Are some children more likely to be bullied than others?

An American study suggested that a child's friendships can affect the possibility of being bullied. If a child is already vulnerable (for example cries easily, is anxious, has low self-esteem, or is physically weak) or is both anxious and aggressive and annoys others, it is likely that bullying will occur if she/he only has a few friends, or has friends who are unable to offer protection. Bullying would also be likely if the vulnerable or the anxious/aggressive child was not accepted by his/her peers. However, if the vulnerable child had more friends, had friends who could defend her/him or was better liked by peers, the chances of being bullied would be less.
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Article details

E V E Hodges, M J Malone and D G Perry (1997) 'Individual Risk and Social Risk as Interacting Determinants of Victimization in the Peer Group', in 'Developmental Psychology', Volume 33, Issue 6.
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