Bullying: Group differences of being victim and being bully and the influence of social relations

Abstract

Bullying refers to several aspects of social interaction and communication. As a negative indicator of social inclusion, it has a high impact on students' well-being/health. Therefore, the present paper focuses on bullying of risk groups (gender, migration background, …), the influence of social relations on bullying and its context on school-well-being. 353 secondary school students (Austria) participated. Results indicated that boys were more likely to be bullies as well as victims. Regression analyses indicate that being female and positive teacher-student-relationships are significant predictors of being a bully less often and a positive peer-relationship is a predictor of being a victim less often. A negative correlation was found for both being a bully and being a victim and school-well-being. The findings highlight that social relations rather than being member of a minority group are important factors causing bullying and victimisation. Results will be discussed, taking into account methodological-analytical conditions.