The problem with low-prevalence of bullying

• Published in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Main Authors: Arnarsson, Arsaell, Bjarnason, Thoroddur
• Other Authors: Félagsvísinda- og lagadeild (HA), Faculty of Social Sciences and Law (UA), Hug- og félagsvísindasvið (HA), School of Humanities and Social Sciences (UA), Háskólinn á Akureyri, University of Akureyri
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018
• Subjects: Stress; Bullying; Life satisfaction; Adolescents; Streita; Einelti; Unglingar; Gildismat; Akureyri; University of Akureyri
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071535

Publisher's version (útgefin grein) This paper tests the hypothesis of whether being bullied in an environment where bullying is infrequent decreases adolescents’ life satisfaction. Analyses were based on the international standard questionnaire from the 2005/2006 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (HBSC). The sample included answers from 183,736 children in 35 Western, industrialized countries. Our results show that the negative effects of being bullied on the life satisfaction of individuals are stronger in schools and countries where bullying is less frequent. We therefore conclude that the prevalence of bullying in the students’ surroundings may act as a mediating variable explaining the relationship between bullying and life satisfaction. The study is supported by a grant from the University of Akureyri Research Fund. Peer Reviewed