Prevalence and factors associated with bullying among secondary school students in Bayelsa State

Abstract

Context: Bullying probably represents the most obvious juvenile violence, manifested irrespective of location and type of school. Is a widespread public health concern among adolscents and has been reported in Nigerian secondary schools, with prevalence rates ranging from 40% to 85%. As an emergent issue affecting many students globally, it is a threat that should not be ignored

Objective: To determine the prevalence of bullying and identify risk factors for being bullied and being a bully among in-school adolescents in Bayelsa State.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted involving 404 secondary school adolescents, using multistage random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire adapted from the bullying section of the Nigerian version of the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) and the LMS retrospective bullying questionnaire. Associations were assessed using the chi-squared test, with significance set at p ≤ 0.05.

Results: The prevalence of bullying was 85.6%. Reported types included physical (77.7%), verbal (76.2%), psychological (66.8%), and sexual (38.6%) bullying. Additionally, 14.4% of participants identified themselves as bullies. Victims were significantly targeted for perceived vulnerabilities, including being considered "weird" (p < 0.001), "weak" (p < 0.001), or from "poor families" (p = 0.003). Teacher-led victimization was significantly associated with physical (p = 0.001), psychological (p = 0.009), and sexual (p = 0.037) bullying. Predictors of perpetration included having friends who are bullies (aOR = 4.232, p < 0.001), desire for control (aOR = 2.302, p = 0.011), school gender structure (aOR = 2.753, p = 0.008), and previous victimization (aOR = 268.714, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Prevalence of bullying is high among the respondents. Schools should implement policies to protect vulnerable students and provide early psychosocial intervention for victims to reduce progression to perpetration.