| Summary: | INTRODUCTION: Peer victimization (PV) can be defined as a student or group of students deliberately and continuously harming or harassing another student or a group of students. Studies show that one out of every three students in our country is exposed to peer bullying in physical, verbal, emotional, or exclusion forms. In our study, it was aimed to compare the knowledge levels of family physicians and pediatricians, who are expected to be in contact with children exposed to PV, about this subject. METHODS: Between October 2015 and February 2016, 122 family physicians and 109 pediatricians who were randomly selected among the physicians working in Ankara province were reached and their level of knowledge on peer victimization was evaluated. RESULTS: The knowledge levels of the physicians in both groups about PV were found to be substantially similar. Pediatricians encountered PV significantly more frequently than family physicians (p <0.001; X2 = 15.766). On the other hand, physicians in both branches had similar awareness in recognizing the indirect symptoms of PV (p = 0.429; X2 = 0.625). It was seen that very few of the participants received special training on PV. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In addition to parents and teachers, physicians who see the child for any reason have responsibility for PV, which is common in our country and the world. It will be beneficial to increase the knowledge and awareness of family physicians and pediatricians who most frequently communicate with school-age children, especially about detecting the psychosomatic symptoms originating from PV and taking action.
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