Adolescent drunkenness and street drinking as predictors of increased participation in bullying

Numerous studies have provided evidence of disorders associated with experiencing bullying at school and the current level of bullying among schoolchildren. However, little is known about the extent to which frequent binge drinking in adolescence might prove to be a predictor of increased participation in bullying at school. To cast light on this subject, the data from two waves (one year apart) of a longitudinal study using a sample of 714 adolescents between 13 and 16 years old from Andalusia (Southern Spain) were analyzed. Transversally, a clear association was detected in wave 1 between the frequency of being drunk 7and participation in the Spanish botellon phenomenon (groups of young people binge drinking outdoors) and the frequency of actively bullying others. Longitudinally, reporting getting drunk frequently or taking part in street drinking on a weekly basis in wave 1 prove to be predictors of increased active bullying in wave 2. Furthermore, the predictor that presents the greatest effect is participation in street drinking. These results suggest that both frequent binge drinking in adolescence and frequent participation in street drinking may contribute to active bullying.