(PS5-15) Bullying as It Associates with Anger Expression in Youth

Emotional expression in anxious and depressed youth varies between sexes. However, more research is needed on anger expression in clinical youth compared to other emotions. It is known that cisgender boys present with more externalizing symptoms, like hostility, compared to cisgender girls (Chaplin, T., & Adlao, A., 2013). Additionally, physical aggression in youth correlates to being bullied (Kalogerakis, Z., 2021). Bullying also correlates to poor mental health in both girls and boys (Rigby, K., 2010). This study aimed to look at anger expression in bullied youth as moderated by sex. The goal was to see if different bullying experiences affected oppositionality and hostility differently in boys and girls. 

Data was collected via intake process for a randomized clinical trial assessing behavioral therapies for anxiety or mood problems in youth (ages 9-17 years) in an outpatient research clinic. Youth met criteria for either a principal DSM-5 anxiety-based (GAD, SOC, SEP, PD, OCD) or depressive (MDD, PDD, Dep NOS) disorder. The self-reported Children’s Automatic Thoughts Scale (CATS; Schniering, C. A., & Rapee, R. M., 2002) measured youth hostile thoughts, and the caregiver-reported oppositionality subscale of the MTA-SNAP (Swanson, 1992; Swanson et al., 1983) assessed youth oppositional defiance at intake.  Experiences with bullying were measured by self-report during intake assessments via a modified version of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ; Solberg & Olweus, 2003). We looked at specific questions in three categories: relational bullying (social targeting, exclusion), physical bullying (physical threat and conflict), and identity and appearance-based (race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality) bullying. 

Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine bullying and its effect on youth oppositionality (MTA-SNAP, Opposition-Defiance subscale) and hostile thoughts (CATS, Hostility subscale). Age was set as a covariate and sex was examined as a moderator. Analysis revealed a significant association between relational bullying and anger expression, identified via oppositional defiance, b= 0.41, β= 0.17, t= 1.99, p= 0.048, and hostile thoughts, b= 0.56, β= 0.22, t= 2.67, p=0.008. With increased relational bullying, severity of hostile thoughts and opposition defiance grew. Results of the analysis suggest that sex is not significant as a moderator. 

The findings suggest that bullying can affect youth’s hostile thoughts and opposition defiance with no significant difference between sexes. In identifying this correlation, symptomatic anger in youth exposed to bullying could be more recognized in social spheres, like school, that would otherwise punish anger expression.