Relational bullying roles assessment: construction and validation of a sociometric questionnaire

Relational bullying is a form of peer aggression that relies on social exclusion, rumor-spreading, and manipulation, making it more difficult to detect than other types of bullying. The identification of roles within these dynamics is crucial for designing effective interventions. However, most available instruments focus on individual profiles rather than group-level social structures. This study aimed to develop and validate a sociometric questionnaire to assess roles in relational bullying among Argentine secondary school students. A sample of 475 students (ages 10–13) from private and semi-private schools in Córdoba, Argentina, completed the newly developed sociometric questionnaire alongside a peer nomination instrument measuring social acceptance and rejection. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the instrument’s structure, and reliability and validity analyses were performed. The final model consisted of four factors (Victim, Aggressor, Defender, Outsider) with adequate reliability and good model fit. Correlations with sociometric measures supported its convergent validity. Its contribution lies in providing a culturally sensitive and psychometrically sound tool that innovatively applies a sociometric peer-nomination approach to assess distinct roles in relational bullying dynamics, offering a valuable group-level perspective rarely addressed in existing instruments.