLI = 0.911, RMSEA = 0.092, χ²= 250.47 on df = 52, χ²:df = 4.82).

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): The hypothesized four-factor model was tested using CFA and demonstrated acceptable model fit indices. Key fit statistics included CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.92, and RMSEA = 0.08 (CI 0.07–0.09), with χ² = 299.11 on df = 84, and a normed chi-square (χ²:df) of 3.56. These results confirm the structural integrity of the four distinct cognitive factors underlying the BCI.

Instrument

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: Responses are collected electronically, using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (totally disagree) to 7 (totally agree). Respondents rate statements concerning their beliefs about self and others related to Bullying experiences over the last month. Higher total scores indicate more severe or maladaptive cognitive appraisals.

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs)

Population Details: Respondents were identified as Bullying Victims residing in the United Kingdom, including individuals reporting “Other” gender identities.

Test Methodology: Test Validity (Convergent Validity, Criterion Validity, Discriminant Validity), Test Reliability (Internal Consistency, Test-Retest Reliability), Factor Analysis (Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis), Qualitative Assessment Methods.

Keywords

Bullied Cognitions, Social Defeat, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Anxiety, Victimization, Cognitive Measures, Psychometric Scale, Self-Concept, Emerging Adulthood

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

Affiliation Email addresses:

• Graham, Belinda: University of Oxford Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma. Email: [email protected]
• Ehlers, Anke: University of Oxford Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma. Email: No data is Available

Correspondence Address: Graham, Belinda: [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching.
Commercial Use: No
Fee: No
Test Year: 2023
Web Site: The scale is governed by a Creative Commons license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

Reference’s

Graham, B., & Ehlers, A. (2023). Development and validation of the Bullied Cognitions Inventory (BCI). Cognitive Therapy and Research, 47(6), 1033–1045. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-023-10412-6

Items of the Bullied Cognitions Inventory (BCI)

The Bullied Cognitions Inventory (BCI) consists of 15 items, which load onto four distinct factors:

Factors:

• Degraded in the eyes of others

• Negative interpretations of reactions to bullying

• Recognizable as a bullying victim

• Social defeat

Number of items: 15 items

Degraded in the Eyes of Others

• 11. If I told someone I was picked on, they would think I am weak.

• 12. It is shameful to have been picked on.

• 13. If people knew I was picked on, they would think less of me.

Negative Interpretations of Reactions to Bullying

• 23. I need to prove to myself I’m different from what I was then.

• 15. My reaction to being picked on is overdramatic.

• 16. It is embarrassing that I still think about it.

• 19. It is unreasonable to feel bad as much worse things can happen.

• 20. It is my fault that I am not moving on.

• 22. I need to succeed to show I’m better than them.

Recognizable as a Bullying Victim

• 4. People see me as the type of person who gets picked on.

• 14. When I meet someone new, they can sense that I’ve been picked on.

• 21. I’m likely to be picked on again.

Social Defeat

• 8. I have been totally degraded.

• 17. I have been completely humiliated.

• 5. If I hadn’t been picked on, maybe I would be a better person.

Note: Statements inquire about self and others related to bullying experiences over the last month. Response options range from 1 (totally disagree) to 7 (totally agree). Higher scores indicate more maladaptive appraisals.