Bullying and self-harming behavior in universities - A cross-sectional study of a sample of 327 university students

Waël Ghandour; Sami Richa; Nizar Hojaili; Wissam El-Hage; Bénédicte Gohier; François Kazour

doi:10.1016/j.encep.2023.08.012

Bullying and self-harming behavior in universities - A cross-sectional study of a sample of 327 university students

Encephale. 2023 Nov 18:S0013-7006(23)00176-8. doi: 10.1016/j.encep.2023.08.012. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Waël Ghandour¹, Sami Richa¹, Nizar Hojaili², Wissam El-Hage³, Bénédicte Gohier⁴, François Kazour⁵

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of medicine, Saint-Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon; Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon.
² Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
³ Clinique Psychiatrique Universitaire, CHRU de Tours, 37000 Tours, France; UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France.
⁴ CHU d'Angers, Angers, France.
⁵ Faculty of medicine, Saint-Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon; UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France; CHU d'Angers, Angers, France. Electronic address: fkazour@gmail.com.

PMID: 37985260
DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2023.08.012

Abstract

Introduction: Bullying is a widespread public health issue, found in different contexts (e.g. schools, universities, workplaces, families), and it has negative consequences on both the perpetrator and the victim. There is a lack of studies addressing bullying among university students in Arab countries and more specifically in Lebanon. The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of bullying among a sample of university students in Lebanon, its forms, and associated factors.

Methods: The study consists of a cross-sectional online survey addressed to university students in Lebanon that evaluates sociodemographic data, presence and type of bullying, history of bullying during childhood, adverse childhood experiences, daily life functioning, and mental health status (reported psychiatric disorders, substance use, self-harming behaviors, and suicidal attempts). Chi-Square and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare the results between victims of bullying and the rest of the sample.

Results: Three hundred and twenty-seven university students participated in this study. The prevalence of bullying was 14.1%. The main forms of reported bullying were verbal (58.7%) and social bullying (65.2%). The main associated factors were being a witness of bullying at university (84.8% vs. 56.2% - P<.001) and history of cyberbullying (13% vs. 4.6% - P=.024). Among students who reported current bullying, 28.3% had a psychiatric diagnosis, 19.6% reported substance use, 15.2% had self-harming behaviors, and 8.7% had suicide attempts. Victims of bullying in the university reported a significant negative impact on their daily lives (lack of interest in daily activities, academic decline) (83.7%) and mental health concerns (psychiatric disorders, substance use, suicide attempts) (88.4%).

Conclusion: Even though bullying is an event less experienced in university than in school, it is nevertheless still present with potential negative impact on the victims. Bullying in a university setting is a public health issue that could benefit from more studies as well as prevention and intervention programs.

Keywords: Bullying; Conduites auto-agressives; Harcèlement; Mental health; Santé mentale; Self-harming behavior; Student; Suicide; University; Université; Étudiant.