Bullying Prevalence Questionnaire (BPQ)

Abstract

The Bullying Prevalence Questionnaire (BPQ), also frequently referred to as the Peer Relations Questionnaire (PRQ) for Children, is a self-report instrument developed by Ken Rigby and Phillip Slee in 1993. This scale is designed to assess the frequency and nature of involvement in school-based Bullying behaviors, distinguishing between roles such as victim, perpetrator, and those exhibiting Pro-Social Behavior. It provides a quick and effective measure of the social dynamics and prevalence of interpersonal conflict among school-aged children, offering critical data for interventions aimed at improving Psychological Wellbeing.

Keywords

Bullying, Peer Relations, Victimization, Perpetration, School Psychology, Rigby, Slee, Pro-Social Behavior, Peer Harassment.

Authors

Ken Rigby, Phillip Slee.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the BPQ is epidemiological, allowing researchers and educators to estimate the prevalence of various forms of Bullying and peer harassment within specific school populations. By utilizing self-report items, the questionnaire captures the student’s personal experience, which is crucial for understanding the subjective impact of peer relations and the effectiveness of intervention programs.

Furthermore, the scale aims to identify patterns of interpersonal relating, including aggressive, passive, and Pro-Social Behavior. The structured scoring system allows for the classification of students into distinct roles (e.g., pure victim, pure bully, bully/victim, defender), which facilitates the development and implementation of targeted preventative and remedial strategies within educational settings.

Construct

The BPQ measures the broad psychological construct of Peer Relations and Bullying Involvement. This construct is generally broken down into several distinct sub-constructs based on the scoring system defined by the authors:

• Victimization Scale: Measures the extent to which a child is subjected to negative actions by peers, reflecting passive and direct Victimization experiences.
• Perpetration/Bully Scale: Measures self-reported aggressive or dominating behavior toward others, indicating active involvement in bullying.
• Pro-Social Scale: Measures positive peer interactions, empathy, and the tendency to help others who are being harassed or victimized, reflecting Pro-Social Behavior.

The questionnaire uses a combination of direct bullying items and filler items related to general school experience to provide a robust assessment and mitigate potential response biases inherent in self-report measures concerning sensitive topics.

Validity

The BPQ possesses strong face validity, as its items directly describe recognizable behaviors associated with peer conflict and support in school environments. Subsequent studies across various international samples have provided evidence for the scale’s construct validity, demonstrating its ability to differentiate theoretically distinct groups (e.g., victims vs. bullies vs. non-involved students).

Specifically, research, such as the 2015 study examining the scale’s Psychometric Properties in secondary schools, supports the factorial structure of the instrument. This empirical evidence confirms that the items load onto meaningful dimensions corresponding to the theoretical constructs of Victimization and prosociality, confirming its utility in cross-cultural research.

Reliability

The reliability of the BPQ is typically assessed through internal consistency measures, such as Cronbach’s alpha. Across numerous research applications since its development, the core subscales—particularly the Victimization and Pro-Social scales—have generally demonstrated acceptable to good internal reliability coefficients. This consistency ensures that items within each subscale are cohesively measuring the intended psychological dimensions.

Researchers utilizing the BPQ for large-scale prevalence studies rely on these robust reliability scores to ensure that changes in reported behaviors over time or differences between population groups are attributable to actual differences in peer relations rather than measurement error.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the BPQ and its related versions consistently supports a multidimensional structure of peer relations, rather than a single factor of general conflict. The most common factor solutions identify separate factors corresponding to Victimization, Bullying Perpetration, and Pro-Social Engagement.

The study by Akbari-balootbangan and Talepasand (2015) is one example confirming the empirical alignment of the scale’s items with the hypothesized underlying factors. This validation of the factorial structure is critical for maintaining the integrity of the scale when used in research and clinical assessment, ensuring that the separate subscale scores provide distinct and meaningful information about a student’s involvement profile.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychometrics Questionnaire

Format: 20 items, typically measured on a frequency-based Likert scale (e.g., Never, Sometimes, Often). The scale includes specific items designed to measure Victimization and Pro-Social behaviors, alongside filler items.

Language Available: English (Original), widely translated for use in international research.

Population Group: School Children / Adolescents

Age Group: Typically utilized with students in the middle childhood through early adolescence range (approximately 8 to 16 years).

Population Details: Originally developed using Australian school children, the scale has been extensively used and validated in diverse international school populations globally.

Test Methodology: Self-administered questionnaire, suitable for group administration in classroom settings, or individually. Scoring involves summing item responses within the defined subscales.

Keywords

Prevalence, Peer Harassment, Self-Report, Ken Rigby, Social Psychology, School Safety, Psychometric Properties, Peer Relations Questionnaire.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Bullying Prevalence Questionnaire (BPQ) was developed in 1993 by Ken Rigby and Phillip Slee. The primary author, Ken Rigby, maintains an active academic presence and often makes the instrument available for non-commercial research purposes, provided proper attribution is given. Researchers are advised to consult the official website for the most up-to-date permissions and usage guidelines.

The instrument can be found at: http://www.kenrigby.net/01a-Questionnaires

This instrument can be found online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8NKDDMP

Reference’s

• Rigby, K. and Slee, P.T. (1993) Dimensions of interpersonal relating among Australian school children and their implications for Psychological Wellbeing. Journal of Social Psychology, 133(1), 33-42.
• Rigby, K. (2007). Bullying in Schools: and what to do about it (updated, revised), Melbourne, Australian Council for Education Research.
• Rigby, K. (2008). Children and bullying. how parents and educators can reduce bullying at school. USA. Blackwell Publishing.
• Rigby, K (2010). Bullying in schools: Six Methods of Intervention, ACER, Camberwell.
• Rigby, K. (2011). What can schools do about cases of bullying? Pastoral Care in Education, 29(4): 273–285.
• Akbari-balootbangan A, Talepasand S.(2015). The Factorial Structure and Psychometric Properties of Bullying Prevalence Questionnaire in Secondary Schools. Journal of Education and Community Health, 2(2):10-19.

Items of the Bullying Prevalence Questionnaire (BPQ)

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

1. I like playing sport
2. I get good marks in class
3. I get called names by others
4. I give soft kids a hard time
5. I like to make friends
6. I play up in class
7. I feel I can’t trust others
8. I get picked on by others
9. I am part of a group that goes round teasing other
10. I like to help people are being harassed
11. I like to make others scared of me
12. Others leave me out of things on purpose
13. I get into fights at school
14. I like to show others that I’m the boss
15. I share things with others
16. I enjoy upsetting wimps someone I can easily beat
17. I like to get into a fight with someone I can easily beat
18. Others make fun of me
19. I get hit and pushed around by others
20. I enjoy helping others

Scale Scoring Definitions:

• Victim Scale: 3, 8, 12, 18, 19.
• Pro-Social Scale: 5, 10, 15, 20
• Filler items: 1, 2, 6, 7, 13