Bullying and Symptoms of Depression in Chilean Middle School Students

Abstract

The goal of this study was to assess the association between bullying and symptoms of depression among middle school students in Chile. Secondary data analysis of Chile's 2004 Global School-Based Health Survey. A total of 8131 middle school students participated in the study. Forty-seven percent of students reported having been bullied in the past month and 30% reported having been sad and hopeless for 2 or more weeks in the past year. Students in the seventh and eighth grades were more likely to report having been bullied in the past month than students in ninth grade. Ninth grade students reported higher levels of loneliness, difficulty sleeping, and suicidal thoughts than students in the seventh and eighth grades. Boys were more likely than girls to report being bullied in the past month, but girls were more likely than boys to report symptoms of depression, such as prolonged feelings of sadness and hopelessness, loneliness, difficulty sleeping, and suicidal thoughts. Students who reported being bullied in the past month were more likely than nonbullied students to report symptoms of depression. A higher number of days of being bullied in the past month was associated with a statistically significant increase in reported rates of sadness and hopelessness (p < .001). Bullying is common among middle school children in Chile, and bullying and symptoms of depression are strongly linked. This finding is consistent with studies of bullying and depression in adolescents from other parts of the world.