Exploring prevalence of School-related bullying among adolescents: A study on urban underserved areas

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigated the prevalence of school-related bullying among adolescents in underserved urban areas of Dhaka. The study used survey data from 778 students (mean age = 13.95 years) and interviews with 12 assistant teachers (grades taught, 6 through 9; mean teaching experience = 6.4 years). Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS (version 25), and thematic analysis was incorporated for the qualitative data. Findings indicated the cooccurrence and overlap of different bullying behaviors. Spearman’s rank order correlation revealed that students who reported higher levels of verbal, physical, or psychological bullying were associated with a decreased sense of safety and trust in school authority. Gender was significantly associated with all forms of bullying, with female students showing lower odds of experiencing verbal and physical bullying. Grade level was associated primarily with verbal and physical bullying. Qualitative findings further triangulated these findings, highlighting age-related vulnerability and peer dynamics across grade transitions. Thematic findings aligned with the whole-school approach (WSA) by identifying physical appearances, gender, reporting mechanism, and socioeconomic background as key drivers for peer-victimization. This study recommends adaptive and community-level intervention with broader stakeholder engagements to reduce peer victimization.