ERIC Number: EJ755895
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Feb
Pages: 11
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0145-2134
EISSN: N/A
Bullying, Violence, and Risk Behavior in South African School Students
Liang, Holan; Flisher, Alan J.; Lombard, Carl J.
Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal, v31 n2 p161-171 Feb 2007
Objectives: To examine the prevalence of bullying behavior in adolescents from Cape Town and Durban, South Africa, and the association of these behaviors with levels of violence and risk behavior. Method: Five thousand and seventy-four adolescent schoolchildren in grade 8 (mean age 14.2 years) and grade 11 (mean age 17.4 years) at 72 Government schools in Cape Town and Durban, South Africa completed self-report questionnaires on participation in bullying, violent, anti-social and risk behaviors. Results: Over a third (36.3%) of students were involved in bullying behavior, 8.2% as bullies, 19.3% as victims and 8.7% as bully-victims (those that are both bullied and bully others). Male students were most at risk of both perpetration and victimization, with younger boys more vulnerable to victimization. Violent and anti-social behaviors were increased in bullies, victims and bully-victims compared to controls not involved in any bullying behavior (p less than 0.01 in all cases). Risk taking behavior was elevated for bullies and bully-victims, but for victims was largely comparable to controls. Victims were less likely to smoke than controls (odds ratio .83, p less than 0.05). Bully-victims showed largely comparable violent, anti-social and risk taking behavior profiles to bullies. Bully-victims showed comparable suicidal ideation and smoking profiles to victims. Conclusions: Results were in keeping with Western findings. Involvement in bullying is a common problem for young South Africans. Bullying behavior can act as an indicator of violent, anti-social and risk-taking behaviors.
Descriptors: At Risk Persons, Violence, Secondary School Students, Questionnaires, Student Participation, Suicide, Psychological Patterns, Smoking, Antisocial Behavior, Gender Differences, Males, Age Differences, Comparative Analysis, Foreign Countries, Grade 8, Grade 11, Victims of Crime, Profiles, Municipalities, Bullying, Adolescents
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 11; Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Africa; South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A