The practice of bullying among Brazilian schoolchildren and associated factors, National School Health Survey 2015

Relationship between bullying with depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life among Brazilian high school students from Southern Brazil

The aim is to analyze the associations of bullying victimization and perpetration with depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of Brazilian high school adolescents. Adolescents (n=852, 50.2% female, mean age: 16.4 years) answered a questionnaire about depressive symptoms drawn from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. HRQoL was measured using the Kidscreen-10 Index, and bullying-related information was extracted from two different questions (victims and perpetrators). Multilevel logistic regression models were used. Adolescent victims of bullying had higher levels of depressive symptoms and a lower perception of HRQoL than those who were not victims. On the other hand, an inverse relationship was found for perpetrators of bullying compared to those who were not perpetrators. Adolescents' health-related impacts varied according to their role in bullying situations.

Bullying practices by students aged 13 to 17 years according to the National Survey of School Health (2019)

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the prevalence of bullying practices and associated factors among Brazilian adolescents, according to the National Survey of School Health 2019.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study with cluster sampling. The outcome variable, bullying practice, was assessed by the question: "In the last 30 days, have you mocked, ridiculed, teased, intimidated, or bullied any of your schoolmates to the point that they felt hurt, upset, offended, or humiliated?" (yes/no). Associations with sociodemographic characteristics, family environment, mental health, and risk behaviors were analyzed using Poisson regression with robust variance.

RESULTS

12.1% (95%CI 11.7-12.6) of adolescents reported bullying others. Positive associations were found among boys (PR 1.66; 95%CI 1.55-1.77); self-declared Black (PR 1.23; 95%CI 1.11-1.36) and brown (PR 1.1; 95%CI 1.02-1.18) adolescents; private school students (PR 1.29; 95%CI 1.21-1.37); those who felt lonely (PR 1.17; 95%CI 1.09-1.26); thought life was not worth living (PR 1.28; 95%CI 1.19-1.39); were physically assaulted by a family member (PR 1.67; 95%CI 1.55-1.79); skipped classes (PR 1.23; 95%CI 1.15-1.31); used tobacco (PR 1.34; 95%CI 1.22-1.47), alcohol (PR 1.38; 95%CI 1.28-1.50), and drugs (PR 1.17; 95%CI 1.04-1.31) regularly; and had sexual relations (PR 1.26; 95%CI 1.18-1.35). Ages 16 and 17 (PR 0.82; 95%CI 0.76-0.89) and family supervision were protective factors (PR 0.70; 95%CI 0.66-0.75).

CONCLUSION

Bullying was more likely among boys, younger adolescents, those with family and mental health issues, and those engaged in risk behaviors. The importance of practices, such as family supervision in preventing bullying, is highlighted.

Bullying in adolescents across three years in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional and prospective analysis

BACKGROUND

Bullying has been identified as a risk factor for many issues among adolescents. Although it was already considered a public health issue in Brazil before the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about how the pandemic and associated public health measures have affected bullying behavior.

OBJECTIVE

To explore changes in bullying victimization and perpetration among Brazilian high school students from 2019 to 2022.

METHODS

This study utilizes data from the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Lifestyle (ELEVA), employing a repeated cross-sectional with a nested cohort design. Adolescents (n = 1.987, 50.2% female, mean age 16.4 years) answered a questionnaire and bullying-related information were extracted from two different questions for victims and perpetrators. Multilevel logistic regression models were used.

RESULTS

Bullying victimization decreased from 46% (95% CI: 40-52%) in 2019 to 30% (95% CI: 24-36%) in 2022 (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.30-0.69, p < 0.05) in the longitudinal sample. Stable prevalences of bullying victimization (44% in 2019, 40% in 2022, p = 0.090) and perpetration (9.7% in 2019. 8.7% in 2022, p = 0.5) were observed within the repeated cross-sectional sample.

CONCLUSION

This study found a significant decrease in bullying victimization among Brazilian high school students from 2019 to 2022 in the longitudinal sample, which coincides with the decrease in bullying behavior associated with getting older. However, the prevalence of bullying victimization and perpetration remained relatively stable and high in the repeated cross-sectional sample. These findings highlight the need for effective policies and interventions to prevent bullying among high school students. Additionally, providing resources and support for students experiencing bullying could be beneficial.

[Bullying victimization and associated factors among schoolchildren in a city in the south of Brazil]

The objective was to assess the prevalence of bullying victimization and associated factors among adolescents in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted with 795 ninth grade students from 25 urban municipal schools linked to the School Health Program. Bullying was assessed using questions that addressed the occurrence, frequency, location, type of violence suffered and how much it bothers the victims. Gross and adjusted analyses were performed by Poisson regression. Approximately 71% of the students reported having suffered bullying, and school was the location of greatest occurrence (86.7%). Among the types of aggression suffered, "nicknames" was the most recurrent complaint (88.4%), followed by exclusion or isolation (26.6%). Victimization was more frequent among girls (PR 1.13; 95%CI 1.02-1.27), students with non-white skin color/race (PR 1.16; 95%CI 1.05-1.29), who have already tried tobacco (PR 1.14; 95%CI 1.03-1.27), dissatisfied (PR 1.42; 95%CI 1.27-1.58) or indifferent (PR 1.21; 95%CI 1.02-1.43) about their bodies, and who were overweight (PR 1.15; 95%CI 1.04-1.27). The results show that bullying is a frequent practice in the school environment, pointing to the need for educational practices aimed at reducing and preventing this type of violence.

Screen Time Correlates of Bullying Perpetration and Victimization in Brazilian Adolescents

This study is an investigation of the associations of time spent in different screen time activities with bullying among Brazilian adolescents. In this cross-sectional study, adolescents answered questions related to bullying in the past 30 days and reported the weekly volume of screen time spent studying, working, watching videos, playing video games, and using social media applications. Multilevel logistic regression models were used. Our results indicate that higher social media use was associated with higher odds of bullying victimization among males but not females. Excessive use of screen time for work and social media purposes was associated with a higher likelihood of bullying victimization.

Racial-Based Bullying and Substance Use: a Brazilian National Cross-Sectional Survey Among Students

Racial discrimination has been associated with worse health status and risky health behavior. Understanding the relationship between racial-based bullying (RBB) — an overlap of bullying and interpersonal racial discrimination — and substance use can guide school-based actions to prevent bullying and substance use, but investigations rarely involve Brazilian students. We used data from the National Survey of School Health (PeNSE) 2015, which included 102,072 ninth-grade students from the capital and inland cities in the five regions of Brazil. Students self-reported their race/skin color according to the Brazilian official census. We explored racial and recent RBB differences in recent use of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances [marijuana, cocaine, crack, sniffed glue, loló/lança-perfume (ether and chloroform blend)] by comparing prevalence ratios (estimated with quasi-Poisson, crude, and adjusted models by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics) obtained from analyses of imputed data and complete case. We found that RBB prevalence increased according to racial categories associated with darker skin tones; racial differences in the prevalence of RBB were greater among girls than boys. Girls from all racial groups consistently had a higher prevalence of alcohol use than boys. RBB partially explained the recent use of alcohol and tobacco for the minority racial groups and was not associated with the use of other substances. School-based actions should explicitly incorporate anti-racist goals as strategies for substance use prevention, giving particular attention to gender issues in racial discrimination and alcohol use.

Reflexos dos determinantes sociais da saúde na aprendizagem de crianças escolares

RESUMO Objetivo: compreender os reflexos dos determinantes sociais da saúde na aprendizagem de crianças escolares, vinculadas à rede pública de ensino, sob a ótica dos profissionais da saúde e da educação. Método: estudo qualitativo, do tipo ação participante, articulado ao Itinerário de Pesquisa de Freire, percorrendo três momentos: Investigação Temática; Codificação e Decodificação; Desvelamento Crítico. Participaram 27 profissionais da saúde e 18 da educação, atuantes em quatro municípios de Santa Catarina. Realizaram-se entrevistas individuais e um Círculo de Cultura entre novembro de 2020 a março de 2021. A análise desenvolveu-se nas discussões no Círculo de Cultura, com reflexão dos temas. Resultados: as condições de vida desfavoráveis, hábitos pouco saudáveis e as relações sociais frágeis tendem a influenciar negativamente na aprendizagem escolar das crianças. Há necessidade de implementação de ações envolvendo o setor saúde e educação, como o Programa Saúde na Escola. Conclusão a atuação articulada dos profissionais de saúde e educação sobre os determinantes sociais é o caminho para promover saúde e o desempenho escolar infantil, com vistas a minimizar os efeitos das iniquidades existentes.

[Lack of awareness of the HPV vaccination campaign among Brazilian students: a multilevel analysis]

The scope of this article is to analyze the association between lack of awareness of the HPV vaccination campaign among Brazilian adolescents and individual and contextual factors. It involved a cross-sectional study with data from the National Student Health Survey (2015). Bivariate analysis was performed and Prevalence Ratios were calculated, in a multilevel Poisson Regression (95%CI) to verify the effect of variables on the outcome. The outcome was significantly associated with being 15-19 years old (PR=1.36), studying during the afternoon/night shift (PR=1.05), having already had sexual intercourse (PR=1.10), with self-perceived poor or very poor health status (PR=1.23), dissatisfied (PR=1.14) or indifferent (PR=1.15) regarding their body image, playing truant from classes without parental consent (PR=1.10) and studying at a public school (PR=1.24). There was less prevalence of the outcome among females (PR=0.24) and in states with greater income inequality (PR=0.80). The lack of awareness about the HPV vaccination campaign among adolescents was associated with individual characteristics, the context of the school and the unit of the federation. These findings indicate the importance of enhancing health promotion for vulnerable young people.

[Association between social capital and bullying among adolescents aged between 15 and 19: relations between the school and social environment]

The scope of this study was to analyze the association between social capital and bullying among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years, in high schools in the Greater Vitória Metropolitan Area in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was carried out at the school base, with a sample of 2293 students, stratified by municipality of school location. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using two instruments: Integrated Questionnaire to Measure Social Capital of the World Bank and adapted versions of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. The results showed that victims of bullying were more likely to present low level of cognitive social capital (p = 0.001; OR = 1.9, 95%CI = 1.29-2.68), underlying (p = 0.002; OR = 1.7, 95%CI = 1.20-2.38) and total (p < 0.001; OR = 1.80, 95%CI = 1.32-2.59). Bullying offenders were associated with low levels of cognitive social capital (p < 0.001; OR = 3.2, 95%CI = 2.34-4.44) and total (p = 0.042; OR = 1.7, 95%CI = 1.24-2.27). High levels of social capital are related to the reduction of bullying and victimization behaviors. Therefore, healthy social relationships should be promoted in the spaces of mutual coexistence of adolescents to stimulate other positive reactions in school environments.

[The influence of family and peer violence in the practice of bullying among school adolescents]

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of bullies and identify factors related to bullying among high school students in Recife. This is an analytical cross-sectional epidemiological study, composed of a probabilistic sample by clusters of 1,402 students aged 15 to 19 years old, enrolled in the second year of high school in both public and private schools in Recife. In this work the bullying will be approached according to the Bioecological Theory of Human Development of Bronfenbrenner. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire about bullying and associated factors. Data analysis was conducted by the Pearson chi-square test with statistical significance of 0.05 and 95% Confidence Interval. To analyze associations, a multilevel modeling was employed and STATA version 12.0 software was used. The results showed a prevalence of 21.26% of bullying aggressors and the factors associated with the practice of bullying were violence suffered at school, violence between peers, as well as violence practiced by the mother and siblings. Hence, the results indicate that the violence suffered in the family and school context can have repercussions on the practice of bullying among adolescents.

Alcoholic beverage purchase by Brazilian adolescents: individual and contextual factors associated in a multilevel analysis

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the individual and contextual factors associated with the purchase of alcoholic beverages by adolescents in Brazil.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional study with data from the National Adolescent Health Survey (2015). The study sample consisted of 21,125 adolescents who reported having consumed alcohol in the 30 days before the survey. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed by calculating the Prevalence Ratios in a multilevel Poisson Regression (95%CI) to verify the effect of individual variables, school context, and Brazilian federation units on the outcome.

RESULTS

17.54% (95%CI 17.03-18.06) bought the alcoholic beverage for their consumption. The outcome was associated with male gender (PR 1.69; 95%CI 1.56-1.83), the age group from 15 to 17 years old (PR 1.52 95%CI 1.41-1.65), who ingested alcohol more than six times in 30 days (PR 1.47; 95%CI 1.37-1.61), who work (PR 1.26 95%CI 1.16-1.37), who are children of women with low education, who study in public schools (RP 1.16 95%CI 1.04-1.30), who missed classes (RP 1.14 95%CI 1.05-1.23) and who do not have a follow-up responsible in their free time (PR 1.13 95%CI 1.04-1.21) and who live in states with higher illiteracy rates of people aged 25 years old and over (PR=1.19; 95%CI 1, 02-1.39).

CONCLUSION

The adolescents' access to alcohol purchase was associated with individual factors, the school context, and the federation unit. These findings indicate the importance of strengthening health promotion aimed at vulnerable youth people.

Assessing the Mental Health of Brazilian Students Involved in Risky Behaviors

Adolescence, which is the transition from childhood to adulthood, is marked by emotional sensitivity and inconsistency and may be affected by mental health problems. In order to fill the gap related to the risky behaviors in students in Brazil, our cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the relationship between risky behaviors and indicators of mental health of Brazilian students. We used the data from the National School Health Survey to analyze the relationship between risk behaviors and three symptoms of mental health issues: feeling of being alone, number of close friends, and trouble sleeping due to worries. The sample consisted of 102,072 students in Brazil (48.3% boys and 51.7% girls), aged between 11 to 19 years. The risk behaviors evaluated were substance use, sedentary lifestyle, sexual behavior, and suffering violence and bullying. We have performed a multivariate analysis based on the Poisson regression model, and the measure of effect used was the prevalence ratio (PR) with confidence intervals (CI) of 95%. Our results showed that students with symptoms of mental health issues were involved in risky behaviors, including drug use and unsafe sex. Thus, mental illness outcomes may be associated with risky behaviors, or mental health may be impaired by them. Given these findings, in-school programs focused on improving mental health outcomes should be developed.

Vitimização por bullying e fatores associados em estudantes brasileiros com idade de 13 a 17 anos: estudo populacional

RESUMO: Objetivo: Analisar fatores escolares, sociodemográficos, nutricionais e de percepção corporal e comportamental associados à vitimização por bullying entre estudantes brasileiros com idade de 13 a 17 anos. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal com base nos dados da amostra 2 da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar 2015. A amostra do presente estudo é composta de 10.699 adolescentes de escolas de cada grande região do país. Resultados: A prevalência de vitimização por bullying foi de 6,2%, com maiores chances de vitimização em adolescentes que praticam bullying (razão de chances - OR = 1,91, intervalo de confiança de 95% - IC95% 1,48 - 2,45), com idade de 13 anos (OR = 1,76, IC95% 1,04 - 2,97), que se consideram gordos (OR = 1,45, IC95% 1,06 - 1,98) e não são bem tratados na escola pelos colegas (OR = 2,78, IC95% 2,17 - 3,45). Conclusão: Esforços preventivos que incluam programas de incentivo ao maior suporte social entre os estudantes e a implementação de práticas que reforcem o respeito às diferenças e peculiaridades dos alunos podem contribuir para a redução da vitimização por bullying.

Mapping the provision of care to an adolescent victim of school bullying by the Family Health Strategy in Brazil

The provision of care to adolescents who are victims of bullying is necessarily intersectoral and, as such, goes beyond the limits of the school context. Underpinned by this principle, this study mapped the care provided to an adolescent victim of bullying by the Family Health Strategy, using cartography to elaborate an analytical flow chart of the pathway taken by the patient through the health service. The care maps produced by the health professionals involved in the process showed that care was out of step, dry and had a low level of resolvability. Despite these findings, the use of this instrument allowed the health team to propose other forms of support for the adolescent. After visualizing the pathway taken by the patient through the care network, the team was able to rethink limiting approaches to health care and discover other care possibilities that go beyond physical dimensions. The care provided by the Family Health Strategy was shown to be inconsistent. However, the mapping activity clearly showed that primary care services play a crucial role in providing appropriate support to adolescent victims of bullying and breaking the cycle of violence.

Bullying, physical activity, and body image among Brazilian students

To determine the prevalence of bullying in Brazilian schools and analyze its association with physical activity and body image, data were collected from 51.192 students. Boys are more frequently bullied (7.2%) and they also bully more than girls (p ⩽ 0.01). Regarding body image, 26 percent of the girls considered themselves thin or very thin (p ⩽ 0.01). For boys, we observed associations between the variable of being treated well by classmates and race. Bullying was associated to mother's education. The data show the need for cross-sector actions based on educational policies and practices that can reduce and prevent bullying in schools.

Bullying, social skills, peer acceptance, and friendship among students in school transition

Abstract This study’s objective was to assess the social skills, peer acceptance, and friendship among students involved in bullying situations transitioning from elementary to middle school. A total of 408 6th grade students from six public schools in the interior of São Paulo, Brazil composed the sample; 54.9% of whom were aged 11.3 years on average (Standard Deviation = 0.6). Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance and Spearman’s correlation. In regard to social skills, bully-victims present a greater amount of passive and active responses when compared to victims, bullies, and not involved students. Only male bully-victims, however, experienced significantly more frequent rejection by peers, while female bully-victims had significantly fewer friends. The results indicate the need to develop interventions intended to prevent and decrease bullying in the period of school transition. Such interventions should, however, be gender-sensitive because of differences existing between boys and girls.