Pupils who fight back are targets for bully, study finds

The Age, Melbourne, December 1, 2006 by CHEE CHEE LEUNG
It's not just the mild-mannered that fall victim to school bullies, research shows that "hot-headed" children are at a greater risk of being targeted. A Melbourne study of 400 bullying victims found students who reacted aggressively when provoked were up to 2.6 times more likely to be bullied than the "passive" victim. "There are two types of victims, the traditional passive victim . . . and there are others who tend to fight back," said researcher Jodie Lodge.
"Those that are more likely to react showed up not only as more likely to be bullied, but also more likely to be targeted for teasing by their peers." Children who fought back when bullied were also at a greater risk of remaining a victim of intimidation. "Their reacting perpetuates the cycle, so they get caught up in this bully-victim cycle," Dr Lodge said.
Dr Lodge, from the University of Melbourne's education faculty, said the findings showed that schools needed to ensure they had techniques available to help both types of victims.The results, based on bullying victims aged 10 to 13 years from several metropolitan schools, will be presented today at a university conference.