{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,25]],"date-time":"2026-05-25T04:04:09Z","timestamp":1779681849520,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,23]],"date-time":"2026-05-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779494400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: The phenomenon of bullying represents a major issue in school settings worldwide, despite extensive research on the topic. This study aimed to investigate the associations between bullying perpetration, victimization, and assertive behavior among primary school students. Methods: The sample consisted of 352 fourth-grade students (174 boys and 178 girls; aged 10\u201311 years) from 7 schools in Ia\u0219i, Romania. Bullying perpetration and victimization were assessed using the Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument\u2013Bully\/Target (APRI-BT), while assertive behavior was assessed using the Children\u2019s Assertive Behavior Scale (CABS). Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20. Results: Positive correlations ranging from weak to strong were identified between bullying perpetration and victimization in both boys and girls. Bullying perpetration and victimization were also associated with assertive behavior and nonassertive behaviors, although most correlations were weak in magnitude. Conclusions: The findings highlight the complexity of bullying-related interpersonal dynamics during late childhood and may have implications for school-based social and emotional learning and bullying prevention interventions during this developmental stage.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children13060724","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,25]],"date-time":"2026-05-25T02:32:28Z","timestamp":1779676348000},"page":"724","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Analysis of the Correlations Between Bullying Perpetration, Victimization, and Assertive Behavior Among Primary School Students in Romania"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Andreea Maria","family":"Sticea","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School in Sports and Physical Education Science, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, \u201cAlexandru Ioan Cuza\u201d University of Iasi, 507184 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9596-2162","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bogdan Constantin","family":"Ungurean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, \u201cAlexandru Ioan Cuza\u201d University of Iasi, 507184 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0453-7484","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bogdan Constantin","family":"Ra\u021b\u0103","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sports Performance, Faculty of Movement, Sports and Health Sciences, \u201cVasile Alecsandri\u201d University of Bac\u0103u, 600115 Bacau, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2018-4305","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adrian","family":"Cojocariu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, \u201cAlexandru Ioan Cuza\u201d University of Iasi, 507184 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"254","DOI":"10.1016\/j.childyouth.2017.09.037","article-title":"School violence in two Meditteranean countries: Italy and Albania","volume":"82","author":"Longobardi","year":"2017","journal-title":"Child. Youth Serv. Rev."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"UNESCO (2019). Behind the Numbers: Ending School Violence and Bullying, UNESCO."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"331","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02195509","article-title":"Bully\/victim problems in school","volume":"26","author":"Olweus","year":"1996","journal-title":"Prospects"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Gladden, R.M., Vivolo-Kantor, A.M., Hamburger, M.E., and Lumpkin, C.D. (2014). Bullying Surveillance Among Youths: Uniform Definitions for Public Health and Recommended Data Elements, Version 1.0, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"351","article-title":"Bullying in schools: Facts and intervention","volume":"64","author":"Olweus","year":"2010","journal-title":"Kriminalistik"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sullivan, K. (2011). The Anti-Bullying Handbook, Sage Publications. [2nd ed.].","DOI":"10.4135\/9781446289006"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zych, I., Farrington, D.P., Llorent, V.J., and Ttofi, M.M. (2017). Protecting Children Against Bullying and Its Consequences, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-53028-4"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1098-2337(1996)22:1<1::AID-AB1>3.0.CO;2-T","article-title":"Bullying as a Group Process: Participant Roles and Their Relations to Social Status Within the Group","volume":"22","author":"Salmivalli","year":"1996","journal-title":"Aggress. Behav."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112","DOI":"10.1016\/j.avb.2009.08.007","article-title":"Bullying and the peer group: A review","volume":"15","author":"Salmivalli","year":"2010","journal-title":"Aggress. Violent Behav."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"286","DOI":"10.1080\/00405841.2014.947222","article-title":"Participant Roles in Bullying: How Can Peer Bystanders Be Utilized in Interventions?","volume":"53","author":"Salmivalli","year":"2014","journal-title":"Theory Into Pract."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pse.2016.02.001","article-title":"Cyberbullying in youth: A pattern of disruptive behaviour","volume":"22","author":"Baldry","year":"2016","journal-title":"Psicol. Educ."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"26","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2012.05.024","article-title":"The nature of cyberbullying, and strategies for prevention","volume":"29","author":"Slonje","year":"2013","journal-title":"Comput. Hum. Behav."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"602","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadohealth.2014.06.007","article-title":"Bullying prevalence across contexts: A meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional bullying","volume":"55","author":"Modecki","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Adolesc. Health"},{"key":"ref_14","first-page":"44","article-title":"Bullying in Romanian School Children: The Role of Substance Abuse","volume":"16","author":"Cosma","year":"2015","journal-title":"Psicol. Sa\u00fade Doen\u00e7a"},{"key":"ref_15","first-page":"117","article-title":"Dimensions of bullying in Romanian schools: A study among young school-age children","volume":"67","author":"Robu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Rev. De Psihol."},{"key":"ref_16","first-page":"62","article-title":"Frequency of Bullying Behaviours in Secondary Schools in Cluj-Napoca","volume":"27","year":"2010","journal-title":"Appl. Med. Inform."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.1037\/spq0000249","article-title":"Bullying involvement, teacher\u2013student relationships, and psychosocial outcomes","volume":"33","author":"Huang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Sch. Psychol. Q."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1002\/ajcp.12075","article-title":"Academic Consequences of Multiple Victimization and the Role of School Security Measures","volume":"58","author":"Gardella","year":"2016","journal-title":"Am. J. Community Psychol."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcrimjus.2012.12.005","article-title":"Bullying victimization and adolescent mental health: General and typological effects across sex","volume":"41","author":"Turner","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Crim. Justice"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"419","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2013.504","article-title":"Adult Psychiatric Outcomes of Bullying and Being Bullied by Peers in Childhood and Adolescence","volume":"70","author":"Copeland","year":"2013","journal-title":"JAMA Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.1037\/spq0000120","article-title":"School bullying and drug use later in life: A meta-analytic investigation","volume":"31","author":"Ttofi","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sch. Psychol. Q."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1958","DOI":"10.1177\/0956797613481608","article-title":"Impact of Bullying in Childhood on Adult Health, Wealth, Crime, and Social Outcomes","volume":"24","author":"Wolke","year":"2013","journal-title":"Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"141","DOI":"10.1177\/0272431617735652","article-title":"Bystander intervention in bullying: Role of social skills and gender","volume":"39","author":"Jenkins","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Early Adolesc."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1037\/a0022662","article-title":"Comparability of the Social Skills Rating System to the Social Skills Improvement System: Content and Psychometric Comparisons Across Elementary and Secondary Age Levels","volume":"26","author":"Gresham","year":"2011","journal-title":"Sch. Psychol. Q."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109","DOI":"10.30878\/ces.v24n2a2","article-title":"Acoso escolar y habilidades sociales en alumnado de educaci\u00f3n b\u00e1sica","volume":"24","author":"Mendoza","year":"2017","journal-title":"Cienc. Ergo Sum"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11936","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-021-02491-z","article-title":"The association of social skills and behavior problems with bullying engagement in Portuguese adolescents: From aggression to victimization behaviors","volume":"42","author":"Sousa","year":"2023","journal-title":"Curr. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"910","DOI":"10.1080\/00207594.2012.702908","article-title":"The social and emotional skills of bullies, victims, and bully-victims of Egyptian primary school children","volume":"48","author":"Hussein","year":"2013","journal-title":"Int. J. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"99","article-title":"El acoso escolar: Factores de riesgo, protecci\u00f3n y consecuencias en v\u00edctimas y acosadores","volume":"9","author":"Ordi","year":"2019","journal-title":"Rev. De Vict."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zeigler-Hill, V., and Shackelford, T. (2017). Assertiveness. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-28099-8"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.115.1.74","article-title":"A review and reformulation of social information-processing mechanisms in children\u2019s social adjustment","volume":"115","author":"Crick","year":"1994","journal-title":"Psychol. Bull."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"578","DOI":"10.1002\/ab.21716","article-title":"Differences in the early stages of social information processing for adolescents involved in bullying","volume":"43","author":"Guy","year":"2017","journal-title":"Aggress. Behav."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1016\/j.erap.2014.11.003","article-title":"Traitement de l\u2019information sociale et profils dans le harc\u00e8lement scolaire chez les adolescents","volume":"65","author":"Fontaine","year":"2015","journal-title":"Eur. Rev. Appl. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101292","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appdev.2021.101292","article-title":"Information processing of social exclusion: Links with bullying, moral disengagement and guilt","volume":"75","author":"Mazzone","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Appl. Dev. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"482","DOI":"10.1002\/ab.21494","article-title":"Bullying and Victimization in Early Adolescence: Relations to Social Information Processing Patterns","volume":"39","author":"Ziv","year":"2013","journal-title":"Aggress. Behav."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2351","DOI":"10.1007\/s10648-022-09703-3","article-title":"Is Adolescent Bullying an Evolutionary Adaptation? A 10-Year Review","volume":"34","author":"Volk","year":"2022","journal-title":"Educ. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1177\/1524838014557286","article-title":"Social Information Processing Mechanisms and Victimization: A Literature Review","volume":"17","author":"Fischer","year":"2016","journal-title":"Trauma Violence Abus."},{"key":"ref_37","first-page":"287","article-title":"The Social Cognitions of Victims of Bullying: A Systematic Review","volume":"7","author":"Kellij","year":"2022","journal-title":"Adolesc. Res. Rev."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"259","DOI":"10.1080\/15388220.2014.986675","article-title":"Associations Among Middle School Students\u2019 Bullying Roles and Social Skills","volume":"15","author":"Jenkins","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Sch. Violence"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"42","DOI":"10.1080\/02796015.2017.12087609","article-title":"Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Factors Associated with Bullying","volume":"46","author":"Jenkins","year":"2017","journal-title":"Sch. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e180060","DOI":"10.1590\/1982-0275201936e180060","article-title":"Bullying, social skills, peer acceptance, and friendship among students in school transition","volume":"36","author":"Silva","year":"2019","journal-title":"Estud. De Psicol."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1630","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(12)60072-5","article-title":"Adolescence: A foundation for future health","volume":"379","author":"Sawyer","year":"2012","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lerner, R.M., and Steinberg, L. (2009). Peer relationships in adolescence. Handbook of Adolescent Psychology: Contextual Influences on Adolescent Development, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. [3rd ed.].","DOI":"10.1002\/9780470479193.adlpsy001002"},{"key":"ref_43","unstructured":"Parada, R.H. (2000). Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument: A Theoretical and Empirical Basis for the Measurement of Participant Roles in Bullying and Victimization of Adolescence. An Interim Test Manual and a Research Monograph: A Test Manual, University of Western Sydney, Self-Concept Enhancement and Learning Facilitation (SELF) Research Centre, Publication Unit."},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1484","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260520922350","article-title":"The Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument-Bully\/Target: Measurement Invariance Across Gender, Age, and Clinical Status","volume":"37","author":"Balan","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Interpers. Violence"},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01321378","article-title":"Development and Psychometric Properties of the Children\u2019s Assertive Behavior Scale","volume":"4","author":"Michelson","year":"1982","journal-title":"J. Behav. Assess."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3224","DOI":"10.1007\/s10826-015-0125-7","article-title":"The Overlap between School Bullying Perpetration and Victimization: Assessing the Psychological, Familial, and School Factors of Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong","volume":"24","author":"Chan","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Child Fam. Stud."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"432","DOI":"10.1007\/s10519-019-09968-5","article-title":"Genetic and Environmental Influences on Different Forms of Bullying Perpetration, Bullying Victimization, and Their Co-occurrence","volume":"49","author":"Veldkamp","year":"2019","journal-title":"Behav. Genet."},{"key":"ref_48","first-page":"19","article-title":"Self-esteem\u2015the Decisive Difference between Bullying and Assertiveness in Adolescence?","volume":"41","author":"Darjan","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Educ. Sci."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"332","DOI":"10.1111\/1467-9507.00203","article-title":"Bullying and Victimization Among School-age Children: Stability and Links to Proactive and Reactive Aggression","volume":"11","author":"Camodeca","year":"2002","journal-title":"Soc. Dev."},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.1002\/ab.90004","article-title":"Proactive and reactive aggression among school bullies, victims, and bully-victims","volume":"28","author":"Salmivalli","year":"2002","journal-title":"Aggress. Behav."}],"container-title":["Children"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/13\/6\/724\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,25]],"date-time":"2026-05-25T03:25:15Z","timestamp":1779679515000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/13\/6\/724"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,23]]},"references-count":50,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]}},"alternative-id":["children13060724"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/children13060724","relation":{},"ISSN":["2227-9067"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2227-9067","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,23]]}}}