Bullying among school children: prevalence and association with common symptoms in childhood.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of bullying among girls and boys in school and examine its association with psychological and psychosomatic symptoms.

METHODS

500 students aged between 8-14 yrs from 5 randomly selected schools as well as their parents and teachers were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire.

RESULTS

Bullying was reported by 302(60.4%) of the 500 children interviewed. Bullying was seen to be more prevalent among boys than girls, the commonest forms being calling names and making fun of one's looks. Physical abuse was reported by 38 students. Only 65 (39%) parents knew that their children were being bullied. Bullied children were more likely to report symptoms such as headache, loose motions, fever and depression. Teachers were found to be ignorant of the whole issue.

CONCLUSIONS

Bullying is a major problem among school children. Bullied children complained of psychosomatic symptoms which are potentially harmful for development. Teachers must be adequately trained to tackle this problem. Pediatricians should always consider bullying as a causative agent for illness and plan for appropriate interventions.