Bullying, physical disability and the paediatric patient.

This study compared the rates and types of bullying in two groups of paediatric outpatients: those attending the Child Development Centre with conditions affecting their appearance or gait and a control group of those attending a general paediatric outpatient clinic with conditions not associated with visible abnormality. The children completed Olweus' self report bullying questionnaire anonymously. Using logistic regression analysis, the most important variables found to increase a child's chance of being bullied were having fewer friends, being alone at playtime, being male and requiring extra help in school. Significantly more of the group from the Child Development Centre were bullied during the term. However, there was no indication that the children attending the Child Development Centre with a visible disability were more likely to be victims than the control group once these four factors were taken into account.