School Closures on Bullying Experiences of Treatment-Seeking Children and Youth: The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic Within Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Amongst school-aged children and youth, bullying is a significant problem warranting further investigation. The current study sought to investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic waves and school closures on the bullying experiences of 22,012 children aged 4–18-years-old who were referred and assessed at mental health agencies in Ontario, Canada. Individual, familial, and mental health variables related to bullying experiences were also investigated. Data were collected from January 2017 to February 2022. The pre-pandemic period of study included January to June 2017, September 2018/2019 to June 2019/2020. The pandemic period was divided into categories of remote learning (17 March 2020 to 30 June 2020, 8 January 2021 to 16 February 2021, 12 April 2021 to 30 June 2021) and in-person learning (remaining pandemic dates). The summer holidays pre-pandemic were in July–August 2017, 2018, 2019 and during the pandemic they were in July–August 2020 and 2021. Logistic regressions were conducted to analyze data. Findings related to COVID-19 showed bullying rates to be lower during the pandemic when compared to pre-pandemic levels (bullied others during pandemic in school: OR = 0.44, CI = 0.34–0.57; victim of bullying during pandemic in school: OR = 0.41, CI = 0.33–0.5). Furthermore, bullying rates were lower during the pandemic periods when schools were closed for in-person learning (bullied others during pandemic remote: OR = 0.62, CI = 0.45–0.85; victim of bullying during pandemic remote: OR = 0.24, CI = 0.17–0.34). Children who lived in lower income areas, experienced home life challenges, exhibited mental health difficulties, or had behavioural concerns were more likely to be involved in bullying experiences. Finally, classroom type and school program impacted the child’s likelihood of bullying others or being bullied. These findings further our understanding of the impact of school closures on children’s mental health and behaviour during the pandemic. Public health and policy implications such as bullying prevention, supervision, and conflict management are discussed.