According to a new research, girls are more affected by bullying for a long period than the boys at primary school.

Those who were verbally or physically threatened or beaten at the age of 6 years, they are two and a half times more likely to still remain victims at the age of 10 years. As the children grow older their nature of bullying also changes.

Direct victimization includes the physical bullying and threats and in relational victimization, there is spreading of malicious gossip or the withdrawal of friendships.

Researchers have conducted the study at Warwick and Hertfordshire universities and involved 663 children of age group of 6 to 9 years and all of them were followed up to the age of 10 or 11. It was found that the children who moved schools were more likely to be the victims of relational bullying. 10% children of 6 years old admitted emotional bulling and it becomes 25% for the children of 10 years old.

"These findings indicate that even at an early age some victims of bullying remain victims over a long period of time," researchers said.

Dieter Wolke, lead author of the study and professor of developmental psychology at Warwick University, noted that victims had fewer friends and 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."