Bullying in school and cyberbullying among adolescents without and with special educational needs in emotional–social development and in learning in Germany

Abstract

Bullying in school and cyberbullying are highly relevant issues. Students with special educational needs in emotional–social development and learning show individual characteristics that could be risk factors for bullying perpetration and victimization (e.g., externalizing behavior problems or poor social skills). Therefore, the present study was carried out to explore differences in school bullying and cyberbullying between adolescents without and with the aforementioned special educational needs. A cross‐sectional questionnaire study was carried out with N = 649 (Mage = 13.66, SD = 2.17, 61% boys and 39% girls) participants from Lower Saxony (Germany). Analyses of covariance only revealed differences regarding school bullying. Adolescents with special educational needs in emotional–social development were significantly more often bullying perpetrators. For the victim role, there are no differences between the groups without and with special educational needs in emotional–social development and in learning. The externalizing behavior problems of adolescents were considered to be the main predictor of bullying behavior and victim experiences. To imply targeted bullying interventions and preventions further research is needed focusing on characteristics, risk, and protective factors of special educational needs in emotional–social development.

Primary Assessment of Cyberbullying in the Republic of Moldova

“…Studii anterioare au arătat că în general adolescenții nu prea fac diferență dintre bullying și cyberbullying [22], de asemenea, într-un studiu recent publicat care a evaluat fenomenele de bullying și cyberbullying din Germania s-a determinat că există o asociere pozitivă puternică între aceste două fenomene, deoarece tinerii care au acumulat un scor sporit la bullying în școală au prezentat scoruri sporite și la cyberbullying [6]. Este clar că mediul este cel care face diferența esențială dintre aceste două fenomene, dar și anumite caracteristici definitorii.…”

“…Cu toate că inițial cyberbullying era perceput drept o altă formă de bullying, fiind definit ca o agresiune ce are loc în mediul electronic, ulterior s-au conturat alte particularități ale cyberbullying-ului, care îl fac diferit de bullying-ul tradițional. Iată de ce mai mulți cercetători la nivel internațional recomandă realizarea studiilor care să se concentreze exclusiv pe fenomenul de cyberbullying [4,5,6], pentru a putea evalua obiectiv fenomenul, argumentând necesitatea mai multor studii în acest domeniu.…”

“…Studii relevante fenomenului de cyberbullying au fost realizate în Germania [7], Tailanda [8], Canada [9], SUA [10] etc. Elevii din Republica Moldova, nu sunt o excepție, iar studii relevante sunt absolut necesare pentru a înțelege mai bine, care este nivelul de conștientizare, particularitățile acestui fenomen în contextul național, alte studii orientate pe specificul cyberbullying-ului în Republica Moldova nu au fost încă realizate, astfel devine imposibilă analiza evoluției fenomenului fără a avea un studiu de referință în care să fie expuse cunoștințele, atitudinile și practicile adolescenților din Republica Moldova cu referire la cyberbullying.…”

Understanding the Complexities of Adolescent Bullying: The Interplay between Peer Relationships, Emotion Regulation, and Victimization

“…Current research shows that bullying positively influences internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, suicidal thoughts, and psychosomatic complaints and is negatively associated with peer attachment [6,[15][16][17]. Considering the severe effects that bullying can have on both bullies and victims, research focuses on the possible protective and risk factors for bullying [42][43][44]. There is no standardized definition of bullying, but it is generally considered a form of aggressive behavior aimed to intentionally harm a weaker person (physically or psychologically) over an extended period of time.…”

Prevalence and impact of peer victimisation among youth seeking treatment at a tertiary psychiatric institution in Singapore: a cross-sectional study

“…In terms of age, the majority of studies have suggested that older students are less likely to experience peer-victimization than younger students [14,15], possibly because older adolescents have greater awareness on how to stop harassment by peers [12]. Other studies have suggested that personal characteristics such as learning disabilities, poor academic performance, poor social skills, and emotional and behavioural problems also increase the likelihood of peer-victimization for adolescents [16][17][18][19]. Research has also suggested that the risk of being bullied is higher among adolescents with minority status, such as racial or ethnic minorities, sexual minority groups and youth with disabilities [20].…”