Mood Emot.  2019 Jul;17(2):57-62. 10.0000/me.2019.17.2.57.

Factors associated with Bullying in College Students

• Yang HJ
• Kim SH
• Jung YE
• Kim MD

• KMID: 2455384
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/me.2019.17.2.57

Abstract

BACKGROUND
School bullying is considered the most common type of bullying, and bullying related to stressful relationships is a significant risk factor for college students' depression and suicide. However, bullying is often overlooked in college students. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of peer victimization in Korean college students and identified factors associated with bullying victimization.
METHODS
From the Jeju area, 941 college students were included in this study. The students were divided into two groups according to whether they had experienced bullying. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including depression (Beck Depression Inventory) and health-related conditions, were compared between groups.
RESULTS
In total, 82 students (8.7%) reported being bullied by other students. Factors associated with bullying were low socioeconomic status (odds ratio [OR], 2.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-3.64), obesity (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.13-4.29), body dissatisfaction (OR, 3.92; 95% CI, 2.36-6.50), and depression (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.53-3.85).
CONCLUSION
Our findings might have important implications for development of strategies and interventions to prevent bullying among college students.

Keyword

Bullying; Students; Associated factors

MeSH Terms

Bullying*
Crime Victims
Depression
Humans
Obesity
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Social Class
Suicide