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.

Objective – To examine gender differences in the attitudes of boys and girls in a hypothetical situation of emotional and sexual infidelity and the predictive contribution of hypothetical jealousy for various forms of violent behavior in boys and girls.  Method – The study included 140 high school students (58 boys and 82 girls). The Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (CADRI) used examines the incidence of dating violence. In order to determine the intensity of jealousy, sensitivity to sexual and emotional infidelity of the partner was also examined.  Results – The most common form of abuse in adolescent relationships is emotional and verbal abuse to which boys (52.16%) and girls (48.41%) are exposed. Young men more frequently sexually abuse their partners (F(1.140)=43.58; p=0.000), as compared to girls, and are more often exposed to emotional and verbal abuse by their female partner (F(1.140)=3.09; p=0.080). In comparison with girls, boys are more sensitive to hypothetical sexual infidelity (F(1.140)=10,08; p<0.000). The sensitivity of boys to hypothetical sexual infidelity was a significant predictor of physical (I²=-0.27) and sexual abuse (I²=0.26), while the sensitivity to hypothetical emotional infidelity was a predictor of emotional and verbal abuse (I²=0.23).  Conclusion – Boys are more sensitive to sexual and girls to the emotional infidelity of their partners. The adolescent men more frequently use sexual forms of abuse while girls are more often exposed to emotional and verbal abuse. Jealousy of adolescent men towards hypothetical sexual infidelity was a significant predictor of sexual abuse, while jealousy of adolescent girls towards hypothetical sexual and emotional infidelity is not a predictor of any form of violent behavior.

Objective – To find out whether involvement in bullying behaviour precedes psychosomatic symptoms or whether these symptoms precede involvement in bullying behaviour.  Subjects and methods – A six-month longitudinal study with baseline measurements taken in the autumn of 2008 and follow-up measurements in the spring of 2009 in four elementary schools in the Siroki Brijeg municipalities. The study included 536 children aged 11 to 15 years, who participated by filling out a questionnaire on both occasions of data collection. A self-administered questionnaire measured peer violence and a wide variety of psychosomatic symptoms.  Results – Children involved in bullying behaviour at the beginning of the school year compared to children who were not involved in bullying behaviour had significantly higher chances of developing psychosomatic symptoms such as nervousness and tension (OR=2.59; p=0.010), feeling tired for no reason (OR=2.0; p=0.008) and a feeling of energy loss (OR=2.18; p=0.050) during the school year. At the same time, some psychosomatic problems increase the likelihood of involvement in bullying behaviour. Children who were identified at the beginning of the school year as neutral and who had psychosomatic symptoms which had manifested as dizziness (OR=0.97, p=0.019), feeling tired for no reason (OR=1.84, p=0.018), pain (OR=2.45, p=0.001), eye problems (OR=1.94, p=0.047) and a feeling of energy loss (OR=2.06, p=0.045) were at greater risk of participation in peer violence during the school year.  Conclusion – Many psychosomatic health problems follow involvement in bullying behaviour. Furthermore, our results indicate that children with some psychosomatic health symptoms are at increased risk of being involved in bullying behaviour.

Objective – The aim of the present study was to assess if girls and boys who are classified as bullies, victims, bully/victims and neutral differ in Eysenck's personality dimensions.  Subjects and method – Three hundred and seventy-two children, age range 10 to 14 years (mean age 12.3±1.6 years) completed a School Relationship Questionnaire (SRQ) and the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ Junior). To examine whether there are differences in the studied dimensions of personality with regard to their roles in bullying behavior and the gender of the respondents, we used one–way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey HSD Post Hoc analysis.  Results – Based on the results of the SRQ, 57% of children were classified as involved in bullying behavior, either as bullies (13%), victims (16%) or bullies/victims (28%), while 41% were neutral. Girls showed significantly higher levels of neuroticism (F (1.325) = 9.983, p<0.001) and dissimulation tendency (F(1.331) = 7.270, p<0.05) than boys, while boys showed significantly higher levels of psychoticism (F(1.331) = 37.632, p<0.001). Bullies and bully/victims had higher levels of extraversion (F(3.323) = 3.105, p <0.05) while victims and bully/victims were found to have higher levels of neuroticism (F (3.325) = 20.390, p<0.001) compared to neutral. Significantly higher levels of psychoticism (F (3.331) = 13.929, p<0.001) were found for bully/victims in relation to bullies, victims and neutrals. Victims had significantly higher levels of psychoticism in relation to neutral, and bullies in relation to victims and neutrals. Significantly higher levels of affinity towards dissimulation (F (3.331) = 23.916, p<0.001) were found for neutrals in relation to bullies and bully/victims, and for victims in relation to bullies and bully/victims.  Conclusion – Differences in Eysenck’s personality dimensions were found with regard to gender and role in bullying behavior. A higher level of psychoticism was found in boys, while girls had a higher level of neuroticism and tendency to dissimulation. Bullies and bully/victims had a significantly higher level of psychoticism than victims, and victims had significantly higher levels of dissimulation tendencies in relation to bullies and bully/victims. Differences in the level of psychoticism and tendency to dissimulation are factors that distinguish between bullies and bully/victims in relation to victims and the neutral subjects. The results of this study show that Eysenck’s personality dimensions could be an important variable in understanding bullying behavior.

AIM To retrospectively analyze the rate of multi-type abuse in childhood and the effects of childhood abuse and type of coping strategies on the psychological adaptation of young adults in a sample form the student population of the University of Mostar. METHODS The study was conducted on a convenience sample of 233 students from the University of Mostar (196 female and 37 male), with a median age of 20 (interquartile range, 2). Exposure to abuse was determined using the Child Maltreatment Scales for Adults, which assesses emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect, and witnessing family violence. Psychological adaptation was explored by the Trauma Symptom Checklist, which assesses anxiety/depression, sexual problems, trauma symptoms, and somatic symptoms. Strategies of coping with stress were explored by the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. RESULTS Multi-type abuse in childhood was experienced by 172 participants (74%) and all types of abuse by 11 (5%) participants. Emotional and physical maltreatment were the most frequent types of abuse and mostly occurred together with other types of abuse. Significant association was found between all types of abuse (r=0.436-0.778, P<0.050). Exposure to sexual abuse in childhood and coping strategies were significant predictors of anxiety/depression (R(2)=0.3553), traumatic symptoms (R(2)=0.2299), somatic symptoms (R(2)=0.2173), and sexual problems (R(2)=0.1550, P<0.001). CONCLUSION Exposure to multi-type abuse in childhood is a traumatic experience with long-term negative effects. Problem-oriented coping strategies ensure a better psychosocial adaptation than emotion-oriented strategies.