Bullying involvement and self-reported mental health in elementary school children across Europe
Husky MM, Delbasty E, Bitfoi A, Carta MG, Gölitz D, Koç C, Lesinskiene S, Mihova Z, Otten R, Kovess-Masfety V (2020)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2020
Journal
Book Volume: 107
Article Number: 104601
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104601
Abstract
Background: Bullying behavior is recognized internationally as a serious issue associated with mental health and functioning problems among children. Objective: The present study sought to determine the associations between bullying involvement and self-reported mental health among elementary school children across seven European countries. Participants and setting: The School Children Mental Health in Europe study was conducted in Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Turkey in 2010 using similar methodology to collect cross-sectional data from children, parents, and teachers. Methods: The study focused on children who had completed the Dominic Interactive and whose mother and/or teacher had completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (n = 5,183). Results: Overall 14.3 % of children were identified as bullies, 18.2 % as victims and, 19.0 % as both bullies and victims. Despite the low threshold for defining bullying status, children identified as being involved were highly likely to present with self-reported mental health problems: 31.6 % of bully-victims reported any disorder, while 25.4 % of bullies and 23.1 % of victims did. Adjusting for key factors, bullies and bully-victims were significantly more likely to present with any externalizing disorder, while victims were not. Additionally, bully-victim status was associated with significantly greater odds of presenting with each internalizing disorder: phobia (AOR = 1.48, 95 %CI = 1.01–2.19), GAD (AOR = 2.54, 95 %CI = 1.67–3.87), separation anxiety (AOR = 1.88, 95 %CI = 1.43–2.47) and depression (AOR = 2.52, 95 %CI = 1.61–3.93). However, victim status was only associated with GAD (AOR = 1.63, 95 %CI = 1.07–2.48) and bully status with separation anxiety (AOR = 1.44, 95 %CI = 1.07–1.93). Conclusions: The results highlight the association of bullying involvement and child mental health in elementary school children across Europe.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
Université de Bordeaux
France (FR)
The Romanian League for Mental Health
Romania (RO)
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Cagliari
Italy (IT)
YENIDEN Health and Education Society
Turkey (TR)
Radboud University Nijmegen
Netherlands (NL)
Vilnius University / Vilniaus universitetas
Lithuania (LT)
University of Paris 5 - René Descartes / Université Paris V René Descartes
France (FR)
New Bulgarian University
Bulgaria (BG)
France (FR)
The Romanian League for Mental Health
Romania (RO)
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Cagliari
Italy (IT)
YENIDEN Health and Education Society
Turkey (TR)
Radboud University Nijmegen
Netherlands (NL)
Vilnius University / Vilniaus universitetas
Lithuania (LT)
University of Paris 5 - René Descartes / Université Paris V René Descartes
France (FR)
New Bulgarian University
Bulgaria (BG)
How to cite
APA:
Husky, M.M., Delbasty, E., Bitfoi, A., Carta, M.G., Gölitz, D., Koç, C.,... Kovess-Masfety, V. (2020). Bullying involvement and self-reported mental health in elementary school children across Europe. Child Abuse & Neglect, 107. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104601
MLA:
Husky, Mathilde M., et al. "Bullying involvement and self-reported mental health in elementary school children across Europe." Child Abuse & Neglect 107 (2020).
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