Introduction

The Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS-20) is a psychometric instrument developed to assess the prevalence, frequency, and diverse manifestations of bullying across school, educational, and broader social environments. Bullying is a multidimensional phenomenon that extends beyond physical aggression to include verbal abuse, social exclusion, and cyberbullying, all of which can have significant consequences for children’s and adolescents’ psychological well-being, academic achievement, social adjustment, and quality of life. Accurate assessment of these different forms of victimization is essential for identifying at-risk populations, monitoring school safety, and designing evidence-based prevention programs. The FBS-20 provides educators, school psychologists, researchers, and policymakers with a standardized framework for evaluating bullying behaviors and supporting the development of safer, more inclusive educational environments.

Description

The Forms of Bullying Scale assesses participants’ experiences, perceptions, or observations regarding the frequency and characteristics of bullying incidents. The instrument recognizes that bullying is expressed through multiple behavioral dimensions rather than a single form of aggression. Specifically, it evaluates physical bullying, verbal bullying, social or indirect bullying, and cyberbullying, providing a comprehensive assessment of both direct and indirect victimization. By simultaneously measuring these complementary dimensions, the FBS-20 enables professionals to identify distinct bullying patterns, understand the complexity of peer aggression, and evaluate the relative contribution of each form of bullying to students’ psychosocial experiences. The multidimensional design of the scale makes it particularly valuable for both clinical and educational research focused on school violence, peer relationships, and student well-being.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

The Forms of Bullying Scale generates standardized quantitative data that facilitate comprehensive analyses of bullying prevalence, behavioral patterns, and victimization experiences across different educational settings and demographic groups. Individual subscale scores allow researchers to examine each form of bullying independently, while total scores provide an overall indicator of bullying exposure. The instrument supports investigations into the relationships between bullying and variables such as mental health, academic performance, school climate, peer relationships, emotional adjustment, social functioning, and psychosocial well-being. Because the FBS-20 produces standardized psychometric data, it is appropriate for descriptive statistical analyses, reliability assessment using Cronbach’s alpha, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA), correlation analysis, multiple regression, mediation and moderation analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM), multilevel analysis, and longitudinal studies evaluating changes following prevention or intervention programs. According to the available documentation, the instrument has undergone psychometric evaluation, including statistical data processing, reliability and validity assessment, comparisons using normalized reference data, and analyses of bullying frequency and severity. However, no specific numerical psychometric indices are reported in the available source, and therefore no reliability or validity coefficients should be inferred.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Forms of Bullying Scale is to systematically evaluate the prevalence, frequency, and characteristics of bullying behaviors within a specific educational or social environment. The instrument enables researchers and practitioners to estimate the occurrence of different forms of bullying, identify patterns of aggressive behavior and victimization, investigate factors associated with bullying, evaluate the effectiveness of educational and psychosocial interventions, and support research on school violence, student mental health, and school climate. The findings contribute to the development of evidence-based prevention strategies that enhance student safety, foster positive peer relationships, and promote psychosocial well-being within school communities.

Scoring

The Forms of Bullying Scale consists of 20 items assessing four principal forms of bullying: physical bullying, verbal bullying, social (indirect) bullying, and cyberbullying. Participants typically respond using a Likert-type scale, allowing assessment of both the frequency and intensity of bullying experiences. Separate scores may be calculated for each bullying dimension, while composite scores provide an overall measure of bullying involvement or victimization. The instrument also supports comparisons across different populations and enables the monitoring of changes following school-based prevention or intervention initiatives. Interpretation of the results is based on statistical analyses and, where available, normalized reference data to facilitate meaningful comparisons across educational settings.

Applications

The Forms of Bullying Scale is widely used in primary and secondary schools, school psychology services, educational psychology, social work, student counseling, school climate assessment, bullying prevention programs, and research investigating peer violence and child and adolescent mental health. The instrument supports comprehensive bullying assessments, evaluation of intervention effectiveness, and the development of evidence-based policies aimed at reducing school violence and promoting positive educational environments. Its ability to capture multiple forms of bullying makes the FBS-20 particularly valuable for educators, psychologists, counselors, researchers, and policymakers seeking to understand the complexity of bullying behaviors and implement targeted strategies that foster safe, supportive, and inclusive school communities.