Bullying and Cyberbullying Victimization and Associated Factors among Adolescents in Six European Countries

Sylwia Jaskulska (), Barbara Jankowiak, Vanesa Pérez-Martínez, Jacek Pyżalski, Belén Sanz-Barbero, Nicola Bowes, Karen De Claire, Sofia Neves, Joana Topa, Estefânia Silva, Veronica Mocanu, Cristina Gena Dascalu and Carmen Vives-Cases
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Sylwia Jaskulska: Faculty of Educational Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-712 Poznan, Poland
Barbara Jankowiak: Faculty of Educational Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-712 Poznan, Poland
Vanesa Pérez-Martínez: Department of Community Nursing, Preventive Medicine and Public Health and History of Science, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Jacek Pyżalski: Faculty of Educational Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-712 Poznan, Poland
Belén Sanz-Barbero: National School of Public Health, Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
Nicola Bowes: Department of Applied Psychology, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UK
Karen De Claire: Department of Applied Psychology, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UK
Sofia Neves: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal
Joana Topa: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal
Estefânia Silva: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal
Veronica Mocanu: Faculty of Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
Cristina Gena Dascalu: Faculty of Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
Carmen Vives-Cases: Department of Community Nursing, Preventive Medicine and Public Health and History of Science, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 21, 1-14

Abstract: Bullying and cyberbullying victimization are significant factors that threaten adolescent development and mental health. Our study aimed to analyze how socioeconomic characteristics and personal experiences of violence are associated with adolescents’ experiences of bullying and cyberbullying victimization. The study participants were 1146 students, 698 females and 448 males, aged between 13 and 16 years old, from secondary schools in Spain, Italy, Romania, Portugal, Poland and the UK. Data was collected through an online questionnaire. Prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated using Poisson regression with robust variance. In total, 37.2% of girls and 35.0% of boys reported being victims of bullying and or cyberbullying. The likelihood of bullying and or cyberbullying victimization was higher when adolescents had experienced physical and or sexual abuse before the age of 15, had witnessed domestic violence against their mother or had been victims of intimate partner violence. Perceived social support from teachers and classmates and higher self-esteem were associated with a lower likelihood of becoming a victim of bullying and or cyberbullying, but an association between experience of any other form of violence and the greater possibility of becoming a victim of bullying and or cyberbullying persisted even when self-esteem and social support were included in the model. Protecting adolescents from bullying and or cyberbullying means preventing all exposure to violent experiences in childhood and adolescence. Not having such experiences seems to be the most relevant protective factor.

Keywords: bullying; cyberbullying; adolescents; abuse in childhood; dating violence; social support; self-esteem (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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