Students' Victimization at School in Relation to their Personality

• Main Authors: Georgia Georgitziki, Theodosios Paralikas, Elias Kourkoutas, Mitsiou G., Styliani Kotrotsiou, Despina Korakidi, Andreas Rizoulis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Professor Despina Sapountzi-Krepia 2009-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Caring Sciences
• Subjects: school; bullying; victimization; Greece
• Online Access: http://internationaljournalofcaringsciences.org/docs/Vol2_Issue1_05_Korakidi.pdf
• ISSN: 1791-5201; 1792-037X

Background: In recent times, bullying at schools seems to be a rather common phenomenon. There are many different forms of bullying which have direct and serious consequences for the educational system and for society.Objective: The present study aims at investigating the existence of bullying and victimization in public schools, the students' attitudes towards the school and the teachers, the relationship between bullying and dangerous behaviors outside the school, the difference between boys' and girls' response to bullying, and the consequences of bullying on the adolescents' mental health.Method: We conducted a survey using the questionnaire "Scale for Behaviors and Attitudes towards Aggressiveness". The participants included 354 students (170 boys and 184 girls) of Technical Education High Schools in Larissa Prefecture, Greece.Results: 11% of the participants consider themselves bullies, while 10% consider themselves victims. There is a significant difference (p=0.001) between boys and girls, with 17% of the boys and 12% of the girls being bullies, and 12% of the boys and 14% of the girls being victims. Moreover, 10% responded that they were gathering together and behaving badly towards some other student "at least once per week", while 10-15% of the other students who were present felt very frightened to help the victim.In addition, 50% answered that they do not like school and 25% believe that the school rules are not fair. Three quarters (75%) avoid reporting any incident of intimidation, since 50% of them believe that the teachers do not know them well, and 40% believe that the teachers do not treat them with respect. 25% of the bullies reported being smokers and alcohol drinkers. Bullying had a serious impact on the students' mental health and socialization.Conclusions: Students' victimization in Greek public schools has become a problem which we should not ignore. It is of great importance to sensitize education managers, school principals, teachers, as well as students and parents in order to take action and stop the phenomenon of bullying.