Gender-sensitive school environment and bullying victimization among adolescent girls: A multilevel study in Nepal.

Autor: Bergenfeld I; Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America., Clark CJ; Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America., Khan Z; Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America., Jackson EC; Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America., Yount KM; Departments of Global Health and Sociology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PloS one [PLoS One] 2021 Jul 09; Vol. 16 (7), pp. e0253128. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jul 09 (Print Publication: 2021).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253128
Abstrakt: Background: Bullying is an understudied global social problem. While school-level factors are a recognized influence on bullying victimization, the elements of a 'girl-friendly' school that may reduce the risk of bullying victimization among girls and prevent dropout is understudied in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study used baseline data from the evaluation of the Room-to-Read (RtR) Girls' Education Program (GEP) in Nepal to assess the relationship of a conceptually grounded gender-equitable school (GES) index with girls' risk of direct and relational bullying victimization, adjusted for potential confounders at the individual and school levels.
Methods: The school sample included all 24 RtR GEP schools and 25 community schools attended by girls in a comparison cohort, representing 729 grade six girls with complete outcome data. We employed multilevel negative binomial regression to assess the relationship between the GES score (higher scores indicate greater support for girls), and girls' risk of peer victimization, controlling for individual- and school-level covariates.
Results: On average, girls reported 2.84 direct victimizations and 0.27 relational victimizations in the prior week. The first component of the GES index, a generalized measure of school-level support for girls, showed a significant negative relationship with weekly relational bullying victimization in models with all school- and individual-level covariates. In the full model, a one-point higher score on the generalized GES component accounted for a 26% lower risk of relational bullying victimization in the prior week.
Conclusion: School-level policies, practices, and pedagogy designed to support girls may reduce their exposure to relational aggression, a form of bullying that girls most often perpetrate. In LMICs, the school may be an ideal place to raise awareness about the types and effects of peer bullying and to promote prosocial bystander behavior. Further research is needed to identify factors related to other forms of bullying.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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