Discussion
The results demonstrated that bullying is prevalent in the school environment, as observed in other studies, showing that these episodes occur with the same frequency among boys and girls, in contradiction with the literature that reports the occurrence four times higher in boys [1]. Also, it was found in the work that there is emphasis on verbal bullying, as well as the literature points out [2]. Furthermore, it was demonstrated with the analysis of the data collected that the professors interviewed claimed that the main preventive measure for recurrence of aggressive behaviors is the conversation with the students, attention to the aggressors and, when necessary, firm stance, as well as was observed by research [3].
Also, it was observed that the main feelings when seeing others suffering bullying were pity and anger, as shown in the bibliography [20]. It was also analyzed that most of the bullying observers helped the victim, which contradicts the literature that demonstrates that the observers reacted passively as shown by the authors, also fearing suffering the aggression [21,22]. Finally, it was found that most of the victims shared the aggression with their parents, which was against what was expected by the group. From this, it is concluded that bullying is present in the lives of the vast majority of children and young people, as well as that education professionals and students recognize the countless physical, mental and social consequences in the lives of the victims. With that, the stimulus of empathy and respect was shown to be fundamental and effective, aiming to avoid aggressive acts and, with this, to improve the quality of life of the child and society [22].
Also, a study aimed to examine whether concerns about bullying mediate the relationship between the school climate and the victimization of bullying by students, as well as aggressive behavior. The data were from a sample of 301 students in grades 6 through 8 at two predominantly minority schools in a large US metropolitan area. The results of the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis of initialization indicate that, for male students, a higher level of perceived anti-bullying school climate was negatively associated with bullying reporting concerns, while reporting concerns subsequently were positively associated with victimization and aggressive bullying behavior. For the students, the perceived school climate was not associated with concerns about reporting bullying, but the latter were also positively associated with victimization by bullying and aggressive behavior. Therefore, concerns about communication about bullying mediated the association between the perceived school climate and victimization by bullying, as well as aggressive behavior towards male students, but not towards women. The findings suggest the importance of strengthening the school’s anti-bullying climate to help students overcome the concerns of bullying reports to achieve effective results. The gender difference in the associations between school climate and concerns about bullying reports may reflect the variation in the types of bullying experienced by male and female students, which requires attention to the development of anti-bullying strategies that take into account differences in gender and address various types of bullying [23].
Besides, another study investigated whether bullying among students is associated with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and whether the associations are comparable to other traumatic events leading to PTSD. Data were collected from 219 German children and adolescents: 150 students from the sixth to the tenth year and 69 patients from a PTSD clinic as a comparison group. The results showed that 69 (46.0%) students in the school sample suffered bullying, 43 (28.7%) moderately, and 26 (17.3%) severely. About 50% of the severe bullying group reached the critical cutoff point for suspected PTSD. Although scores for PTSD symptoms were significantly higher in students who were bullied than they were not bullied, no significant differences were found between patients in the PTSD clinic and students who were severely bullied. Therefore, the results suggest that bullying at school is highly associated with PTSD symptoms. Thus, preventing bullying at school can reduce traumatic experiences, and the consequent development of PTSD [24].
Also, to determine the prevalence of bullying in Brazilian schools and to analyze its association with physical activity and body image, data from 51,192 students were collected. Boys are more intimidated (7.2%) and are also more intimidating than girls (p <0.01). Regarding body image, 26% of the girls considered themselves thin or very thin (p ⩽ 0.01). For boys, we observed associations between the variable of being treated well by classmates and race. Bullying was associated with the mother’s education. The data show the need for intersectoral actions based on educational policies and practices that can reduce and prevent bullying in schools [25].
Finally, a study aimed to examine the relationship between being a victim of bullying and depressive symptoms, exploring whether the three sources of social support mentioned moderated this association and examining gender differences in the moderating effects of social support on depressive symptoms associated with bullying among Chinese high school students. A total of 1,252 students were selected from three high schools in Zhenping County, Henan Province, China. The results suggest that victimization by bullying is significantly associated with depressive symptoms among high school students. In addition, it was found that only school-type social support had a moderating effect on depressive symptoms. Those who were bullied, but with high levels of school support, had lower levels of depressive symptoms than those with less school support. However, the moderating effects of this support were found only for girls, not for boys. This study empirically supports that programs designed to increase social support for students of teachers and classmates can help protect high school students from depressive symptoms [26].