The role of family and school-level factors in bullying and cyberbullying: a cross-sectional study.

The aim of this research  was to determine how both school-level and student-level factors affect bullying and cyberbullying.  For that the researchers analyzed data from 6,667 Year 7 students across 40 schools. 

Findings revealed that students in voluntary-aided schools reported lower bullying victimization n (0.6 (0.4, 0.9) p = 0. 008) compared to mainstream academies. This indicates that the ethos and culture of a school may offer protection against bullying. However, community  (3.9 (1.5, 10.5) p = 0.007)  and foundation 4.0 (1.6, 9.9) p = 0.003) schools had higher rates of cyberbullying perpetration. The reasons for this require further investigation.

Interestingly, schools with an Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) rating of "Good" reported greater bullying victimization than those rated "Outstanding". This finding was consistent regardless of other school-level factors, including school type. It is speculated that schools with an "Outstanding" rating may have better awareness, prevention, and management strategies for bullying behaviors . The lowest Ofsted rating, "Requires Improvement," did not show a significant association with bullying risk, possibly due to the small sample size of schools in this category.

These findings highlight the importance of school-level factors in addressing bullying and cyberbullying, suggesting that interventions targeting organizational and management aspects may be effective. Future research should investigate these factors longitudinally to identify specific processes that promote or prevent bullying behaviors.

Family composition, specifically whether a child lives with two parents versus a single parent, is associated with their likelihood of being bullied. Young people from single-parent households are more likely to experience bullying and cyberbullying compared to those from two-parent households. This suggests that children from single-parent families may face increased vulnerability to bullying behaviors.

The study assessed family composition by categorizing students as having two parents if they reported living with any two of the following: mother, father, step-mother, step-father, foster mother, and foster father. Students were classified as having a lone parent if they reported living with only one of these parents.

While the article does not explicitly detail the mechanisms behind this association, it is possible that children from single-parent families may experience factors that increase their risk, such as lower socioeconomic status or less parental supervision . These factors could make them more vulnerable to both traditional bullying and cyberbullying.

Further research is needed to fully understand the reasons behind the observed relationship between family composition and bullying. It is important to note that this is just one factor among many that can influence a child's risk of being bullied.

Bevilacqua, L., Shackleton, N., Hale, D., Allen, E., Bond, L., Christie, D., ... & Viner, R. M. (2017). The role of family and school-level factors in bullying and cyberbullying: a cross-sectional study. BMC pediatrics, 17, 1-10.