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Fine SL, Pinandari AW, Muzir SM, Agnesia L, Novitasari PI, Bass JK, Blum RW, van Reeuwijk M, Wilopo SA, Mmari K. "If it's really excessive, it can enter your heart": A Mixed Methods Investigation of Bullying Among Early Adolescents in Semarang, Indonesia. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2023; 38:4088-4113. [PMID: 35942934 PMCID: PMC9852103 DOI: 10.1177/08862605221111422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bullying is a major public health concern for Indonesian adolescents, with well-documented links to a range of emotional and behavioral problems. Despite such evidence, few investigations have employed qualitative methods to illuminate youth's own perceptions of bullying and its psychosocial correlates in this context. The current study aimed to address this gap through an exploration of Indonesian adolescents' motivations, perceptions, and beliefs regarding bullying. Building on prior quantitative findings, an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was used to better understand the myriad ways in which bullying ties into other psychosocial challenges. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a total of 45 adolescents ages 13 to 14 (25 girls and 20 boys) in two junior high schools in Semarang between October and December 2019. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English for analysis. Qualitative data were then coded using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Interviews yielded contextual insights into adolescents' definitions of bullying including the distinction between "normal" and "serious" bullying; related risk behaviors; key drivers; social and emotional consequences; and coping strategies. Across these thematic categories, a number of noteworthy gender differences emerged, highlighting the role that underlying gender norms can play in driving bullying involvement. Further, findings emphasize the need to develop a locally valid definition of bullying which takes into account the ways in which emotional distress may be both a criterion and a consequence of bullying. Findings can be used to inform bullying prevention programs targeting Indonesian youth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lina Agnesia
- University of Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | | | - Judith K. Bass
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Robert W. Blum
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Kristin Mmari
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Fine SL, Musci RJ, Bass JK, Chipeta E, Mafuta EM, Pinandari AW, Wilopo SA, Zuo X, Blum RW. A Multi-Country Study of Risk and Protective Factors for Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among Early Adolescents. J Adolesc Health 2022; 71:480-487. [PMID: 35710891 PMCID: PMC9477503 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Early adolescence (ages 10-14) is a critical period for psychosocial development, but few studies have focused on risk and protective factors for emergent psychosocial challenges among youth living in low- and middle-income countries. This study explored the contribution of social environmental factors to patterns of emotional and behavioral problems among early adolescents across four low- and middle-income countries. METHODS Participants were drawn from the Global Early Adolescent Study, and included 10,437 early adolescents from six low-resource urban settings in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Indonesia, and China. Multivariate latent class regression was used to examine the associations between distinct patterns of emotional and behavioral problems and risk and protective factors across the family, peer, school, and neighborhood levels. RESULTS Across countries, childhood adversity, peer bullying behaviors, and a perceived lack of school safety were consistently associated with emotional and behavioral problems. With some contextual variability, peer substance use and a perceived lack of neighborhood safety also emerged as significant risk factors. The magnitude of these associations was generally greatest among a subgroup of early adolescents with co-occurring emotional and behavioral problems. DISCUSSION The overall consistency of findings across countries is suggestive of the generalizability of risk factors in early adolescence and indicates that interventions bolstering psychosocial adjustment among this age group may have applicability in diverse cross-national settings. Given the significance of peer bullying behaviors and school safety, multicomponent school-based interventions may be an especially applicable approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoshanna L. Fine
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland,Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland,Address correspondence to: Shoshanna L. Fine, Ph.D., M.P.H., Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2013 E. Monument St. Baltimore, MD 21205.
| | - Rashelle J. Musci
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Judith K. Bass
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Effie Chipeta
- Center for Reproductive Health, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Eric M. Mafuta
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Kinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Anggriyani W. Pinandari
- Center for Reproductive Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia,Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Siswanto A. Wilopo
- Center for Reproductive Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia,Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Xiayun Zuo
- NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Robert W. Blum
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
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