Prevalence of Bullying among Primary School Pupils in Al-Najaf City, Iraq

Background: Bullying is a harmful behavior that involves repeated aggressive actions intended to cause harm or distress to an individual. It is a major public health concern affecting children and adolescents. There is no local relevant study regarding this issue.Objectives: To determine the prevale...

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Main Authors: Essam Abed AL-Shibli, maytham ALnasrawii
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Anbar 2025-01-01
Series:Al-Anbar Medical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://amj.uoanbar.edu.iq/article_185069_f8c9ac96935ae5048cd4826f6f95a56f.pdf
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author Essam Abed AL-Shibli
maytham ALnasrawii
author_facet Essam Abed AL-Shibli
maytham ALnasrawii
author_sort Essam Abed AL-Shibli
collection DOAJ
description Background: Bullying is a harmful behavior that involves repeated aggressive actions intended to cause harm or distress to an individual. It is a major public health concern affecting children and adolescents. There is no local relevant study regarding this issue.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of bullying in primary schools.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from 1st September 2023 to the 10th of April 2024 for a sample consisting of 1216 pupils. The sample of the present study was a group of pupils in fifth and sixth primary school classes for both sexes; those were found in the selected schools out of 201 schools currently found at Al-Najaf city, Iraq. The data collecting tools were direct interviews with the participants and a questionnaire composed of two parts, the first consisting of the demographic characteristics data and the second being the bullying items among primary school pupils.Results: The prevalence of bullying was 81.7%. The study shows 3.5% bullyer, 37.3% bullied, 41% bullyer/victim, and 18.3% were non-victims non bullyer. With the exception of the number of close friends in class, all other items were related to (P-value < 0.05) the prevalence of bullying roles (bullyer, bullied, and bullyer/victim).Conclusion: The study found a high prevalence of bullying among primary school students in Najaf City, which is concerning. An inverse relationship between protective factors and the prevalence of bullying has been identified. To address this, teachers should dedicate class time to discussing the harms of bullying and promote tolerance, while also supporting strategies to reduce school violence.
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spelling doaj-art-0651c6a53194459399a44ceff92387e52025-01-21T21:57:32ZengUniversity of AnbarAl-Anbar Medical Journal2706-62072664-31542025-01-01211222810.33091/amj.2024.151820.1820185069Prevalence of Bullying among Primary School Pupils in Al-Najaf City, IraqEssam Abed AL-Shibli0maytham ALnasrawii1Community Health Department, College of Health and Medical Technologies, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Kufa, Iraq.Community Health Department, Technical Institute of Karbala, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Karbala, Iraq.Background: Bullying is a harmful behavior that involves repeated aggressive actions intended to cause harm or distress to an individual. It is a major public health concern affecting children and adolescents. There is no local relevant study regarding this issue.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of bullying in primary schools.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from 1st September 2023 to the 10th of April 2024 for a sample consisting of 1216 pupils. The sample of the present study was a group of pupils in fifth and sixth primary school classes for both sexes; those were found in the selected schools out of 201 schools currently found at Al-Najaf city, Iraq. The data collecting tools were direct interviews with the participants and a questionnaire composed of two parts, the first consisting of the demographic characteristics data and the second being the bullying items among primary school pupils.Results: The prevalence of bullying was 81.7%. The study shows 3.5% bullyer, 37.3% bullied, 41% bullyer/victim, and 18.3% were non-victims non bullyer. With the exception of the number of close friends in class, all other items were related to (P-value < 0.05) the prevalence of bullying roles (bullyer, bullied, and bullyer/victim).Conclusion: The study found a high prevalence of bullying among primary school students in Najaf City, which is concerning. An inverse relationship between protective factors and the prevalence of bullying has been identified. To address this, teachers should dedicate class time to discussing the harms of bullying and promote tolerance, while also supporting strategies to reduce school violence.https://amj.uoanbar.edu.iq/article_185069_f8c9ac96935ae5048cd4826f6f95a56f.pdfprevalencebullying rolespupilsprimary schools
spellingShingle Essam Abed AL-Shibli
maytham ALnasrawii
Prevalence of Bullying among Primary School Pupils in Al-Najaf City, Iraq
Al-Anbar Medical Journal
prevalence
bullying roles
pupils
primary schools
title Prevalence of Bullying among Primary School Pupils in Al-Najaf City, Iraq
title_full Prevalence of Bullying among Primary School Pupils in Al-Najaf City, Iraq
title_fullStr Prevalence of Bullying among Primary School Pupils in Al-Najaf City, Iraq
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of Bullying among Primary School Pupils in Al-Najaf City, Iraq
title_short Prevalence of Bullying among Primary School Pupils in Al-Najaf City, Iraq
title_sort prevalence of bullying among primary school pupils in al najaf city iraq
topic prevalence
bullying roles
pupils
primary schools
url https://amj.uoanbar.edu.iq/article_185069_f8c9ac96935ae5048cd4826f6f95a56f.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT essamabedalshibli prevalenceofbullyingamongprimaryschoolpupilsinalnajafcityiraq
AT maythamalnasrawii prevalenceofbullyingamongprimaryschoolpupilsinalnajafcityiraq