SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS, BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING IN MEXICAN ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

This study studies the relationship between the socio-emotional skills of high school students and bullying and cyberbullying. 15,500 young people participated (41.90% women and 58.10% men, Medad = 15.88, SD = 0.9) from the preparatory schools of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico. The participants answered a battery of four instruments: sociodemographic data (sex, age, sexual orientation and ethnic-cultural group), a Socioemotional Competences scale, a Bullying scale and a Cyberbullying scale. The results show that there are differences in socio-emotional competencies by gender, ethnic-cultural minority group and sexual orientation. Aggression and cybervictimization are placed with low reference weights to socio-emotional competencies. These results suggest that a high development of social and emotional competencies is a protective factor in adolescents who participate in dynamics of bullying and cyberbullying. This study has implications for educational policies and supports proposals to design and implement a program that contributes to optimizing the development of social and emotional competencies in students to have an impact on coping with problems related to these antisocial behaviors, which favor coexistence and inclusive education.