The association between bullying and psychological health among senior high school students in Ghana, West Africa

BACKGROUND: School‐based bullying, a global challenge, negatively impacts the health and development of both victims and perpetrators. This study examined the relationship between bullying victimization and selected psychological variables among senior high school (SHS) students in Ghana, West Africa. METHODS: This study utilized data from the 2008 Ghana Global School‐based Student Health Survey (GSHS). Prevalence rates of being bullied (95% confidence intervals [CI]) were calculated by each demographic group, as well as each psychological variable. Multiple logistic regression was used to model the relationship of being bullied (physical/nonphysical) on the linear combination of demographic variables. RESULTS: A total of 7137 students participated in the 2008 GSHS with 40.1% reporting being bullied. Senior high school‐level 1 (lowest grade) students were 3 (95% CI: 2.45‐3.68) times more likely to be bullied compared with SHS level 3 (highest grade) students. Victims of bullying were significantly more likely to report negative psychological health compared with those who reported not being bullied. Odds ratios were as follows: signs of depression, 1.97 (95% CI: 1.75‐2.21); suicide ideation, 1.72 (95% CI: 1.45‐2.05); being so worried that it affects sleep, 2.10 (95% CI: 1.77‐2.49); and loneliness, 1.82 (95% CI: 1.49‐2.22). There was no significant difference in self‐reports of negative psychological health when comparing students who experienced physical forms with those who were bullied in nonphysical ways. CONCLUSION: Bullying victimization is a major problem among SHS students. We recommend strengthening of existing proactive anti‐bullying programs by taking into account the association between bullying and the psychological health of students.     

青少年超重肥胖及校园欺凌与抑郁的关系研究

目的 了解青少年超重肥胖及校园欺凌对抑郁的联合作用,为防控青少年抑郁提供科学证据。方法 2020年于自贡市进行一次横断面调查,共调查三个区两个县的11所中学。对所有研究对象进行抑郁、校园欺凌等问卷调查和身高、体重等体格测量。使用多重线性模型和logistic模型在控制协变量后分析超重肥胖与校园欺凌的联合作用与抑郁的关系。结果 3 022名青少年（51.8%男性;平均年龄14.5岁）纳入本研究,超重肥胖率为17.3%,校园欺凌率为20.2%,抑郁平均得分为11.8,抑郁倾向占比25.6%。超重肥胖青少年相对于体重正常青少年其受到校园欺凌的可能性更高（23.3% vs 19.5%,P = 0.046）。相对于无超重肥胖且未受到校园欺凌的青少年,无超重肥胖但受到校园欺凌的青少年和超重肥胖且受到校园欺凌的青少年抑郁得分更高（β = 3.88,P＜0.001; β = 5.04,P＜0.001）、抑郁倾向更明显（OR = 2.37,95%CI:1.88～2.98,P＜0.001;OR = 3.11,95%CI:2.07～4.65,P＜0.001）;超重肥胖但未受到校园欺凌的青少年的抑郁得分和抑郁倾向无差异。无超重肥胖且未受到校园欺凌、超重肥胖但未受到校园欺凌、无超重肥胖但受到校园欺凌、超重肥胖且受到校园欺凌四组抑郁的患病风险呈上升趋势（OR = 1.49,95%CI:1.35～1.63,P＜0.001）。结论 需关注超重肥胖青少年的校园欺凌现象,以预防其出现抑郁倾向。     

初三学生遭受校园欺凌对健康的影响——基于中国教育追踪调查的分析

目的:了解初三学生在过去一年间受校园欺凌状况,分析受欺凌经历和不同受欺凌类型对学生身心健康的影响。方法:2016年中国教育追踪调查采用PPS和整群抽样,调查对象为在校初三学生,共8 600名。采用问卷调查收集调查对象基本情况,比较学生过去一年遭受肢体欺凌、言语欺凌、社交欺凌和网络欺凌的情况,基于多因素OLS回归模型和多因素有序logistic回归模型,分别探究校园欺凌对心理健康和生理健康的影响。结果:过去一年遭受过言语欺凌的学生比例为49.29%,社交欺凌为37.69%,肢体欺凌为18.41%,网络欺凌为14.08%。心理健康多因素OLS回归分析结果表明,遭受校园欺凌是学生心理健康的危险因素,其中社交欺凌的危害最大,其次是言语欺凌。生理健康多因素有序logistic回归结果表明,受欺凌学生的患病风险高于未受欺凌学生,言语欺凌是生理健康的重要危险因素。结论:当前校园欺凌形式上以言语欺凌为主,网络欺凌成为校园欺凌新形式。遭受校园欺凌对学生的身心健康均有负面影响,社交欺凌是心理健康的主要危险因素,言语欺凌对学生的生理健康危害更大。     

Bullying and Symptoms of Depression in Chilean Middle School Students

BACKGROUND:  The goal of this study was to assess the association between bullying and symptoms of depression among middle school students in Chile.
METHODS:  Secondary data analysis of Chile's 2004 Global School-Based Health Survey.
RESULTS:  A total of 8131 middle school students participated in the study. Forty-seven percent of students reported having been bullied in the past month and 30% reported having been sad and hopeless for 2 or more weeks in the past year. Students in the seventh and eighth grades were more likely to report having been bullied in the past month than students in ninth grade. Ninth grade students reported higher levels of loneliness, difficulty sleeping, and suicidal thoughts than students in the seventh and eighth grades. Boys were more likely than girls to report being bullied in the past month, but girls were more likely than boys to report symptoms of depression, such as prolonged feelings of sadness and hopelessness, loneliness, difficulty sleeping, and suicidal thoughts. Students who reported being bullied in the past month were more likely than nonbullied students to report symptoms of depression. A higher number of days of being bullied in the past month was associated with a statistically significant increase in reported rates of sadness and hopelessness (p < .001).
CONCLUSIONS:  Bullying is common among middle school children in Chile, and bullying and symptoms of depression are strongly linked. This finding is consistent with studies of bullying and depression in adolescents from other parts of the world.     

Association between Sexual Behaviors,Bullying Victimization and Suicidal Ideation in a National Sample of High School Students: Implications of a Sexual Double Standard

PurposeThe sexual double standard is the notion that women are more harshly judged for their sexual behaviors than men. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the sexual double standard could explain gender differences in bullying victimization among adolescents and the extent to which that relationship correlated with depression and suicidal ideation.MethodsAnalyses were conducted using a sample of high school students (n = 13,065) from the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a cross-sectional and national school-based survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data were assessed using multiple logistic regression, gender-stratified analyses, and interaction terms.FindingsStudents who engaged in sexual intercourse (sexually active) had higher odds of being bullied. When this association was stratified by gender, odds of being bullying increased for girls (odds ratio [OR], 1.83; 95% CI, 1.58–2.13) and decreased for boys (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.77–1.16). Sexually active students who were bullied also displayed more than five times (OR, 5.65; 95% CI, 4.71–6.78) the adjusted odds of depression and three times (adjusted OR, 3.38; 95% CI, 2.65–4.32) the adjusted odds of suicidal ideation compared with students who reported neither of those behavioral characteristics. When stratified by gender, girls had slightly higher odds of depression and suicidal ideation but overall, the odds remained strong for both genders.ConclusionsResults provide some evidence that a sexual double standard exists and may play a prominent role in bullying victimization among girls. Therefore, addressing the sexual double may be important to consider when tailoring school bullying intervention programs.     

青少年传统欺凌、网络欺凌与心理健康的关系研究

目的 调查青少年受欺凌的流行特点,探究遭受传统欺凌、网络欺凌以及欺凌数量对青少年心理健康的影响。方法 采用分层整群随机抽样方法,分别选取华中某市城市、农村青少年3 174名。采用自制受欺凌问卷和《中国中学生心理健康量表》(MMHI - 60)调查青少年校园欺凌及心理健康状况。结果 13.4%(424/3 174)的青少年至少遭受过一种类型的校园欺凌,其中受言语欺凌报告率最高(9.9%),网络欺凌最低(2.9%);受欺凌报告率男生高于女生(χ2 = 6.48,P = 0.011),七年级最高21.6%(114/3 174)。心理健康问题的检出率为10.3%（328/3 174）;受任意类型的欺凌均与心理健康问题相关,遭受多种类型欺凌者发生心理健康问题的风险高于单一受欺凌者;传统欺凌(言语欺凌、躯体欺凌、关系欺凌)对心理健康的独立影响高于网络欺凌。结论 青少年遭受欺凌与心理健康问题的产生密切相关,传统欺凌仍然是影响青少年心理健康的重要因素,应积极治理校园欺凌,促进青少年心理健康发展。     

Victims of Bullying Among Students With a Disability or Chronic Illness and Their Peers: A Cross-National Study Between Ireland and France

PurposeTo explore bullying victimization among French and Irish students with a disability or chronic illness (D/CI), considering individual, social, and family factors. We investigated this issue in France and Ireland because of the documented differences between these two countries on relevant contextual factors.MethodsData from 12,048 students aged 11, 13, and 15 years (50.1% were boys) as part of the cross-national study 2006 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children were analyzed. Self-completion questionnaires were administered in classrooms; information on socio-demographic characteristics, bullying involvement, D/CI, school participation, social network, and family were collected. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed with individual, social, and family cofactors.ResultsOverall, the prevalence of bullying victimization was significantly higher in France compared with Ireland (34.2% [33.1–35.5] and 25.9% [24.5–27.4, respectively]). Youngest were more likely to report victimization; however, no gender differences were observed. In both countries, students with D/CI were significantly more likely to report that they have been bullied compared with students without D/CI, and a significant additional risk of being bullied was found when students reported D/CI with restriction in school participation. Regardless of country and D/CI status, being bullied was significantly associated with weaker social support and difficulty of communication with fathers, with even stronger associations found among students with D/CI.ConclusionAdolescents with D/CI are more likely to be victimized than their peers, with a similar risk in both countries. Besides individual, social and family factors are consistently associated to bullying victimization across countries. These results will guide future antibullying prevention programs.     

Different forms of bullying and their association to smoking and drinking behavior in Italian adolescents

BACKGROUND: Using data from the 2006 Health Behavior in School‐aged Children (HBSC) survey, the prevalence of 6 forms of bullying (physical, verbal, relational, sexual, cyber, and racist), and the role of smoking and drinking in bullying was examined among Italian adolescents for this study. METHODS: The sample was composed of 2667 Italian middle and secondary school students (49.9% girls) randomly selected. The revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire was used to measure physical, verbal, relational, sexual, cyber, and racist forms of bullying. For each form, 3 categories were created and compared with students “not involved in bullying”: bully, victim, and bully‐victim. Logistic regressions were applied to test the connections among the 3 forms of involvement in different types of bullying and smoking and drinking. RESULTS: Prevalence of having been bullied or having bullied others at school at least once in the last 2 months was 11.6% for physical, 52% for verbal, 47.9% for relational, 18.5% for sexual, 19.4% for cyber, and 9.4% for racist bullying. Compared to girls, boys were more likely to be involved in physical bullying; moreover, boys were more involved as bullies in verbal, sexual, cyber, and racist bullying. In contrast, girls were more likely to be victims of verbal, relational, sexual, and cyber bullying than were boys. Logistic regressions showed the connection between the different forms of involvement in bullying and smoking and drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that all forms of bullying behavior are associated with legal substance use. Implication for prevention program was discussed.     

上海市大学生受欺负现状及其与人际关系 敏感的关联

了解不同学业水平大学生的受欺负经历及其与人际关系敏感之间的关系,为预防和干预校园欺负提供依据.方法 运用分层整群抽样方法,采用问卷匿名调查上海市2所高校(1所高职院校和1所综合大学)1 963名学生,用x2检验比较两校学生受欺负经历的差异,用二元Logistic回归分析受欺负经历与人际关系敏感的关联.结果 2所高校大学生曾经受言语欺负比例最高(24.5%).综合大学学生被威胁恐吓、受身体欺负及被勒索钱财报告率均高于高职院校学生(x2值分别为19.27,6.08,7.46,P值均<0.05).随着受欺负学段及时长数增长,学生受欺负报告率下降,且有人际关系敏感症状的可能性增大(P值均<0.05).小学阶段曾受欺负者更可能在大学时出现人际关系敏感症状(OR=2.532,95%CI=1.183~5.417).而初中、高中是否受欺负以及受欺负的时长对大学阶段是否出现明显人际关系敏感症状的影响无统计学意义(P值均>0.05).结论 大学生受欺负经历对心理成长有不良影响,社会各级各界有理由进行干预.     

Association between workplace bullying and common mental disorders in civil servants from a middle-income country

Workplace bullying (WB) is associated with Common mental disorders (CMD) in high-income countries, but there is a lack of evidence relating to this subject in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between bullying and CMD in Brazil. A cross-sectional study with 907 judicial civil servants from Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, was carried out. WB was measured by the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-r) and CMD by the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Logistic regression was used to analyse data and test hypotheses. The overall prevalence of CMD was 32.8%, while the overall prevalence of bullying was 18.3%. WB was strongly associated with CMD, even after controlling for confounders. After adjustment for sociodemographic, personality and occupational confounders, weekly and daily exposures to negative acts increased 4.32 (95% CI: 2.00–9.33) and 6.80 (95% CI: 3.42–13.51) times the risk of CMD, respectively. Considering the operational definition, bullied workers had a 3.45 (95% CI: 2.26–5.25) higher risk of CMD. The results are consistent with studies from high-income countries. Different ways of categorising exposure to WB and testing association with CMD are suggested. Interventions to prevent bullying, focusing on work processes and psychosocial factors at work, could reduce the risk of mental health problems.     

Sexual Orientation and Bullying Among Adolescents in the Growing Up Today Study

PurposeTo examine the relationship between sexual orientation and past-year reports of bullying victimization and perpetration in a large sample of American youth.MethodsSurvey data from 7,559 adolescents aged 14–22 who responded to the 2001 wave questionnaire of the Growing Up Today Study were examined cross-sectionally. Multivariable generalized estimating equations regression was performed using the modified Poisson method. We examined associations between sexual orientation and past-year bully victimization and perpetration with heterosexuals as the referent group, stratifying by gender and controlling for age, race/ethnicity, and weight status.ResultsCompared to heterosexual males, mostly heterosexual males (risk ratio [RR]: 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13, 1.86) and gay males (RR 1.98; CI: 1.39, 2.82) were more likely to report being bullied. Similarly, mostly heterosexual females (RR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.45, 2.03), bisexual females (RR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.31), and lesbians (RR: 3.36, 95% CI: 1.76, 6.41) were more likely to report being bullied than were heterosexual females. Gay males (RR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.84) were much less likely to report bullying others than were heterosexual males. Mostly heterosexual females (RR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.42, 2.04) and bisexual females (RR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.80, 3.24) were more likely to report bullying others than heterosexual females. No lesbian participants reported bullying others.ConclusionsThere are significant differences in reports of bullying victimization and perpetration between heterosexual and sexual minority youth. Clinicians should inquire about sexual orientation and bullying, and coordinate care for youth who may need additional support.     

Reprint of: bullying victimisation, self harm and associated factors in Irish adolescent boys

School bullying victimisation is associated with poor mental health and self harm. However, little is known about the lifestyle factors and negative life events associated with victimisation, or the factors associated with self harm among boys who experience bullying. The objectives of the study were to examine the prevalence of bullying in Irish adolescent boys, the association between bullying and a broad range of risk factors among boys, and factors associated with self harm among bullied boys and their non-bullied peers. Analyses were based on the data of the Irish centre of the Child and Adolescent Self Harm in Europe (CASE) study (boys n = 1870). Information was obtained on demographic factors, school bullying, deliberate self harm and psychological and lifestyle factors including negative life events. In total 363 boys (19.4%) reported having been a victim of school bullying at some point in their lives. The odds ratio of lifetime self harm was four times higher for boys who had been bullied than those without this experience. The factors that remained in the multivariate logistic regression model for lifetime history of bullying victimisation among boys were serious physical abuse and self esteem. Factors associated with self harm among bullied boys included psychological factors, problems with schoolwork, worries about sexual orientation and physical abuse, while family support was protective against self harm. Our findings highlight the mental health problems associated with victimisation, underlining the importance of anti-bullying policies in schools. Factors associated with self harm among boys who have been bullied should be taken into account in the identification of boys at risk of self harm.     

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.     

Bullying victimisation,self harm and associated factors in Irish adolescent boys

School bullying victimisation is associated with poor mental health and self harm. However, little is known about the lifestyle factors and negative life events associated with victimisation, or the factors associated with self harm among boys who experience bullying. The objectives of the study were to examine the prevalence of bullying in Irish adolescent boys, the association between bullying and a broad range of risk factors among boys, and factors associated with self harm among bullied boys and their non-bullied peers. Analyses were based on the data of the Irish centre of the Child and Adolescent Self Harm in Europe (CASE) study (boys n = 1870). Information was obtained on demographic factors, school bullying, deliberate self harm and psychological and lifestyle factors including negative life events. In total 363 boys (19.4%) reported having been a victim of school bullying at some point in their lives. The odds ratio of lifetime self harm was four times higher for boys who had been bullied than those without this experience. The factors that remained in the multivariate logistic regression model for lifetime history of bullying victimisation among boys were serious physical abuse and self esteem. Factors associated with self harm among bullied boys included psychological factors, problems with schoolwork, worries about sexual orientation and physical abuse, while family support was protective against self harm. Our findings highlight the mental health problems associated with victimisation, underlining the importance of anti-bullying policies in schools. Factors associated with self harm among boys who have been bullied should be taken into account in the identification of boys at risk of self harm.     

中学生校园欺凌行为与家庭环境及教育方式的关联

目的 了解安徽省中学生校园欺凌现状及其与家庭环境、教育方式的关系,为防范校园欺凌现象提供相应的预防措施。方法 使用校园欺凌量表和自行设计的调查问卷,对安徽省合肥、芜湖、阜阳等地区初一至高三年级1 826名学生利用问卷星平台进行调查,采用SPSS 26.0进行数据分析。结果 中学生校园欺凌报告率为41.40%,其中欺凌别人报告率为14.46%,被欺凌报告率为39.59%,欺凌他人同时受到他人欺凌报告率为12.65%。多因素Logistic回归矫正模型显示,与母亲关系一般和中学生校园欺凌存在正相关(OR=1.76,95%CI=1.22～2.53),与父亲关系一般(OR=1.89,95%CI=1.47～2.43)、重组家庭(OR=2.28,95%CI=1.22～4.29)和中学生校园被欺凌存在正相关,父母之间的关系一般/差(OR=1.52,95%CI=1.06～2.17;OR=3.15,95%CI=1.79～5.57)与欺凌—被欺凌者存在正相关,惩罚打骂型家庭教育方式与欺凌、被欺凌、欺凌—被欺凌行为均存在正相关(OR=1.45,95%CI=1.10～1.90;OR=1.82,95%CI=1....     

城市农民工学校小学生欺负行为与自感校园社会心理环境的关联研究

【目的】 调查城市民办农民工学校小学生的校园欺负行为发生现状,并探究与其校园社会心理环境因素的关联。 【方法】 在上海市5所民办农民工小学中以班级为单位随机整群抽取四、五年级共511名学生,利用自填问卷方式了解其现在和曾经的欺负与被欺负行为、自感校园社会心理环境及烦恼等情况。 【结果】 曾经有过被欺负经历的学生比例达28%,现在(本学期)受欺负的报告率为5.5%。不同卷入欺负事件类型的学生的“不安全感”、“自感学校斗殴频繁”、认为“教师歧视成绩差学生”的比例均显著高于与未卷入欺负行为学生,且烦恼得分也显著高于未卷入学生。 【结论】 城市民办农民工学校小学生的欺负行为与校园社会心理环境因素密切相关,应加强校园良好人际关系的干预,减少和杜绝校园欺负行为。     

Health and happiness in young Swiss adults

PURPOSE: To explore whether self-reported happiness is associated with mental and physical health status among young adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 1257 randomly selected university students in Geneva, Switzerland. The questionnaire included an item that probed the feeling of happiness in the past month, the Short Form-12 health survey (from which mental and physical health scores were computed), scales to measure self-esteem, stress, and social support, reports of various life problems, and sociodemographic information. RESULTS: Most participants felt happy all of the time or most of the time (63%). In multivariate analysis, feeling happy all or most of the time was strongly associated with better mental health (odds ratios for consecutive quartiles of mental health scores: 1.0 (reference), 6.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.5-10.1), 19.2 (95% CI: 12.2-30.2), 39.9 (95% CI: 22.4-71.0)), but also with the feeling of getting enough love and affection (item from the social support scale, odds ratio: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.4-2.7), female sex (odds ratio: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-2.1), being Swiss (odds ratio: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.5), and higher self-esteem (odds ratios for consecutive quartiles ranged from 1.0 to 3.5, 95% CI: 2.1-5.8). The association between happiness and physical health was weak and statistically non-significant. CONCLUSIONS: The strong association between happiness and mental health suggests that asking people if they are happy may help identify mental health care needs. Self-reported happiness may also be a useful outcome measure for evaluation of health interventions.     

Parental reported bullying among Nordic children: a population-based study

BACKGROUND: Bullying has been shown to be a serious problem amongst school children, but few studies have been population-based and included pre-school children. METHODS: The study is part of a cross-sectional comparative study in 1984 and 1996, focusing on children's and their families' health and welfare in the Nordic countries. At each point of time parents of 3000 randomly selected children aged 2-17 years in each of five Nordic countries received a postal questionnaire. Altogether approximately 20,000 questionnaires were completed. The prevalence of bullying, risk factors for bullying and possible effect factors were analysed. RESULTS: Parents reported bullying of their child in 15.1% of the cases. Bullying varied from 7.2% in Sweden to about 20% in Denmark and Finland. There was a small increase in bullying from 13.7% in 1984 to 16.4% in 1996. Bullying was most frequent in boys (OR: 1.4) and in children 2-6 and 7-12 years old (OR: 2.0 and 2.2 compared with older children). Children of single parents and of parents with low education had increased risks (OR: 1.4 and 1.4). Children with chronic conditions had higher risks for being bullied (OR: 2.3). In 1996 children with psychiatric/nervous problems and hyperactivity had high risks for being bullied (OR: 8.8 and 10.5) and for bullying others (3.9 and 3.5). Being bullied was associated with poor thriving and psychosomatic and psychological problems. No countries had national interventions before 1984, but Sweden had early focused on the problem and implemented a strong national policy before 1996. After 1996 national anti-bullying policies were strengthened in the Nordic countries, most in Sweden and Norway. CONCLUSION: Bullying is common among Nordic children, including pre-school children. Bullying is a threat to children's health, and augments problems in children with chronic conditions. The low prevalence of bullying in Sweden may be a result from sustained, strong anti-bullying policies. There is still a need for continuing interventions.     

School Violence,Depressive Symptoms,and Help-seeking Behavior: A Gender-stratified Analysis of Biethnic Adolescents in South Korea

Objectives:

In South Korea (hereafter Korea), the number of adolescent offspring of immigrants has rapidly increased since the early 1990s, mainly due to international marriage. This research sought to examine the association between the experience of school violence and mental health outcomes, and the role of help-seeking behaviors in the association, among biethnic adolescents in Korea.

Methods:

We analyzed cross-sectional data of 3627 biethnic adolescents in Korea from the 2012 National Survey of Multicultural Families. Based on the victim’s help-seeking behavior, adolescents who experienced school violence were classified into three groups: ‘seeking help’ group; ‘feeling nothing’ group; ‘not seeking help’ group. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to examine the associations between the experience of school violence and depressive symptoms for males and females separately.

Results:

In the gender-stratified analysis, school violence was associated with depressive symptoms in the ‘not seeking help’ (odds ratio [OR], 7.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.76 to 13.23) and the ‘seeking help’ group (OR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.73 to 4.44) among male adolescents after adjusting for potential confounders, including the nationality of the immigrant parent and Korean language fluency. Similar associations were observed in the female groups. However, in the ‘feeling nothing’ group, the association was only significant for males (OR, 8.34; 95% CI, 2.82 to 24.69), but not females (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.18 to 3.28).

Conclusions:

This study suggests that experience of school violence is associated with depressive symptoms and that the role of victims’ help-seeking behaviors in the association may differ by gender among biethnic adolescents in Korea.