Researchers blame it on the more solid and dependable friendship that girls form as opposed to males, who usually have flexible circles.
Dieter Wolke, professor of developmental psychology at Warwick University and lead author of the study said, "Boys' social networks seem to be more flexible than girls'. Once girls are out of a social network, it is harder for them to get into one."
The study, conducted by the academics at Warwick and Hertfordshire universities, involved 663 children between the ages of six to nine, who were followed upto the age of 10 or 11. Some 171 children withdrew from the study because they changed schools. There is a great possibility that these children were also bullied, said the researchers.
Being a bullied girl at six the child becomes "highly visible" within their peer group and tags them as a victim, which becomes difficult to change.
Also, the researchers found that the nature of bullying differed with age as physical beating or threats were more common at a younger age compared to the emotional attacks like boycott in a group, withdrawal of friendship or hurtful gossip, as the child grows older.
While emotional bullying was admitted by only 10 percent of the 6-year-olds, it swelled to 25 percent for the kids aged 10.
"Single sex groups of girls participate less frequently in direct physical bullying behavior which involves predominantly male groups or mixed groups,” the researchers said.
Professor Wolke called for intervention programmes to help children in evading the continued oppression. He said that mental health problems in adolescence might arise in those bullied over a long term.
“We need innovative ways to help children make friends and to learn how to cope when parents and teachers aren’t there,” he said.
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