Trajectories of Victimization and Bullying at University: Prevention for a Healthy and Sustainable Educational Environment

José Gómez-Galán,José Ángel Martínez-López,Cristina Lázaro-Pérez

doi:10.3390/su13063426

José Gómez-Galán, José Ángel Martínez-López + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063426

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Abstract

The bullying phenomenon is both an uncomfortable reality and a serious social problem for educational community institutions. Its presence is incompatible with a healthy and sustainable education environment. The educational, psychological, and social consequences of bullying transcend the personal sphere and reach the family and work environment in adulthood. Traditionally, bullying has been studied in the compulsory educational stages. However, at present, this problem is also being addressed in higher education. The present research, which is of a transversal nature, aims to explore bullying in the Spanish university setting, along with its typology, scope, and predictive factors, from both socio-demographic and family perspectives. In this sense, we set ourselves the following objectives: (GO1) to see if university students are exposed to bullying, as well as to identify the profiles of the subjects of bullying from three dimensions (physical, relational, and verbal victimization) and (GO2) to determine whether there are trajectories of bullying in university students from the compulsory education stage to the present. Based on a descriptive quantitative methodology, this study was conducted in 10 Spanish universities. The research’s major results show that the persistence of bullying in university classrooms is of a relational and verbal nature, but is not physical. Victimization occurs mainly in women who carry out studies linked to social and legal sciences or art and the humanities. Additionally, it is observed that a spiral of relational violence is produced, perpetuating this type of aggression over time. Among other predictive factors in university students is that they have suffered relational violence during their compulsory education. These data should alert educational and health institutions about the persistence of bullying in university students to prevent it and to facilitate its early detection and treatment to eradicate this problem from higher education classrooms.

Highlights

IntroductionThe harassment and mistreatment of colleagues by students in the educational field have both been significantly addressed in educational institutions for several decades
Given that bullying is a social problem with many aspects and systems involved, we wonder if the appearance and development of it in the university environment are conditioned by the participants’ socio-demographic variables or by their socio-family context
For victimization in the universities, we observed no physical violence among any university students (0%)

Summary

Introduction

The harassment and mistreatment of colleagues by students in the educational field have both been significantly addressed in educational institutions for several decades. Today, it is a challenge included in the plans of coexistence of schools. In 2009, the European Commission established the Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training [1] Through this instrument, Spain committed itself to take part in improving educational policies by building the Strategic Plan for Coexistence in Schools, intending to make Spanish schools free of violence and for them to be safe, following one objective of the European Commission: the promotion of equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship

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