Non-Normality as a Predictor of Participation in Bullying: Valuation in Victims and Aggressors

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 23;19(10):6344. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19106344.

Abstract

Bullying is related to several variables, including diversity and variables that place the victim outside of normality. However, it is not easy to find a single meaning of normality. The present study has two main objectives: to find out whether victims are evaluated as non-normal and to find out whether aggressors are evaluated as non-normal. A cross-sectional, correlational, and quantitative study was designed, focusing on a representative sample of secondary school students from the Community of Madrid. The sample consisted of 2076 participants and was constructed using a stratified, proportional, and random sampling technique. To gather this information, a questionnaire was constructed. It includes a first section where sociodemographic and normality information is collected, and a second section made up of the Defensor del pueblo-UNICEF Bullying Questionnaire. The reliability and consistency of the questionnaire are acceptable (Cronbach's alpha 0.91). For the comparison of means between groups, a Student's t-test was applied, and the correlation between variables was calculated by applying the bivariate correlation test. Results show that victims are evaluated as non-normal while aggressors are perceived as normal. This implies that the risk of being involved in bullying situations as a victim can be predicted.

Keywords: aggressor; bullying; diversity; normality; role; school life; victim; violence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bullying*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Students*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This design was approved and funded by the State Research Agency, belonging to the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science (PID2020-116651GB-C32).