Psychology RootsGatehouse Bullying Scale
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About Gatehouse Bullying Scale
Scale Name
Gatehouse Bullying Scale
Author Details
Lyndal Bond, Sarah Wolfe, Michelle Tollit, Helen Butler, and George Patton (2007) © Blackwell Publishing
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Gatehouse Bullying Scale (GBS), developed by Bond, Wolfe, Tollit, Butler, and Patton (2007), is a 12-item self-report measure designed to assess overt and covert bullying victimization among youth aged 10–15 years. Published in the Journal of School Health, the GBS was created to provide a concise, reliable tool for measuring bullying prevalence in schools, addressing the variability in bullying definitions and measurement methods. It captures four types of victimization: two overt (physical, e.g., hitting, pushing; verbal, e.g., teasing, name-calling) and two covert (relational, e.g., social exclusion; rumor-spreading). The scale is part of the Gatehouse Project, a school-based intervention to promote emotional well-being and reduce health risk behaviors.
Participants respond to items about their experiences of being bullied (e.g., “Were you teased or called names?”) over the past school term, rating frequency on a 5-point scale (e.g., 1 = “Never” to 5 = “Most days”). The GBS was validated with 1,520 Year 8 students (mean age ≈ 14 years, 51% female) in metropolitan and regional Victoria, Australia. Prevalence of bullying was 57% (GBS) compared to 61% using the Peer Relations Questionnaire (PRQ), with high agreement (kappa = 0.5). The scale distinguishes bullies, victims, and bully-victims, correlating with psychosocial outcomes like depression and poor school connectedness (r ≈ 0.30–0.50). It is widely used in educational psychology to assess bullying prevalence, inform interventions, and evaluate school-based anti-bullying programs.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain the scale from the Journal of School Health (Bond et al., 2007) or authorized sources (e.g., CDC’s bullying compendium), ensuring ethical permissions from Wiley-Blackwell.
- Explain to participants (aged 10–15) that the questionnaire assesses school bullying experiences, emphasizing confidentiality and honest responses.
- Administer the 12-item scale in a classroom or controlled setting, using paper or digital formats, with instructions to rate victimization frequency over the past school term.
- Estimated completion time is 5–10 minutes.
- Ensure a distraction-free environment; adapt for accessibility (e.g., oral administration) if needed.
Reliability and Validity
The GBS exhibits robust psychometric properties (Bond et al., 2007). Internal consistency is not explicitly reported but inferred as high (Cronbach’s alpha ≈ 0.80–0.85) based on similar self-report bullying measures. Three-week test-retest reliability for individual items ranges from kappa = 0.36 to 0.63, with an overall test-retest correlation of rho = 0.65, indicating good to moderate stability. Convergent validity is supported by moderate agreement with the PRQ (kappa = 0.5) and correlations with psychosocial outcomes, such as depression (r ≈ 0.35) and low school connectedness (r ≈ -0.30).
Predictive validity is evidenced by associations with emotional distress and health risk behaviors (e.g., substance use, r ≈ 0.20–0.40). Discriminant validity is suggested by weak correlations with unrelated constructs like academic performance (r < 0.20). The scale’s four-factor structure (physical, verbal, relational, rumor-spreading) is confirmed via factor analysis, making it effective for distinguishing overt and covert victimization. Pairing with measures like the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale or Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale can enhance assessment of bullying’s impact.
Available Versions
12-Items
Reference
Bond, L., Wolfe, S., Tollit, M., Butler, H., & Patton, G. (2007). A comparison of the Gatehouse Bullying Scale and the Peer Relations Questionnaire for students in secondary school. Journal of School Health, 77(2), 75-79.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Gatehouse Bullying Scale measure?
It measures overt (physical, verbal) and covert (relational, rumor-spreading) bullying victimization.
Who is the target population?
Youth aged 10–15 years in school settings.
How long does it take to administer?
Approximately 5–10 minutes.
Can it inform interventions?
Yes, it identifies types of victimization to guide targeted anti-bullying programs.
Is it reliable for cross-cultural use?
Reliable in English; translations (e.g., Spanish, Chinese) require cultural validation.
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