KOREASCHOLAR

In this study, causes and consequences of bullying were explored, focusing on victim personality and appearance factors. The research model included the relationships among bullying, important causes of bullying (aggression, cleanliness, and obesity of victims) and consequences of bullying (self-esteem and depression) and was tested through survey data from 594 (194 male and 404 female) middle school students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and path analysis with SPSS and AMOS. In the results of the model tests, victims who are more aggressive, less clean, and more overweight are more likely to be bullied. In addition, adolescents bullied by others tend to have lower self-esteem and more depression. Furthermore, the model comparison was assessed by gender and a difference between the two gender models was found. In the check of critical ratio for difference, it was concluded that the cleanliness of the victim is a more important cause of bullying for male adolescents than for female adolescents. It is meaningful to confirm the effects of the victim’s appearance factors on bullying in the literature focusing on personality issues of victims. Educators and counselors may refer to the findings in developing counseling guidelines and manuals to prevent bullying in school.

• Eunah Yoh(계명대학교 패션마케팅학과) | 여은아 Corresponding author