Gender differences in teenager bullying dynamics and predictors of peer-to-peer intimidation
Thanks to several previous efforts, school peer-to-peer bullying is nowadays considered a major issue for educational dynamics, research, and policy. Specifically in the field of research, bullying assessment tools have been gaining ground in recent years. Among them, the School Bullying Questionnai...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023074510 |
| _version_ | 1797669705558786048 |
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| author | Sergio A. Useche Raquel Valle-Escolano Eliseo Valle Natura Colomer-Pérez |
| author_facet | Sergio A. Useche Raquel Valle-Escolano Eliseo Valle Natura Colomer-Pérez |
| author_sort | Sergio A. Useche |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Thanks to several previous efforts, school peer-to-peer bullying is nowadays considered a major issue for educational dynamics, research, and policy. Specifically in the field of research, bullying assessment tools have been gaining ground in recent years. Among them, the School Bullying Questionnaire (CIE-A) stands out. This is a teenager-targeted scale assessing bullying dynamics from a three-factor approach (i.e., victimization, symptomatology, and intimidation). However, to date, no previous study using similar tools has followed a gender perspective, and this shortcoming may hinder the effectiveness of policies and actions to face school bullying. The core aim of this study was to examine the effect of gender on teenagers' bullying-related factors and intimidation outcomes. This cross-sectional study analyzed the data provided by a gender-weighted sample of 770 Spanish teenagers with a mean age of M = 14.25 (SD = 1.53) years. They responded to a questionnaire that included the CIE-A together with other variables theoretically related to bullying dynamics, such as risk perception, sensation seeking, life satisfaction, and family conflict. Apart from typical inter-group comparisons, data were analyzed through a multi-group structural equation modeling (MGSEM) approach. Regarding bullying experiences, male teenagers have shown greater involvement in both victimization (passive bullying) and intimidation (active harassment) behaviors. On the other hand, females self-reported greater symptomatology in passive bullying scenarios, despite being less frequently involved in them. Further, the MGSEM showed good fit values (RMSEA <.08; all incremental coefficients >0.90) and theoretical plausibility, also depicting a set of structural mechanisms differentially explaining active peer-to-peer intimidation behaviors across genders. For instance, while risk perception is a significant predictor of intimidation only among females, sensation seeking plays a predictive role among male teenagers, but not for their female counterparts. The results of this study suggest that teenagers’ engagement in active bullying may be substantially different when approached from a gender perspective, finding key divergences in the variables that predict bullying-related behavioral outcomes. The outcomes of this research highlight the need to take into account gender differences, as well as extracurricular issues that influence intimidation dynamics, in potential bullying-related interventions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:48:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-628f46b9861c411893c384dddb723b46 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:48:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-628f46b9861c411893c384dddb723b462023-10-01T06:02:57ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402023-09-0199e20243Gender differences in teenager bullying dynamics and predictors of peer-to-peer intimidationSergio A. Useche0Raquel Valle-Escolano1Eliseo Valle2Natura Colomer-Pérez3University of Valencia, Spain; Corresponding author.Department of Constitutional Law, Political and Administrative Sciences, University of Valencia, SpainDepartment of Education and School Management, University of Valencia, SpainUniversity of Valencia, SpainThanks to several previous efforts, school peer-to-peer bullying is nowadays considered a major issue for educational dynamics, research, and policy. Specifically in the field of research, bullying assessment tools have been gaining ground in recent years. Among them, the School Bullying Questionnaire (CIE-A) stands out. This is a teenager-targeted scale assessing bullying dynamics from a three-factor approach (i.e., victimization, symptomatology, and intimidation). However, to date, no previous study using similar tools has followed a gender perspective, and this shortcoming may hinder the effectiveness of policies and actions to face school bullying. The core aim of this study was to examine the effect of gender on teenagers' bullying-related factors and intimidation outcomes. This cross-sectional study analyzed the data provided by a gender-weighted sample of 770 Spanish teenagers with a mean age of M = 14.25 (SD = 1.53) years. They responded to a questionnaire that included the CIE-A together with other variables theoretically related to bullying dynamics, such as risk perception, sensation seeking, life satisfaction, and family conflict. Apart from typical inter-group comparisons, data were analyzed through a multi-group structural equation modeling (MGSEM) approach. Regarding bullying experiences, male teenagers have shown greater involvement in both victimization (passive bullying) and intimidation (active harassment) behaviors. On the other hand, females self-reported greater symptomatology in passive bullying scenarios, despite being less frequently involved in them. Further, the MGSEM showed good fit values (RMSEA <.08; all incremental coefficients >0.90) and theoretical plausibility, also depicting a set of structural mechanisms differentially explaining active peer-to-peer intimidation behaviors across genders. For instance, while risk perception is a significant predictor of intimidation only among females, sensation seeking plays a predictive role among male teenagers, but not for their female counterparts. The results of this study suggest that teenagers’ engagement in active bullying may be substantially different when approached from a gender perspective, finding key divergences in the variables that predict bullying-related behavioral outcomes. The outcomes of this research highlight the need to take into account gender differences, as well as extracurricular issues that influence intimidation dynamics, in potential bullying-related interventions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023074510Educational policyGender perspectiveMulti-group structural equation modelingSchool bullyingTeenagers |
| spellingShingle | Sergio A. Useche Raquel Valle-Escolano Eliseo Valle Natura Colomer-Pérez Gender differences in teenager bullying dynamics and predictors of peer-to-peer intimidation Heliyon Educational policy Gender perspective Multi-group structural equation modeling School bullying Teenagers |
| title | Gender differences in teenager bullying dynamics and predictors of peer-to-peer intimidation |
| title_full | Gender differences in teenager bullying dynamics and predictors of peer-to-peer intimidation |
| title_fullStr | Gender differences in teenager bullying dynamics and predictors of peer-to-peer intimidation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender differences in teenager bullying dynamics and predictors of peer-to-peer intimidation |
| title_short | Gender differences in teenager bullying dynamics and predictors of peer-to-peer intimidation |
| title_sort | gender differences in teenager bullying dynamics and predictors of peer to peer intimidation |
| topic | Educational policy Gender perspective Multi-group structural equation modeling School bullying Teenagers |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023074510 |
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