Psychometric properties of the Peer Interactions in Primary School (PIPS) Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND Recently, national and international scientific and popular press has focused on bullying and victimization. Unfortunately, many interventions that address bullying and victimization are yet to be empirically validated. One problem is the lack of a psychometrically sound instrument for the measurement of bullying and victimization. METHODS To alleviate this shortcoming, the Peer Interactions in Primary School Questionnaire (PIPS) was developed and tested. Twenty-two questions designed to capture direct and indirect forms of bullying and victimization were created at a third-grade reading level. Psychometric data were collected from administration of the questionnaire to 270 students in third through sixth grades at three different elementary schools. An exploratory factor analysis yielded two factors (bullying and victimization). RESULTS Internal consistency for the questionnaire was high (Cronbach's alpha = .90). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Spearman's rho established that test-retest reliability was high for both scales: bullying (ICC = .84; rho = .76) and victimization (ICC = .88; rho = .87). Significant Kruskal-Wallis tests of relationships between PIPS scales and items on the Olweus Bullying/Victimization Questionnaire and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire supported concurrent validity. Bullying and victimization were widespread, as 89.5% of children experienced some form of victimization and 59.0% of students participated in some form of bullying. CONCLUSION With these data, the PIPS is the first self-report bullying and victimization measure designed for elementary school use determined reliable (internally consistent and reproducible) and valid. The PIPS is a tool that could be used in the design and evaluation of school-based bullying/victimization interventions.