Geographical variations in the prevalence of traditional and cyberbullying and its additive role in psychological and somatic health complaints among adolescents in 38 European countries

Abstract

ObjectivesTo explore geographical variations in the prevalence of traditional and cyberbullying and their individual and additive role on psychological and somatic health issues of adolescents. MethodsWe used cross-sectional data from 188,003 adolescents (50.9% females; mean age 13.6 years) from the nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2014 survey in 38 European countries. Multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the role of bullying on health outcomes whilst meta-analyses were conducted to generate pooled regression coefficients. ResultsOverall, the prevalence of traditional bullying was 26.9%, ranges from 8.8% in Armenia to 49.7% in Latvia, and cyberbullying was 15.8%, ranges from 5.8% in Greece to 38.3% in Greenland. 1 in 10 (8.4%) adolescents reported experiencing both forms of bullying, with the prevalence ranging from 2.5% (Greece) to 21.0% (Greenland). Meta-analytic estimates suggest a significant role of both traditional and cyberbullying in poor somatic and psychological health issues. The additive effect of both forms of bullying was more prominent on psychological health issues (β 0.70, 95% CI 0.66–0.74) than on somatic health issues (β 0.50, 95% CI 0.47–0.53). These associations varied across countries. ConclusionThe prevalence of traditional and cyberbullying varied significantly across European countries while their individual and additive links with an increased risk of poor psychological and somatic health issues remain common in majority countries. To ensure both forms of bullying are prevented, a multifaceted approach and particular attention to mental health issues in bullying victims are needed in countries with high prevalence of bullying.