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Ndetei DM, Mutiso V, Shanley JR, Musyimi C, Nyamai P, Munyua T, Osborn TL, Johnson NE, Gilbert S, Abio A, Javed A, Sourander A. Face-to-face bullying in and outside of schools and cyberbullying are associated with suicidality in Kenyan high school students: a public health issue. BMC Psychiatry 2024; 24:277. [PMID: 38609874 PMCID: PMC11015663 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-024-05739-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood bullying has been classified as a major public health concern by WHO, with negative effects on the health education and social outcomes of both bullies and victims. There is no current Kenyan data on the prevalence of face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying co-occurring in the same cohort of youth and how they are associated with different aspects of suicidality and socio-demographic characteristics. This study aims to fill these gaps in the Kenyan situation so as to inform current policy and practice. METHODOLOGY This cross-sectional study involved 2,652 students from ten secondary schools in Kenya, selected from three regions representing different levels of public funded schools and socioeconomic spaces. The outcome variable was derived from the questionnaire which asked students questions related to self-harm, suicide thoughts, plans, and attempts. Predictor variables were based on response on experience of bullying in school, out of school, at home, and cyberbullying. Other variables such as gender, age, family background, and class were also collected from the self-reported questions. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, with descriptive summary statistics and chi-square tests used to examine variables, and logistic regression analysis used to determine the associations between suicidality and experience of bullying. RESULTS The mean age was 16.13 years. More than half of the participants were male, with the largest proportion living in rural areas. Face-to-face bullying was more prevalent than cyberbullying, with 82% of participants experiencing bullying and 68% experiencing it almost daily in the past six months. Both face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying were associated with suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts. Predictors of suicidal attempts included being bullied outside of school and being a victim of group bullying, while being bullied every day and being bullied by adult men were predictors of suicidal attempts in cyberbullying. CONCLUSION There is a high prevalence of face-to-face bullying both in and outside schools. There is also a high prevalence of cyberbullying. Both face-to-face and cyberbullying are associated with suicidality in Kenyan high school students.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Ndetei
- Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
- World Psychiatric Association Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Victoria Mutiso
- Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya
- World Psychiatric Association Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Christine Musyimi
- Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya
- World Psychiatric Association Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Pascalyne Nyamai
- Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya
- World Psychiatric Association Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Timothy Munyua
- Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya
- World Psychiatric Association Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Natalie E Johnson
- Shamiri Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sonja Gilbert
- Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, INVEST Child Psychiatry, INVEST Research Flagship Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Anne Abio
- Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Afzal Javed
- World Psychiatric Association, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andre Sourander
- Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, INVEST Child Psychiatry, INVEST Research Flagship Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
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Yosep I, Purnama H, Lindayani L, Chen YC, Sudrajat DA, Firdaus MR. The Relationship Between Bullying and Risk of Suicide Among Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia. Soa Chongsonyon Chongsin Uihak 2024; 35:75-81. [PMID: 38204748 PMCID: PMC10774555 DOI: 10.5765/jkacap.230012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives Although adolescents appear less vulnerable to coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the side effects of this pandemic can still be devastating. Bullying and suicidality are significant global issues with detrimental effects on young people, particularly during school closure. This study aimed to identify the relationship between bullying and suicide risk among adolescents in Indonesia during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on adolescents aged 14-18 years in May 2020 in Bandung, Indonesia, using a webbased closed survey. The Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument and the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire-Revised were used to measure bullying and risk of suicide. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed. Results This study included 268 participants in 2020 and 175 participants in 2019. In 2020, the prevalence of perpetrators and victims of bullying combined was 74.6%. Meanwhile, in 2019, the prevalence of perpetrators and victims of bullying combined was 82.9%. Risk of suicide increased from 26.1% in 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) to 36.5% in 2020 (during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic). The risk of perpetrators and suicide victims was higher than that of perpetrators and victims alone (odds ratio [OR]=4.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.5-6.6 vs. OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.0-2.9 and OR=1.6, 95% CI=1.1-2.8, respectively). Conclusion Bullying can enhance the likelihood of suicide among adolescents in Indonesia, and the risk was highest for the combination of victims and perpetrators. It is very important to provide early risk prediction for youths with bullying behavior and improve the knowledge and understanding of families and schools regarding the negative effects of bullying behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iyus Yosep
- Department of Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jawa Barat, Indonesia
| | - Heni Purnama
- Department of Mental Health Nursing, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Keperawatan PPNI Jawa Barat, Jawa Barat, Indonesia
| | - Linlin Lindayani
- Department of Nursing, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Keperawatan PPNI Jawa Barat, Jawa Barat, Indonesia
| | - Yen-Chin Chen
- Department of Nursing, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Diwa Agus Sudrajat
- Department of Nursing, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
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Mancini GF, Meijer OC, Campolongo P. Stress in adolescence as a first hit in stress-related disease development: Timing and context are crucial. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 69:101065. [PMID: 37001566 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
The two-hit stress model predicts that exposure to stress at two different time-points in life may increase or decrease the risk of developing stress-related disorders later in life. Most studies based on the two-hit stress model have investigated early postnatal stress as the first hit with adult stress as the second hit. Adolescence, however, represents another highly sensitive developmental window during which exposure to stressful events may affect programming outcomes following exposure to stress in adulthood. Here, we discuss the programming effects of different types of stressors (social and nonsocial) occurring during adolescence (first hit) and how such stressors affect the responsiveness toward an additional stressor occurring during adulthood (second hit) in rodents. We then provide a comprehensive overview of the potential mechanisms underlying interindividual and sex differences in the resilience/susceptibility to developing stress-related disorders later in life when stress is experienced in two different life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia F Mancini
- Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Onno C Meijer
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Patrizia Campolongo
- Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Rome, Italy.
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de Souza VM, Levandoski G. Social distancing as a protective barrier against bullying actions among schoolchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic. Work 2022; 73:383-392. [DOI: 10.3233/wor-220160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Violence in the work or school environment is becoming a public health problem. Bullying in this scenario is characterized by a set of aggressive, repetitive, intentional behaviors which occur without evident motivation and affects countless young people daily. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to verify the incidence of bullying cases of elementary and high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing the reasons for this victimization from an emic view; in addition, to compare associated factors such as nutritional status and body image between victims and non-victims of bullying. METHOD: This is a non-probabilistic descriptive design involving 115 students regularly enrolled in elementary and high school in public schools in the city of Dourados-MS, Brazil. RESULTS: The results indicated an incidence of 20.9% of victims, with verbal aggression (swearing, nicknames, gossip) and social exclusion being the most recurrent. A total of 78.2% of the victim students did not suffer bullying during social distancing, and 87.3% felt safer in their homes. The rate of overweight and obesity was similar between victims and non-victims, similar to the body perception result. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic was a protective barrier in school bullying actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian Mendes de Souza
- Faculdade de Ciências Humanas, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Levandoski
- Faculdade de Educação, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados, Brazil
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Zhong J, Qiu J, Sun M, Jin X, Zhang J, Guo Y, Qiu X, Xu Y, Huang J, Zheng Y. To Be Ethical and Responsible Digital Citizens or Not: A Linguistic Analysis of Cyberbullying on Social Media. Front Psychol 2022; 13:861823. [PMID: 35572339 PMCID: PMC9100568 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
As a worldwide epidemic in the digital age, cyberbullying is a pertinent but understudied concern—especially from the perspective of language. Elucidating the linguistic features of cyberbullying is critical both to preventing it and to cultivating ethical and responsible digital citizens. In this study, a mixed-method approach integrating lexical feature analysis, sentiment polarity analysis, and semantic network analysis was adopted to develop a deeper understanding of cyberbullying language. Five cyberbullying cases on Chinese social media were analyzed to uncover explicit and implicit linguistic features. Results indicated that cyberbullying comments had significantly different linguistic profiles than non-bullying comments and that explicit and implicit bullying were distinct. The content of cases further suggested that cyberbullying language varied in the use of words, types of cyberbullying, and sentiment polarity. These findings offer useful insight for designing automatic cyberbullying detection tools for Chinese social networking platforms. Implications also offer guidance for regulating cyberbullying and fostering ethical and responsible digital citizens.
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Liu Z, Yang R, Liu H. Concern on cyber violence and suicide during COVID-19 pandemic. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:956328. [PMID: 36159912 PMCID: PMC9489897 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.956328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Third People's Hospital of Fuyang, Fuyang, China
| | - Rongchun Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Third People's Hospital of Fuyang, Fuyang, China
| | - Huanzhong Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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