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 .