COMPARING SOCIAL SKILLS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF BULLY, VICTIM, AND NOT-INVOLVED STUDENTS

the aim of this study was to compare social skills and psychological problems of the middle school students involved in the phenomenon of bullying. Two hundred and eighty two students (53 bullies, 56 victims, and 173 not involved) were selected by cluster sampling. The participants completed the Achenbach's Behavioral Problems-Youth Self-report Scale (YSR; Achenbach, 1991) and the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills (TISS; Inderbitzen & Foster, 1992). The results of ANOVA indicated that 1) bully students had lower positive social skills scores than two other groups, 2) bully students had higher negative social skills scores than two other groups, 3) average scores of internalized disorders in bully and victim students were significantly higher than in students not involved in bullying, 4) average scores of externalized disorders in bully students were significantly higher than students not involved in bullying. The findings suggested the importance of social skills training, preventive programs, and appropriate interventions in schools to prevent bullying and its harmful consequences in schools.