The aim of this review was to provide an overview of researchinto the relationship between empathy and bullying. Thereforethe review indicated a number of researches that show differenteffects of empathy on bullying, regarding the type of bullying,roles in bullying behavior, as well as gender. From a review ofresearch it may be concluded that empathy significantly contributesto a reduction in various forms of violence. Most researchindicates the importance of the affective component of empathycompared to the cognitive component. The results of researchinto the relationship of empathy and its role in bullying behaviorwere less consistent. For this reason, the review highlightedmethodological difficulties in the study of bullying and empathy.  Conclusion  – In conclusion it could be said that most studiesshow a negative correlation between empathy and various typesof violence. Furthermore, it is evident that different componentsof empathy have differing degrees of influence in direct and indirectforms of violent behavior.

Brojna istraživanja su utvrdila povezanost između izloženosti nasilnom ponasanju  i psiholoskih poteskoca, ali jos uvijek je nejasno sto dolazi prije, ukljucenost u vrsnjacko nasilje ili psiholoske poteskoce. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati prethodi li ukljucenost u vrsnjacko nasilje  psiholoskim poteskocama ili psiholoske poteskoce predstavljaju cimbenik rizika za ukljucenost u vrsnjacko nasilje. Sest mjeseci dugo longitudinalno istraživanje zapoceto je u jesen 2008. godine a ponovno mjerenje provedeno je u proljece 2009. godine u cetiri osnovne skole na podrucju opcine Siroki Brijeg. Istraživanje je ukljucivalo 536 djece u dobi od 11 do 15 godina, koja su popunjavala upitnike za samoprocjenu u oba mjerenja. Upitnici za samoprocjenu koristeni su za ispitivanje vrsnjackog nasilja, kao i sirokog raspona psiholoskih simptoma.   Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da djeca koja su sudionici vrsnjackog nasilja  imaju znacajno veci rizik za razvoj psiholoskih poteskoca kao sto su anksioznost i depresivnost, somatske poteskoce, socijalni problemi i krsenje pravila u usporedbi s djecom koja nisu ukljucena u vrsnjacko nasilje. Istovremeno, specificne psiholoske poteskoce na pocetku godine ne predstavljaju cimbenik rizika za ukljucenost u vrsnjackog nasilje tokom godine.

OBJECTIVE This study investigates the relationship between involvement in bullying in childhood and adolescence and psychological difficulties in young adulthood. MATERIALS AND METHOD A total of 249 college students completed the Retrospective Bullying Questionnaire and Trauma Symptom Checklist. RESULTS The results showed significant differences in psychological adjustment among respondents who were exposed to bullying compared to respondents who were not exposed to bullying. Those exposed to bullying had significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, sleeping problems, and dissociative and traumatic symptoms compared to those who were not exposed to bullying. Respondents who were exposed to bullying in all three examined periods (the period from the first to fourth grade, the period from the fifth to eighth grade and the high school period) had higher scores on the subscale of dissociative symptoms and sexual trauma symptoms compared to respondents who were exposed through one or two periods. Victims abused in all three periods have more symptoms of anxiety and sleeping problems compared to the subjects exposed to bullying during one examination period. There were no differences in the level of depressive symptoms and sexual problems regarding the duration of bullying. Also, there were no differences in psychological adjustment between respondents who were bullied during one specific period. CONCLUSION Bullying experiences in childhood and adolescence are connected with difficulties in psychological adjustment in young adulthood.