Being bullied: associated factors in children and adolescents 8-18 years old in 11 European countries.

ANALITIS F; KLEIN M; RAVENS-SIEBERER U; DETMAR S; ERHART M; HERDMAN M; BERRA S; ALONSO J; RAJMIL L; THE EUROPEAN KIDSCREEN GROUP

PEDIATRICS

American Academy of Pediatrics

Lugar: Illinois; Año: 2009 vol. 123 p. 569 - 577

0031-4005

Objective: The objectives of this study were to analyze the prevalence of children and adolescents aged 8-18 years who perceived being bullied in 11 European countries and to investigate the associated socio-demographic, physical, and psychosocial factors. Methods: Being a bullying victim was measured using the Social Acceptance (Bullying) scale from the KIDSCREEN-52, a health-related quality of life questionnaire administered to 16 210 children and adolescents aged 8-18 and their parents in postal or school-based surveys in 11 European countries. Standardized mean differences (effect size, EfS) were computed to measure the percentage of children/adolescents scoring 1 standard deviation (SD) below the mean on the KIDSCREEN Bullying scale. Logistic regression models were used to determine which socio-demographic, physical, and psychosocial factors were associated with being bullied. Results: The percentage of children being bullied was 20.6% for the entire sample, ranging from 10.5% in Hungary to 29.6% in the United Kingdom (UK). In almost all countries the factors most strongly associated with being bullied were younger age (OR from 2.32 in UK to OR=7.28 in France), having probable mental health problems (OR from 1.81 in the Netherlands to 3.20 in Poland), having a low score on the KIDSCREEN-52 Moods and Emotions (OR from 0.89 in UK to 0.95 in Greece), and poor social support (OR=1.44 in Germany and OR=3.20 in Greece). Using the grand mean for all countries as the reference category, five countries had an OR greater than 1 (Austria, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and UK), and three countries (France, Greece, Hungary) had an OR below 1. Conclusions: This study showed a considerable variation between countries in the prevalence of bullying victims but also showed a clear profile of those likely to be bullied. The present study also reveals a clear profile of likely bullying victims and suggests that the KIDCREEN bullying scale could play a part in identifying potential bullying victims in high-risk groups.