Not just pushing and shoving: school bullying among African American adolescents

J Sch Health. 2007 Jan;77(1):16-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00157.x.

Abstract

Background: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of bullying among a sample of African American adolescents and the risk factors associated with odds that a student engages in bullying behavior.

Methods: Using a self-report school-based survey, 1542 African American adolescents from a single school district (grades 5-12) living in a midsized, Southern metropolitan region, were asked questions regarding bullying behavior and risk behaviors. A response rate of nearly 80% was obtained.

Results: Our results indicate that bullying behavior was higher among this group of African American adolescents than reported for other general student populations (8-12%). In addition, age, family violence, negative peer relationships, and behavioral risks all contributed to increased odds of students reporting bullying behavior.

Conclusions: Our findings underscore the importance of intervention at an early age. Whether the intervention is in a formal or nonformal setting, specialists along with teachers, parents, and siblings need to begin a multipronged approach (data collection, training/education of school personnel, curriculum development, etc) to address the causes and consequences of bullying among adolescents.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / ethnology*
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology
  • Age Factors
  • Aggression / psychology*
  • Alabama / epidemiology
  • Black or African American / psychology*
  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Domestic Violence / ethnology*
  • Domestic Violence / psychology
  • Family Characteristics / ethnology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Schools
  • Sex Factors
  • Social Behavior*
  • Socioeconomic Factors