Screen Time Correlates of Bullying Perpetration and Victimization in Brazilian Adolescents

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 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.