A cross-national comparison of adolescent bullying victimization in Mumbai India, Melbourne Australia and Seattle US

School violence begins with less serious bullying and victimization. It is important to investigate whether adolescent bullying victimization has comparable associations and determinants among countries. Paper deals with the International Youth Development Study project, and explore cross-national difference in bullying victimization in Seattle USA, Melbourne Australia and Mumbai India. A representative sample of 4,700 students in school Grade 5, 7 and 9 were surveyed in India in 2010. Sampling methods, survey procedures and instruments were matched to enable cross-national comparison with same-aged student cohorts surveyed in Seattle (N = 2,866) and Melbourne (N = 2,864). Analyses compared the prevalence of bullying victimization in matched age and gender cohorts. Prevalence rates for violence victimization were lower in Mumbai compared to the Melbourne and Seattle. Females showed lower levels of violence victimization compared to males in all three nations. As the adolescents reach higher grades, violence victimization was decreasing in Mumbai in comparison to those in Melbourne and Seattle. School violence contributes to maladjustment in young people. Prevention and intervention programs should target bullying as an important risk factor.