Bullying, its effects on attitude towards class attendance and the contribution of physical and dentofacial features among adolescents in Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Background Bullying is a worldwide problem with varying consequences. Victims of school bullying may be targeted for many reasons including their appearance. They may also fear school and have difficulties in concentration. Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence of bullying amongst adolescents in Kano, Northern Nigeria, the contribution of physical features and the perceived effect of bullying on their academic performance and school attendance. Subjects and methods Eight hundred and thirty-five students aged between 12 years and 17 years from eight randomly selected secondary schools in Kano, Nigeria took part in this study. Data collection was by self-administered questionnaires and analysis was by SPSS version 17. Results The pupils' mean age and standard deviation was 14.79 + 1.53 years. There were more male and private school pupils with 55.1% and 62%, respectively. About 43% of respondents reported being victims of bullying while about 32% had bullied someone else. There was more bullying in public schools than in private schools (p-value = 0.003). However, there was no significant gender difference (p > 0.05). More bullied pupils hated being in or outside the classroom (p < 0.05). Similarly, significantly higher number of bullied pupils played truant than non-bullied (p < 0.001). One-fifth of the victims of bullying felt it had consequences on their academic performance. Bullies frequently targeted general physical and dento-facial appearance. Conclusion The prevalence of bullying was high among the sampled population especially within public schools. This also had a significant negative effect on the students' academic performance.

Assessment of general bullying and bullying due to appearance of teeth in a sample of 11-16 year-old Peruvian schoolchildren.

“…These results agree with those reported by Chikaodi et al 4 and Oliveiros et al 6 who found that general bullying is more frequent in public schools. These authors 6 reported that school bullying was characterized by name-calling, followed by physical aggression, and thirdly by discrimination.…”

“…Our results also coincide with those of Chikaodi et al 4 who reported no differences between females and males. It is possible that the similarity between the two groups can be attributed to the fact that there are other factors more relevant than sex, such as greater economic control, relationship with physical punishment, consumption of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, and even having already had sexual relationships.…”

“…Therefore, such alterations have been associated with hurtful teasing and unhappiness. 4 Educational institutions should ensure the socialization of their students, and students should avoid all types of abuse or harassment, with an emphasis on strengthening respect, tolerance and assertiveness. However, bullying may occur and manifest itself in different ways depending on the type of educational institution.…”

Parental Reported Bullying among Saudi Schoolchildren: Its Forms, Effect on Academic Abilities, and Associated Sociodemographic, Physical, and Dentofacial Features

“…The current study has shown that bullying victimization is highly prevalent in Saudi schools. The estimated prevalence (89.2%) could be the highest amongst studies carried out in the Middle East and across the globe [6,8,[10][11][12]27]. However, when the prevalence of the condition is considered separately for each age group, the prevalence estimate for children younger than 12 years of age in the current study (73.7%) was just slightly lower than that reported in Jordan (80%) [8].…”

“…In the current study, a questionnaire was preferred over interviews as an assessment tool for purposes of enabling comparisons with different countries that used questionnaires because of the sensitivity of the topic. [8,10,27] It was previously reported that denial of the bullying condition, which should be embarrassing when confronted about, would be less in questionnaires as compared to direct interviews. [10] The questionnaire began with a clear definition of bullying, and the forms of bullying included examples to minimize the subjectivity and bias that may result from self-perceptions of bullying victimization [28].…”