Bullying among 18 to 23‐year‐old women in 2013

Objective: To identify the prevalence of bullying among women aged 18–23 in 2013, and to describe the demographic characteristics, health and risk factors of those who experienced bullying. Methods: Cross‐sectional analysis using data from the 1989–95 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, a nationally representative cohort (n=16,801). Results: More than one‐quarter of women (28.4%) indicated they had never been bullied, 53.4% reported experiencing bullying in the past and 18.2% indicated that they were recently bullied. Women who had experienced bullying were more likely to have lower levels of education, less likely to be studying or employed, and had more difficulty managing on their income. Women who experienced bullying were more likely to use tobacco or illicit drugs, be overweight or obese and to be sedentary. Even after adjusting for these factors, women who had experienced bullying were at risk of poor physical health, psychological distress, suicidal thoughts and self‐harm. Conclusions: This is the first nationally representative study to demonstrate the strong association between being a victim of bullying and health outcomes in a post‐school‐age population. Implications for public health: The findings highlight the need for interventions for women who have already experienced bullying and are past school age.     

Racial, Ethnic, and Sex Differences in the Associations Between Violence and Self-Reported Health Among US High School Students

BACKGROUND:  Involvement in interpersonal violence or suicidal behaviors can have a significant impact on an adolescent's physical health. Similarly, previous research has suggested that lived experiences, more than the presence or absence of physical ailments, can significantly influence self-assessed health status among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-sectional associations between involvement in violence and poor or fair self-reported health among US high school students.
METHODS:  Data were obtained from the 2005 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (n = 13,953). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the associations between violence-related measures and self-reported health while controlling for demographic characteristics and potential confounders. Analyses are presented for students overall and stratified by sex and race/ethnicity.
RESULTS:  Overall, 7.2% of students reported fair or poor self-rated health. Having been in a physical fight, having been injured in a physical fight, having attempted suicide, and having not gone to school because of safety concerns were significantly associated with fair or poor self-rated health after controlling for demographic characteristics and other potential confounders. Differences associated with race/ethnicity and sex are identified.
CONCLUSIONS:  Four of the 5 violence-related measures included in these analyses were significantly associated with fair or poor self-rated health. Future studies should consider the impact of involvement in violent behaviors and perceptions of both physical and mental well-being.     

Bullying Climate and School Engagement in Ninth‐Grade Students

BACKGROUND: Many authorities agree that bullying has a widespread impact on school climate, affecting bystanders as well as victims. This study tested the contention that a climate of bullying can have a schoolwide impact on student engagement in school. METHODS: Hierarchical linear modeling assessed the relations between student perception of bullying climate and student engagement at the individual and school level in a statewide sample of 7058 ninth graders randomly selected from 289 schools participating in the Virginia High School Safety Study. Student engagement was assessed by self‐report scales measuring commitment to school and involvement in school activities. RESULTS: Individual differences in perception of school climate characterized by bullying were associated with lower commitment to school, but not less involvement in school activities. School‐level differences in student perceptions of bullying climate were associated with both lower commitment to school and less involvement in school activities, after controlling for the effects of gender, race, school size, proportion of ethnic minority students in the school, and individual‐level perception of bullying climate. CONCLUSION: Efforts to improve student engagement should consider the schoolwide impact of bullying on all students.     

我国七大城市中学生情绪抑郁的现状

作者采用ReynoldsAdolescentDenressionScale（RADS）量表测查了我国上海、广州、武汉、西安、昆明、沈阳、太原等七大城市3905名中学生的抑郁情绪。量表总均分为52．87，女生高于男生（P＝0．000）．重点中学与普通中学间无显著性差异；但其中学校焦虑等7个条目各均分，普通校显著高于重点校，疲劳感与睡眠障碍的均分．则以重点校为高。量表总分随年级增高而上升，初中阶段增加最快。七大城市各总分间差异性显著（P＝0．000），以武汉为最高。RADS量表复测信度为0．79、分半信度为0．88；与流调抑郁量表间相关系数为0．84，表明RADS有较好的信度、效度。RADS是测查青春期情绪抑郁的良好筛查工具。     

私立学校初一新生焦虑和抑郁状况

目的探讨私立学校初中新生的情绪状况及性别差异,为开展心理健康教育提供依据.方法采用Zung氏焦虑自评量表(SAS)和抑郁自评量表(SDS),对青岛市某私立学校初一新生228人进行整群抽样测查,匹配市区公立学校初一新生239人作同期对照,并做统计分析.结果观察组有15.79%处于焦虑状态(女生检出率较高),高于对照组(9.21%),差异有显著性(χ2=4.65,P＜0.05);观察组SAS均分高于对照组及常模,其中独生子女SAS均分高于对照组(P＜0.05).观察组中23.25%处于抑郁状态(男生检出率高),明显低于对照组(32.22%)(χ2=4.67,P＜0.05),但SDS均分不低于对照组.焦虑和抑郁同时存在率也以观察组较高(12.28%),与对照组差异有显著性(χ2=4.27,P＜0.05).结论私立学校初一新生存在以女生为主的较高焦虑检出率、以独生子女为主的较高焦虑水平以及以男生为主的抑郁检出率和较高抑郁水平,社会、学校和家庭要根据中学生的年龄和性别特点开展心理健康教育工作.     

Gender Expression,Violence, and Bullying Victimization: Findings From Probability Samples of High School Students in 4 US School Districts

BACKGROUND

Young people may experience school‐based violence and bullying victimization related to their gender expression, independent of sexual orientation identity. However, the associations between gender expression and bullying and violence have not been examined in racially and ethnically diverse population‐based samples of high school students.

METHODS

This study includes 5469 students (13–18 years) from the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys conducted in 4 urban school districts. Respondents were 51% Hispanic/Latino, 21% black/African American, 14% white. Generalized additive models were used to examine the functional form of relationships between self‐reported gender expression (range: 1 = Most gender conforming, 7 = Most gender nonconforming) and 5 indicators of violence and bullying victimization. We estimated predicted probabilities across gender expression by sex, adjusting for sexual orientation identity and potential confounders.

RESULTS

Statistically significant quadratic associations indicated that girls and boys at the most gender conforming and nonconforming ends of the scale had elevated probabilities of fighting and fighting‐related injury, compared to those in the middle of the scale (p < .05). There was a significant linear relationship between gender expression and bullying victimization; every unit increase in gender nonconformity was associated with 15% greater odds of experiencing bullying (p < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

School‐based victimization is associated with conformity and nonconformity to gender norms. School violence prevention programs should include gender diversity education.

     

A comparison of the Gatehouse Bullying Scale and the peer relations questionnaire for students in secondary school

BACKGROUND: Bullying occurs in all schools. Measuring bullying in schools is complicated because both definitions of bullying and methods for measuring bullying vary. This study compared a brief 12-item Gatehouse Bullying Scale (GBS) with items drawn from the Peer Relations Questionnaire (PRQ), a well-established bullying questionnaire to measure the concurrent validity of the GBS. METHODS: Year 8 secondary school students (14 years of age) in metropolitan and regional Victoria, Australia, completed questionnaires assessing being teased, being deliberately left out, had rumors spread about oneself, and/or being physically threatened or hurt. RESULTS: The prevalence of bullying using GBS and PRQ was 57% and 61%, respectively. Percent agreement between the 2 measures was high. Agreement adjusted for chance was moderate (kappa 0.5). The GBS had good to moderate test-retest reliability (rho 0.65). CONCLUSIONS: The GBS is a short, reliable tool measuring the occurrence of bullying in schools. As well as a global estimate of bullying, the GBS provides estimates of 2 covert and 2 overt types of bullying which can be useful for schools to better plan interventions dealing with school bullying.     

绍兴市初中生心理健康状况调查

目的了解绍兴市初中生心理健康状况,为心理健康教育提供依据。方法在绍兴市某初中3个年级各随机抽取2个班,应用中学生心理健康量表(MSSMHS)以问卷方式对心理健康状况进行调查。结果调查的306名学生中,心理问题总检出率30.39%,其中轻度29.08%,中度及以上1.31%。男女生间总均分及各因子异常率无显著差异;但人际关系、情绪不平衡(P<0.05),抑郁、焦虑、学习压力、适应不良及总均分异常率存在统计学显著差异(P<0.01),且随年级升高逐渐增加。结论绍兴市初中生的心理健康状况相对良好,可有针对性地加强中度及以上心理异常者心理干预。