Sense of belonging, parental support protect against being bullied: study

WELLINGTON, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) — Students with a sense of belonging were less likely to be bullied both directly and indirectly, while having parental support was strongly associated with lower direct victimization, according to a study published on Wednesday.
Using a large international data set, the study of over 4,000 New Zealand 15-year-olds looked at possible risk factors for bullying victimization, including school competitiveness, social media use, and parental support.
Students in schools with less orderly classrooms and a climate of greater school competitiveness tended to be at greater risk of being the targets of bullying, the authors said.
They called for more longitudinal research to better understand these risk factors, so that schools and policymakers are better informed when using interventions designed to reduce bullying behavior.
Bullying is a serious problem that can lead to long-term mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicide, according to the study published in the New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online.
Unfortunately, New Zealand has high rates of school bullying, and some of the highest rates of youth suicide in the world, said Aaron Drummond, senior lecturer at the School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania.
The research, conducted by scholars from New Zealand’s Massey University and Australia’s University of Tasmania, suggested that interventions increasing students’ belongingness in their schools, and increasing student cooperation within schools, may prove effective in reducing the prevalence and potential harms of bullying for school-aged children in New Zealand. ■