Association between suffering experiences from precollege peer bullying at different stages and the quality of health-related life among college students

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effects of precollege peer bullying at different stages, on quality of life (QOL) among college students. Methods: A stratified cluster sampling method was used to select participants in October, 2018. Cluster sampling method was adopted to recruit a sample of 4 034 college students from four universities in Hefei city, Anhui province. Relations between peer bullying at different stages before entering college, and the quality of life, were investigated. t test and analysis of variance were used to compare the differences of QOL in different groups. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the associations between various types of peer bullying at different stages and the QOL at precollege days. Results: Among all the 4 034 college students under study, mean scores of the 4 dimensions of QOL appeared as physical (12.61±2.02), psychological (14.09±2.62), social relationship (13.72±2.71) and environment (13.77±2.46), respectively. After adjusting the confounding factors, data from multiple linear regression showed that, factors as verbal bullying victimization during primary school (β=-0.21)/secondary school (β=-0.27)/or at both periods (β=-0.56), relational (β=-0.21) and physical (β=-0.38) bullying victimization in secondary school, and physical bullying victimization in both periods (β=-0.67) were negatively correlated with the physical dimension of QOL. Verbal bullying victimization in both periods (β=-0.41) and relational bullying victimization in secondary school (β=-0.42) were negatively correlated with psychological dimension of QOL. Factors as relational (β=-0.32) and physical (β=-0.51) bullying victimization in secondary school, physical/cyber bullying victimization in both periods (β=-0.57) were negatively correlated with the social dimension of QOL. Verbal bullying victimization during primary school (β=-0.20) and both periods (β=-0.46), relational bullying perpetration during primary school (β=-0.35) or at both periods (β=-0.90) were negatively correlated with the environmental dimension of QOL (All P<0.05). Index related to bullying victimization (β=-0.33, -0.36, -0.30, -0.33) and bullying perpetration β=-0.28, -0.31, -0.23, -0.28) were both negatively correlated to all the 4 dimensions (physical, psychological, social relationship and environment) of QOL (P<0.001). Conclusions: Various forms of peer bullying experiences occurring before college, were associated with the decreased scores of QOL in different domains, among the university students. Programs on prevention and control of peer bullying in different stages before college days seemed important thus should be strengthened.