Correlates of Bullying Victimization among School-Going Adolescents in Algeria: Results from the 2011 Global School-Based Health Survey

Introduction: Literature establishes negative public health impact of bullying. Bullies and bully-victims are more likely to engage in a cluster of other delinquent behaviors. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine correlates of bullying victimization among school-going adolescents in Algeria. Materials and Methods: The study analyzed data from the 2011 Global School-Based Health Survey conducted among in-school adolescents in Algeria. Logistic regression analyzes were used to estimate associations between bullying victimization and selected variables. Results: A total of 4532 students participated in the survey of which 48.1% were males. Bullying victimization was estimated at 51.1% (47.2% among males and 54.9% among females). Males were 28% less likely to be bullied compared to females. Overall, adolescents aged <13 years were 14% less likely to be bullied compared to those aged 16 years or older. Adolescents who reported hunger most of the time or always were 21% more likely to be bullied compared with those who were hungry less frequently. While students who smoked cigarettes were 24% more likely to report having been bullied, those who smoked marijuana were 21% less likely to report having been bullied compared to students who did not smoke. Adolescents who were involved in physical fighting were 67% more likely to be bullied compared to those who were not involved in fighting. While males who were involved in physical activity were 4% more likely to be bullied, females were 10% less likely to bullied compared with adolescents who were not involved in physical activity. Sedentary students were 10% more likely to experience bullying victimization compared to those who did not have a sedentary lifestyle. Conclusion: Bullying victimization is frequent among Algerian in-school adolescents. This calls for a concerted effort to prevent and control bullying behavior using interventions that are gender sensitive.