Adaptation and Validation of the Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents in Bangla

Introduction Adolescent bullying is a pressing global public health and educational issue, including in Bangladesh. The lack of valid, reliable assessment tools in clinical and school settings impedes the identification of victims and individuals involved in bullying and cyberbullying. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents (BCS‐A) in Bangla. Methods This cross‐sectional study followed a standard adaptation protocol to translate the BCS‐A into Bangla. The study included 210 randomly selected adolescents (12–17 years) from three Bangla‐medium schools in Dhaka. Participants completed the Bangla‐adapted BCS‐A, a sociodemographic questionnaire, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results The mean score of the victimization subscale was 9.60 (SD: ±9.1) and the perpetration subscale was 5.15 (SD: ±6.55). The Cronbach's alpha values were 0.821 and 0.808 for the victimization and perpetration subscales, respectively, indicating robust reliability. For the majority of items, the item‐total correlation was above 0.30. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a four‐factor structure for each of the subscales, aligning with previous studies. Victims of bullying showed a positive correlation with internalizing problems on the SDQ, whereas perpetrators of bullying showed a positive correlation with externalizing problems, suggesting good convergent and divergent validity. A total victimization score of ≥ 5 and a total perpetration score of ≥ 4 demonstrated the ability to accurately identify victims and perpetrators, respectively, with over 80% sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion The BCS‐A Bangla has demonstrated strong reliability and validity, making it a useful tool for screening bullying and cyberbullying behaviors among adolescents.