Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(2):135-140 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8731

Examining the psychometric properties of the Czech versions of Illinois Bully Scale

Štěpán Komrska, Alžběta Váňová, Martin Dolejš, Jaroslava Suchá
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

Objectives: The main objective of the study was to adapt and verify the psychometric properties of the Illinois Bully Scale (IBS) in Czech adolescents.

Methods: The analysis utilized quantitative data from 1,321 respondents, aged 12 to 14 years, who were enrolled in 7th grade of lower secondary or grammar school. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including chi-square tests and Mann-Whitney U tests, were used to examine group differences.

Results: The IBS demonstrated strong internal consistency and construct validity across all subscales (Victim: 0.84, Bully: 0.80, Fight: 0.79, total IBS: 0.87). Boys and elementary school students reported significant victim and bully experiences. The supplemental cyberbullying scale showed significant correlations with the IBS subscales, supporting its criterion-related validity.

Conclusions: Adaptation of the IBS confirmed that it is a useful tool for assessing the frequency and experience of different types and severity of bullying. Its Czech adaptation allows for population screening as well as identification of severe cases and planning of interventions.

Keywords: Illinois Bully Scale, bullying, adolescence, risk behaviour

Received: July 21, 2025; Revised: April 28, 2026; Accepted: April 28, 2026; Published: June 30, 2026  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Komrska Š, Váňová A, Dolejš M, Suchá J. Examining the psychometric properties of the Czech versions of Illinois Bully Scale. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2026;34(2):135-140. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a8731.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • PDF will be unlocked 31.12.2026

    References

    1. Ali N, Qasem I, Al-Dwaikat T. Examining the impact of a school-based bullying education program on students' knowledge of bullying, bullying behavior, and self-esteem. Int J Adolesc Youth. 2025 Jan 17;30. doi:10.1080/02673843.2025.2454997. Go to original source...
    2. Santre S. Cyberbullying in adolescents: a literature review. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2022 Mar 3;35(1):1-7. Go to original source...
    3. Flannery DJ, Scholer SJ, Noriega I. Bullying and school violence. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2023 Dec;70(6):1153-70. Go to original source...
    4. Zych I, Farrington DP, Llorent VJ, Ttofi MM. Protecting children through anti-bullying interventions. In: Protecting children against bullying and its consequences. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2017. p. 57-68. Go to original source...
    5. Armitage R. Bullying in children: impact on child health. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2021 Mar 11;5(1):e000939. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2020-000939. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. How much of a problem is bullying at school? PISA in Focus, No. 74 [Internet]. Paris: OECD Publishing; 2017 [cited 2026 April 28]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1787/728d6464-en. Go to original source...
    7. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Behind the numbers: ending school violence and bullying [Internet]. Paris: UNESCO; 2019 [cited 2026 April 28]. Available from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000366483.
    8. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. PISA 2022 results: (volume I and II) - country notes: Czech Republic [Internet]. OECD Publishing; 2023 [cited 2026 April 28]. Available from: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_ed6fbcc5-en/czech-republic_4a597d07-en.html.
    9. Espelage DL, Holt M. Bullying and victimization during early adolescence. J Emot Abus. 2001;2(2-3):123-42. Go to original source...
    10. Balootbangan AA, Talepasand S. Validation of the Illinois bullying scale in primary school students of Semnan, Iran. J Fundam Ment Heal. 2015;17(4):178-85.
    11. Shujja S, Atta M. Translation and validation of Illinois bullying scale for Pakistani children and adolescents. Pakistan J Soc Clin Psychol. 2011 Dec 1;9(1):79-82.
    12. Murray AL, Eisner M, Ribeaud D, Kaiser D, McKenzie K, Murray G. Validation of a brief self-report measure of adolescent bullying perpetration and victimization. Assessment. 2021 Jan;28(1):128-40. Go to original source...
    13. Liu Y, Yu X, An F, Wang Y. School bullying and self-efficacy in adolescence: a meta-analysis. J Adolesc. 2023 Dec;95(8):1541-52. Go to original source...
    14. Luo X, Zheng R, Xiao P, Xie X, Liu Q, Zhu K, et al. Relationship between school bullying and mental health status of adolescent students in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study. Asian J Psychiatr. 2022 Apr;70:103043. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2022.103043. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Czech School Inspectorate. [TIMSS 2019 - National Report] [Internet]. Prague: Czech School Inspectorate; 2020 [cited 2026 April 28]. Available from: https://www.csicr.cz/html/2020/Narodni_zprava_TIMSS_2019/resources/_pdfs_/TIMSS_2019_Narodni_zprava__.pdf. Czech.

    Return to the content