School Victimization and Bullying Experiences: Cross-national Comparisons Between Canada and the United States

Abstract

The victimization of children in school and its mental health consequences have become national problems in both Canada and the United States, with evidence that severe cases of peer victimization might precede and/or be related to posttraumatic stress disorder. This study examines the frequency of victimization in schools, perpetrated by both peers and educators, and the psychological outcomes. The cross-national study included 1007 college/university students from four universities in the US and 210 university students from mid-western Canada. The “Student Alienation and Trauma Scale–Revised” (SATS–R) measures students’ negative experiences in school and assesses whether an individual developed PTSD. Overall, Canadian students remembered more victimization in school than US students. For both country samples, the verbal/relational bullying factor was most often identified as a student’s very worst school experience (approximately 40% for both countries). Both samples had similar rates of PTSD after their very worst school experience with no real differences in the types of symptoms experienced by students after their very worst school experience.