The image of a peer victim of bullying in schoolchildren with different degrees of victim behavior manifestation

Introduction. The study of adolescents' victimization merits special attention. This paper is the first report on the image of a peer victim of bullying in victim and non-victim students. Bullying is not an isolated problem in some cultures and countries; it is widespread. Educational establishments are responsible for resolving the problem of bullying. The article (a) presents an overview of modern foreign and domestic research on the issue of bullying; (b) describes the characteristics of bullying; (c) highlights 5 types of teenagers' adaptation toward bullying. Methods. These were the theoretical analysis of modern psychological research, psychological testing, content analysis, and statistical analysis. The study techniques included the “Tendency to Victim Behavior” technique by O. O. Andronnikova; “A Peer Victim of Bullying" free descriptions, “My Personal Qualities” questionnaire by Yu. V. Obukhova, V. O. Gur'eva). Results. The study revealed (a) the predominant types of victim behavior; (b) the association between victim behavior manifestation and students' self-assessment of personal qualities; (c) features of the image of a peer victim of bullying in schoolchildren with different degrees of victim behavior manifestation. Discussion. The study findings suggest that active forms of victim behavior (aggressive and hypersocial) tend to predominate in 10–11-year-old schoolchildren. The image of a peer victim of bullying differs in boys and girls with different degrees of victim behavior manifestation. In conclusion: sharpening awareness of bullying among teachers, parents, and students, as well as their involvement in resolving this problem, is the main strategy for preventing bullying in educational establishments.