TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - Trends in bullying and emotional and behavioral difficulties among Pakistani schoolchildren: a cross-sectional survey of seven cities
JO  - Frontiers in psychiatry
A1  - Naveed, Sadiq
A1  - Waqas, Ahmed
A1  - Shah, Zarnain
A1  - Ahmad, Waqas
A1  - Wasim, Muhammad
A1  - Rasheed, Jawaria
A1  - Afzaal, Tayyaba
SP  - e976
EP  - e976
VL  - 10
IS  - 
N2  - <b>Background:</b> Bullying and peer victimization among adolescents are growing public health concerns that affect victims' emotional well-being, and their social and academic functioning. Despite concerns about this public health epidemic in low- and middle-income countries, most prevalence, policy and intervention studies have been conducted in developed countries and economies. <b>Methods:</b> This cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2016 and July 2017 at seven public and private schools located in five districts in Pakistan: Lodhran, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Multan, Thatta, and Nawabshah. A total of 2,315 schoolchildren were surveyed with a specially designed instrument in Urdu with items about demographics and bullying behavior, together with a strengths and difficulties questionnaire. <b>Results:</b> Mean age of the respondents was 14.63 (2.87) years. More than half of the respondents were males (n = 1301, 56.2%), and a majority reported that their mothers were housewives (n = 2,100, 90.7%). A total of 615 (26.6%) respondents reported being bullied at school, and 415 (17.9%) reported being bullied away from school. Perpetration of bullying was reported by 430 (18.6%) participants at school and 376 (16.3%) away from school. Being bullied in the past was strongly associated with becoming a perpetrator of bullying in the future. Internalizing symptoms were significantly associated with male gender, older age, being a victim of bullying, and employment status of the respondent's mother. Externalizing symptoms were significantly associated with male gender, older age, being a victim and perpetrator of bullying, and mother's employment status. <b>Conclusion:</b> Bullying perpetrators have a greater tendency to exhibit externalizing symptoms, whereas victims develop both externalizing and internalizing psychopathologies.<br><br>Copyright © 2020 Naveed, Waqas, Shah, Ahmad, Wasim, Rasheed and Afzaal.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1664-0640
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00976
ID  - ref1
ER  -