Psycho-social predictors of involvement in bullying among school students

Background: The phenomenon of bullying at schools constitutes a severe problem that influences dramatically the ability of students to develop educationally and socially. The attempt to understand its reasons are vital in order to confront and prevent violence in schools.

Objectives: To examine the correlation between potential influential factors in the social arenas of children growth to the probability of being involved in bullying according to the socialization theory.

Methods: This study is part of a multinational study on Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children sponsored by the WHO and based on a secondary analysis of the Israeli survey which included 2,532 students.

The statistical analysis included a multi-variate paths model by means of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using the AMOS software.

Results: about 38% were involved in bullying as aggressors. The Structural Equation Modeling analysis found a direct strong influence of loneliness perception and frequency of time spent with peers on bullying involvement. A direct yet non strong influence was found of being exposed to perceived threat of terror and negative perception of school on bullying involvement. In addition, exposure to terror, negative perception of the daily experience at school and disconnection from parents effect indirectly on bullying through loneliness perception and frequency of time spent with peers.

Recommendations: The current results show that bullying in schools is a complex phenomenon, influenced by many ecological systems (parents, school, peers, political situation). This complexity demands the adaption of a comprehensive systemic approach and cooperation among the various systems and disciplines.