School bullying among Tunisian adolescents: prevalence and psychosocial outcomes

Abstract

Background Bullying is a serious public health concern affecting the emotional well-being of pupils. We conducted this study to examine the prevalence of bullying, its psychosocial associated factors and the perceived involvement of parents, teachers, and classmates to counteract this behavior. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 2015 among a representative sample of pupils enrolled in 14 colleges in Sousse using the revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Results We included 1584 students aged between 11 and 15 years. The prevalence of bullying and victimization was 16.0% [95% CI: 14.2%, 17.8%] and 11.3% [95% CI: 9.7%, 12.9%] respectively. Four groups of students were identified, 11.7% were classified as pure victims, 7.8% as pure bullies, 3.2% as bully-victims and 75.5% as bystanders. Compared to other groups, the bully-victims were less likely to report a feeling of empathy (38.3%, p < 10-3) and liking school (30.0%, p < 10-3). They were more likely to be aggressive (56.2%, p < 10-3) and disintegrated in the class (30.6%, p = 0.002). Among the victims, 11.1% reported that their parents contacted the school several times to stop their victimization. The majority of the middle school students perceived that their classmates (54.1%) and teachers (39.5%) did nothing to counteract the bullying behavior. Conclusions The school institution is expected to be for pupils a highly meaningful space for social, emotional and academic development. Parents, teachers and students should learn effective ways to handle the bullying problem since it has been emphasized that the most effective programs are comprehensive targeting students, schools, families, and the community. Key messages This is the first study conducted in Tunisia to highlight the extent of school bullying. Our findings can help to raise awareness of parents, school staff and policy makers about bullying.

Association between Bullying Victimization and Aggression in Lebanese Adolescents: The Indirect Effect of Repetitive Negative Thinking—A Path Analysis Approach and Scales Validation

“…A meta-analysis by Modecki et al, encompassing 80 studies that investigated bullying involvement rates of students (aged between 12 and 18 years), revealed wide variation in prevalence rates across contexts, with mean prevalence rates of 36% for victimization [ 17 ]. Even though there is still significant under-representation of developing countries of the Arab world in the research literature related to school bullying, similar variations in estimates have been documented, with prevalence rates of 7% in Jordan [ 18 ], 11.7% in Tunisia [ 19 ], 16% the United Arab Emirates [ 20 ], 9.9–20.6% in Algeria [ 21 ], and 49.1% in Lebanon [ 22 ]. Thus, Lebanon seems to have one of the highest prevalence rates of bullying in the Arab region and even worldwide, with almost 1 in 4 Lebanese adolescents having been estimated to be involved in bullying [ 23 ].…”

Bullying victimization among adolescents: Prevalence, associated factors and correlation with mental health outcomes

“…A cluster sampling method was used to select a random sample and the sample size was calculated according to the following formula: n = Z α/2 2 × (p × q) / i 2 (n = minimum sample size, Z α/2 = 1.96 (α = 0.05), p = 0.12; q = 0.88, i = 0.03). At a 95% confidence interval and assuming a problem frequency of 12% [ 9 ] and a 5% margin of error, the minimal sample size required was 451 school students. A design effect of 2 was used to compensate for the error of the estimate encountered using cluster sampling (instead of simple random sampling) and 20% was added to compensate for potential non-response.…”

“…The Arabic version of the revised and self-reported Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (BVQ) was used to assess bullying victimization [ 9 , 19 ]. Only items on victimization were considered for this study (18 items).…”

“…In Tunisia, according to the GSHS conducted in 2008, around half (46.4%) of students report having been physically assaulted and 37.7% of students have been verbally assaulted one or more times in the last 12 months [ 8 ]. However, a survey conducted in 2015 in the region of Sousse (Tunisia) and using the revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ), reported that 11.7% of middle-school students are victims of bullying [ 9 ].…”

Cyberbullying and mental distress among adolescents in secondary school: Tunisian cross sectional study

“…In Tunisia, few studies have been conducted to assess the prevalence of cyberbullying among adolescents. A study by Bassem Abida in 2019 (4) at Sfax, Tunisia revealed a rate of 34.4%, and another study in 2018 (5) in Sousse found a prevalence of 22.2% among 1111 middle school students. This urgency is further underscored by a study involving samples of adolescents from both Tunisia and Lebanon, which has highlighted a signi cant connection between cyberbullying and mental distress.…”