Prevalence of bullying by gender and education in a city with high violence and migration in Mexico

OBJECTIVE. To understand the prevalence of bullying, by gender and educational level, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, a city with high rates of violence and migration. METHODS. This was a cross-sectional, observational study conducted in 2012 – 2014 using a questionnaire known as the Bullying-Mexican. A probabilistic multistage cluster-sampling method obtained a study sample of 2 347 students (10 – 27 years of age) from the 400 000 enrolled in grade 5 – university level at the 611 public schools in Ciudad Juárez. Bullying prevalence and frequency (never, rarely, sometimes, often, every day) were analyzed with descriptive statistics. The statistical differences between males and females was assessed using a chi-square test; associations between frequency and academic level were determined by correspondence analysis and the Spearman Rho correlation. A multinomial logistic regression was performed to analyze whether gender and academic level acted independently in the frequency of bullying. RESULTS. Bullying prevalence was reported by 38% of females and 47% of males: ‘only victim’ represented 8.7%; ‘only aggressor,’ 13.2%; and ‘victim and aggressor,’ 21%. At higher levels of education, bullying prevalence declined; however, at the university, prevalence increased in the last semesters. Mockery and social exclusion were the two most dominant types of bullying, followed by beating, threats, and punishment. CONCLUSIONS. The prevalence of bullying in Ciudad Juárez public schools is among the highest compared to other random studies and surveys. Bullying diminishes with age and educational level.