Inequitable Changes in School Connectedness During the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic in a Cohort of Canadian Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: We examined whether subgroups of adolescents experienced disparate changes in school connectedness-a robust predictor of multiple health outcomes-from before the COVID-19 pandemic to the first full school year following pandemic onset. METHODS: We used 2 waves of prospective survey data from 7178 students attending 41 Canadian secondary schools that participated during the 2019-2020 (T1; pre-COVID-19 onset) and 2020-2021 (T2; ongoing pandemic) school years. Fixed effects analyses tested differences in school connectedness changes by gender, race, bullying victimization, socioeconomic position, and school learning mode. RESULTS: Relatively greater declines in school connectedness were reported by students that identified as females, were bullied, perceived their family to be less financially comfortable than their classmates, and attended schools in lower income areas. Marginally greater school connectedness declines resulted among students attending schools that were fully online at T2 than those at schools using a blended model. CONCLUSION: Results point to disparate school connectedness declines during the pandemic, which may exacerbate pre-existing health inequities by gender and socioeconomic position, and among bullied youth. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: Effective strategies to improve school climates for equity denied groups are critical for pandemic recovery and preparedness for future related events.

Cannabis use and suicidal ideation among youth: Can we democratize school policies using digital citizen science?

BACKGROUND: School policies and programs are important in preventing Cannabis use among youth. This study uses an innovative digital citizen science approach to determine the association between Cannabis use and suicidal ideation among youth while investigating how school health policies mediate this association. METHODS: The study engaged 818 youth (aged 13-18 years) and 27 educators as citizen scientists via their own smartphones. Youths responded to time-triggered validated surveys and ecological momentary assessments to report on a complex set of health behaviours and outcomes. Similarly, educators' reported on substance misuse and mental health school policies and programs. Multivariable logistic regression modeling and mediation analyses were employed. RESULTS: 412 youth provided data on substance misuse and suicidal ideation. Cannabis use and other factors such as bullying, other illicit drug use, and youth who identified as females or other gender were associated with increased suicidal ideation. However, school policies and programs for substance misuse prevention did not mediate the association between Cannabis use and suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: In the digital age, it is critical to reimagine the role of schools in health policy interventions. Digital citizen science not only provides an opportunity to democratize school policymaking and implementation processes, but also provides a voice to vulnerable youth.

Estimating income-related and area-based inequalities in mental health among nationally representative adolescents in Australia: The concentration index approach.

Despite the awareness of the importance of mental health problems among adolescents in developed countries like Australia, inequality has not been widely researched. This study, is therefore, aimed to measure and compare household income-related and area-based socioeconomic inequalities in mental health problems (bullying victimization, mental disorders-single and multiple, self-harm and suicidality-ideation, plan and attempt) among Australian adolescents aged 12-17 years. Young Minds Matter (YMM)-the 2nd national cross-sectional mental health and well-being survey involving Australian children and adolescents conducted in 2013-14, was used in this study to select data for adolescents aged 12-17 years (n = 2521). Outcome variables included: bullying, mental disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, plan and attempt. The Erreygers's corrected concentration index (CI) approach was used to measure the socioeconomic inequalities in mental health problems using two separate rank variables-equivalised household income quintiles and area-based Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) quintiles. The prevalence of mental health problems in the previous 12-months among these study participants were: bullying victimization (31.1%, 95% CI: 29%-33%), mental disorder (22.9%, 95% CI: 21%-24%), self-harm (9.1%, 95% CI: 8%-10%), suicidal ideation (8.5%, 95% CI: 7%-10%), suicidal plan (5.9%, 95% CI: 5%-7%) and suicidal attempt (2.8%, 95% CI: 2%-3%). The concentration indices (CIs) were statistically significant for bullying victimization (CI = -0.049, p = 0.020), multiple mental disorders (CI = -0.088, p = <0.001), suicidal ideation (CI = -0.023, p = 0.047) and suicidal attempt (CI = -0.021, p = 0.002), implying pro-poor socioeconomic inequalities based on equivalized household income quintiles. Similar findings revealed when adolescents mental health inequalities calculated on the basis of area based IRSAD (Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage) quintiles. Overall, adolescents from economically worse-off families experienced more mental health-related problems compared to those from economically better-off families. This has implications for prevention strategies and government policy in order to promote mental health and provide equitable healthcare facility.

Exploration of Experiences and Perpetration of Identity-Based Bullying Among Adolescents by Race/Ethnicity and Other Marginalized Identities.

Importance: Race-based discrimination represents an ongoing public health crisis in the US, manifested by wide-ranging disparities in youth health, mental health, and violence exposure. However, studies of racial discrimination often neglect experiences of identity-based bullying (IBB) stemming from other marginalized identities, such as gender identity and sexual orientation. Objective: To examine associations between experiences of IBB based on race/ethnicity/national origin and other social identities and youth health, mental health, and violence outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study analyzed responses from an anonymous survey conducted at 13 public high schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between October 15, 2018, and October 19, 2018. Participants included in the study were in the 9th through 12th grades. Data were analyzed from October 15, 2020, to February 14, 2021. Exposures: Experiences of bullying and bullying perpetration based on race/ethnicity/national origin and other social identities (ie, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability, immigration status, other unspecified reason). Main Outcomes and Measures: Youth health (delayed well care; forgone medical care; physical, mental, or emotional limitations), mental health (nonsuicidal self-injury, suicidal ideation), and violence involvement (weapon perpetration or survivorship, fighting, sexual assault, adolescent relationship abuse, experiencing homicide of friend or family member) were assessed using self-reported items modeled on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Results: Among 3939 participants, the mean (SD) age was 15.7 (1.3) years; 1380 students (36.3%) identified as Black/African American, 2086 (53.7%) as assigned female at birth, 1021 (32.6%) as belonging to a sexual minority group, and 313 (10.0%) as gender diverse. Among reported social identities, race/ethnicity-based experiences of bullying (375 students [9.5%]) and bullying perpetration (209 students [5.8%]) were the most common. Youth with multiple stigmatized identities experienced even higher rates of experiences of IBB and IBB perpetration. Specifically, the highest rates of IBB were reported by gender diverse Black and Hispanic youth. Experiencing IBB based on multiple stigmatized identities was associated with all outcomes, including delayed well care (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.20-1.65), forgone medical care (aOR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.44-1.87), nonsuicidal self-injury (aOR, 2.86; 95% CI, 2.53-3.24), suicidal ideation (aOR, 2.49; 95% CI, 2.20-2.83), and greater violence involvement (experiencing violence: aOR, 2.90; 95% CI, 2.45-3.43; homicide survivorship: aOR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.06-1.33). Conclusions and Relevance: These results further encourage the development of youth health, mental health, and violence prevention programs that address experiences of bullying based on multiple marginalized identities.

Caregiver's difficulty paying child's healthcare bills and bullying victimization of adolescents with physical disabilities.

Guided by the ecological systems perspective, the objective of the study was to examine whether caregivers' difficulty paying their child's health-care bills is associated with bullying victimization directly and indirectly through the mediating mechanisms of caregivers' frustration, adolescents' internalizing problems, and social difficulty focusing on adolescents with physical disabilities. The 2019 National Survey of Children's Health dataset, which collected data on adolescents' and caregivers' demographic characteristics and health and well-being, was used. The study sample consisted of 368 caregivers of adolescents, 12-17 years of age with physical disabilities. No direct association between caregivers' difficulty paying their child's health-care bills and bullying victimization was found. However, caregivers' frustration and adolescents' internalizing problems were shown to have an indirect association with bullying victimization, which was mediated by difficulty making friends. In addition, adolescents' difficulty making friends was positively associated with bullying victimization. Practitioners working with adolescents with physical disabilities are encouraged to foster collaborative processes across various ecological systems of the adolescent and family to address caregivers' frustration and promote positive social and emotional development of the adolescent with physical disabilities, which can decrease their risk of bullying victimization.

Is Bullying Victimization in Childhood Associated With Mental Health in Old Age.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the relationship between bullying victimization in childhood and mental health in old age. METHODS: The study uses data from a nationally representative sample of 9,208 older people aged 60 and older collected through the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) conducted in 2014 and 2015. RESULTS: Older people who were bullied in childhood have more severe depressive symptoms and are more likely to be dissatisfied with life than those without the experience of bullying victimization. The negative impacts remain significant after childhood confounders (15 types of familial adversities), four groups of contemporary confounders (demographic, health, social support, and socioeconomic factors), and community-level unobserved heterogeneity are all controlled for. The negative impacts of bullying victimization on mental health are attenuated among people in very old age, which confirms the socioemotional selectivity theory. DISCUSSION: The consequences of bullying victimization for mental health are comparable to, or even greater than those of familial adversities and contemporary risk factors. The factors threatening mental health vary considerably for older people in different age groups. Effective anti-bullying schemes in childhood and personalized support in later life can make a substantial contribution to healthy aging.

Mapping community, social, and economic risks to investigate the association with school violence and bullying in Italy.

BACKGROUND: School violence and bullying are a pandemic issue. The academic literature underlined the need to investigate social-contextual risk factors. The United Nations called for more comprehensive and disaggregated data to inform prevention strategies. OBJECTIVE: The present study comprises a set of secondary analyses on Italian data from the International Civic and Citizenship Study 2016. We adopted an innovative 'bottom-up' approach to identify the level of disaggregation for national data. The researchers focused on community, social, and economic risk indicators at school-level, and investigated whether it was possible to aggregate schools in different classes, depending on their risk profile. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Analyses were implemented on a nationally representative sample of 170 Principals of lower secondary schools, 2,527 teachers and 3,766 students at grade 8. METHODS AND ANALYSES: A Latent Class Analyses was conducted on risk indicators and four classes of risk were identified: No Risk, Community Risk, Socio-economic Risk, Multi-Risk (entropy = .786). No significant differences were found across classes in relation to urban/rural location, school size, and geographical macro-partition. On the contrary, significant differences emerged when considering teachers' perception of bullying, social problem, and students' behavior at school. Furthermore significant differences were found for the quality of relationship with teachers as reported by students. CONCLUSIONS: Results a) suggested a potential gradient of increasing risk moving across the classes; b) provided a contribution to address the gap in the investigation of contextual factors and bullying; c) offered a new lens to tailor interventions to prevent school violence and bullying.

Suicidal behaviours among adolescents from 90 countries: a pooled analysis of the global school-based student health survey.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the burden and determinants of suicide during adolescence is key to achieving global health goals. We examined the prevalence and determinants of self-reported suicidal ideation and attempts among younger (13-15 years) and older adolescents (16-17 years). METHODS: Pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence interval, were calculated for suicide ideation and attempts for 118 surveys from 90 countries that administered the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) to adolescents (13-17 years of age) from 2003 to 2017. Indicators (including individual and social factors) associated with suicidal ideation and attempts were determined from multivariable linear regressions on key outcomes. RESULTS: The prevalence of suicidal ideation representing 397,299 adolescents (51.3% female) was significantly higher among girls than boys whereas attempts did not differ by age or sex. Being bullied, or having no close friends was associated with suicidal ideation among girls 13-15 years and 16-17 years, respectively. Among all boys, being in a fight and having no close friends was associated with suicidal ideation with the addition of serious injury for boys 13-15 years. Common to all younger adolescents was an association of suicide attempt with being bullied and having had a serious injury. Among young boys, having no close friends was an additional indicator for suicide attempt. Having no close friends was associated with suicide attempt in older adolescents with the addition to being bullied in older girls and serious injury in older boys. CONCLUSIONS: Building positive social relationships with peers and avoiding serious injury appear key to suicide prevention strategies for vulnerable adolescents. Targeted programs by age group and sex for such indicators could improve mental health during adolescence in low and middle-income countries, given the diverse risk profiles for suicidal ideation and attempts.

Trends in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the United States.

BACKGROUND: It is important for those called upon to discuss major social determinants of health such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to have accurate knowledge about generational trends in their prevalence. OBJECTIVE: To review available trend data on major forms of ACEs. METHODS: A search of academic data bases was conducted by combining the term "trend" with a variety of terms referring to childhood adversities. RESULTS: Available trend data on ACEs from the 20th century show multi-decade declines in parental death, parental illness, sibling death, and poverty, but multi-decade increases in parental divorce, parental drug abuse and parental incarceration. More recent trend data on ACEs for the first fifteen to eighteen years of the 21st century show declines in parental illness, sibling death, exposure to domestic violence, childhood poverty, parental divorce, serious childhood illness, physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical and emotional bullying and exposure to community violence. Two 21st century ACE increases were for parental alcohol and drug abuse. Overall, there appear to have been more historical and recent improvements in ACEs than deteriorations. But the US still lags conspicuously behind other developed countries on many of these indicators. CONCLUSION: Awareness of improvements, as well as persistent challenges, are important to motivate policy makers and practitioners and to prompt them to recognize the feasibility of success in the prevention of ACEs.

Disparities in Persistent Victimization and Associated Internalizing Symptoms for Heterosexual Versus Sexual Minority Youth.

This study investigated whether lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents were at higher risk for persistent victimization of bullying compared to heterosexual adolescents, and how victimization trajectories were associated with internalizing symptom development across LGB and heterosexual adolescents. Data came from a five-wave study (Mage T1 = 11.1 to Mage T5 = 22.3; n = 151 LGB; n = 1,275 heterosexual) and informants were adolescents and their parents. Adolescents were classified in three victimization trajectories: persistent (5.6%), decreasing (28.1%) or low (66.3%) victimization. LGB adolescents reported more persistent victimization, relative to no (OR = 6.79, 95% CI [3.52, 13.13]) or decreasing victimization (OR = 3.09, 95% CI [1.53, 6.24]), compared to heterosexual peers. Further, persistent victimization was more strongly associated with anxiety among LGB than among heterosexual adolescents.

Adverse childhood experiences and bullying behaviours at work among workers in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), workplace bullying victimisation and bullying behaviours to subordinates among Japanese workers. METHODS: We conducted an internet-based cross-sectional survey among workers who had enacted 0, 1 and ≥2 types of bullying behaviours that had been directed towards subordinates in the past 3 years (n=309 for each group, total N=927). We assessed ACEs with questionnaires about adverse experiences at home and bullying victimisation at school. The total and controlled direct effects of ACEs on the number of bullying behaviours to subordinates were estimated from a baseline-adjusted and a direct-effect marginal structural ordinal logistic model, respectively. RESULTS: There was a positive dose-response association between the level of ACEs and the frequency of workplace bullying victimisation, as well as the number of bullying behaviours enacted at work after adjustment for sex, age and childhood socioeconomic status (both p<0.001). Workers in the highest tertile of ACEs compared with the lowest tertile had 3.15 (95% CI 2.20 to 4.50) times higher odds of having perpetrated more bullying behaviours at work. The magnitude of the effect was 2.57 (95% CI 1.70 to 3.90) via pathways not mediated by workplace bullying victimisation in a direct-effect marginal structural model. CONCLUSIONS: People who had ACEs were at increased risk later in life of enacting bullying behaviours at work. Current findings may be useful to prevent bullying behaviours at work.

Peer victimization at school and associated factors in Campeche, Mexico / Victimización por pares en la escuela y factores asociados en Campeche, México

Abstract Objectives: to estimate the prevalence ofpeer victimization (VI-P) and to identify factors associated to it. Methods: a cross sectional study based on a state-representativesample; 2555 students from primary and secondary schools of Campeche, in the academic year 2015-2016 participated. They were interviewed face to face. VI-P was analyzed by sex, age and various school-related aspects with prevalence rate and 95% confidence interval. The analysis of interactions among the studied factors was carried out using a hierarchical log-lineal model. With the significant terms,a multiviarite analysis using a logistic model was performed. Based on this model, maximum and minimum predictive values for VI-P were calculated by odds inverse transformation. Results: the global prevalence of VI-P was 60.4% (CI95%= 58.6-62.3). The prevalence of violence physical, psycho-emotional, patrimonial, and sexual, were 28.8, 52.9, 26.5, and 8.7%, respectively. Students in the first year, who were male, had classes scheduled in the evening, attended a public school and resided in a municipality of high/highest margination index, had the highest probability (75.3%) of suffering VI-P. Conclusions: given the high levels of VI-P found, and its possible effects, it is necessary implement truly effective measures to prevent it.

Resumen Objetivos: estimar la prevalencia de la victimización por pares (VI-P) e identificar factores asociados. Métodos: se realizó un estudio transversal en una muestra representativa de las escuelas del estado de Campeche; se entrevistaron 2555 estudiantes de primaria y secundaria del ciclo escolar 2015-2016. Los alumnos fueron entrevistados cara a cara. Se analizó la tasa de prevalencia de VI-P según sexo, edad y varios aspectos relacionados con la escuela, con un intervalo de confianza de 95%. Las interacciones entre los factores estudiados se analizaron mediante un modelo jerárquico log-linear saturado. A partir de los términos que resultaron significativos, se realizó un análisis multivariado mediante un modelo logístico. Con base en este modelo, se calcularon los valores predictivos máximo y mínimo para la VI-P mediante la transformación inversa de probabilidades. Resultados: la prevalencia global de VI-P fue 60.4% (CI95%= 58.6-62.3). Las prevalencias de violencia física, psicoemocional, patrimonial y sexual fueron: 28.8, 52.9, 26.5 y 8.7%, respectivamente. Los estudiantes de primer grado, hombres, del turno vespertino, que asisten a una escuela pública, y de municipios con alto/muy alto índice de marginación, tuvieron la mayor prevalencia de VI-P (75.3%). Conclusiones: dados los altos niveles de VI-P encontrados, y considerando sus posibles efectos, es necesario implementar medidas realmente efectivas para prevenir este tipo de violencia.

Bullying among adolescents: are the victims also perpetrators?

Objective: To analyze factors associated with the prevalence of maltreatment and bullying and to identify types of involvement (verbal, physical, social, sexual, cyberbullying) among high school students aged 15 to 19 years. Methods: A cross-sectional, school-based epidemiological survey was performed. The sample included 2,293 adolescents from public and private schools in the Greater Vitoria area (state of Espírito Santo, Brazil). A modified version of the Brazilian Portuguese Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire was used. Results: Among maltreatment behaviors, 43.3% of adolescents reported having been victims vs. 40.4% reporting to be aggressors. Among bullying behaviors, 41% reported victimization and 29.1% aggression. The most frequent types of bullying were verbal (victim = 33.8%, bully = 23.1%), social (victim = 21.8%, bully = 16.9%), and physical bullying (victim = 15.1%, bully = 8.7%). Of those reporting to be victims, 37.5% stated that they did not react as frequently as they were attacked. Almost half of the students (50.9%) identified themselves as victims, without practicing any type of aggression against another schoolmate. School network (public or private) and gender were significantly associated with victimization and aggression behaviors. Conclusion: The adolescents identified as victims did not generally attack other students, i.e., did not identify themselves as perpetrators. The high prevalence of maltreatment and bullying detected in this study, especially the verbal, social, and physical types, underscores the need for interventions addressing bullying in schools.

[Trends in verbal bullying, domestic violence, and involvement in fights with firearms among adolescents in Brazilian state capitals from 2009 to 2015]. / Tendência de bullying verbal, violência doméstica e envolvimento em brigas com armas entre adolescentes das capitais brasileiras de 2009 a 2015.

This study analyzes time trends in verbal bullying, domestic violence, and involvement in fights with firearms among adolescents in Brazilian state capitals from 2009 to 2015. The study of trends uses data from the Brazilian National Survey of School Health (PeNSE) in 2009, 2012, and 2015 among ninth-graders enrolled in public and private schools in the country's 26 state capitals and the Federal District. The analysis focused on domestic violence, verbal bullying, and involvement in fights with cold steel weapons and firearms in the 30 days prior to the interview. Logistic regression was performed, adjusted for sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics, with analysis of each type of violence in Brazil and in the capital cities, according to sex. The trends were spatialized. For the capital cities as a whole, from 2009 to 2015 there was an increase of 12% (95%CI: 1.11-1.14) in domestic violence, 10% (95%CI: 1.08-1.11) in verbal bullying, and 7% (95%CI: 1.05-1.09) and 7% (95%CI: 1.05-1.08) in involvement in fights with firearms and cold steel weapons, respectively. Domestic violence increased in all the capital cities. In 96.3%, 70.4%, and 62.9% of the capital cities, respectively, there were increases in verbal bullying and involvement in fights with cold steel weapons and firearms, while there were stationary trends in the other capital cities. There was an upward trend in these forms of violence in the majority of the capital cities, evidencing the need to implement public policies to mitigation the different types of violence among adolescents.

Objetivou-se analisar a tendência temporal de bullying verbal, a violência doméstica e o envolvimento em brigas com armas entre adolescentes, nas capitais brasileiras, entre 2009 e 2015. Fez-se estudo de tendência, com uso de dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE) realizada em 2009, 2012 e 2015, com escolares do 9º ano do Ensino Fundamental de escolas públicas e privadas nas 26 capitais do país e no Distrito Federal. Analisou-se a ocorrência de violência doméstica e de bullying verbal, bem como o envolvimento em brigas com uso de armas branca e de fogo nos 30 dias anteriores à entrevista. Realizou-se regressão logística ajustada para características sociodemográficas e comportamentais, com análise de cada tipo de violência no Brasil e nas capitais, segundo sexo. As tendências foram espacializadas. Para o conjunto das capitais, houve aumento, entre 2009 e 2015, de 12% (IC95%: 1,11-1,14) para violência doméstica, de 10% (IC95%: 1,08-1,11) para bullying verbal, de 7% (IC95%: 1,05-1,09) para envolvimento em brigas com armas de fogo e de 7% (IC95%: 1,05-1,08) para envolvimento em brigas com arma branca. Em todas as capitais, houve aumento na violência doméstica. Em 96,3%, 70,4% e 62,9% dessas cidades, observou-se aumento de bullying verbal, envolvimento em briga com arma branca e envolvimento em briga com arma de fogo, respectivamente. Nas demais capitais, observou-se tendência estacionária. Identificou-se tendência de aumento das violências na maioria das capitais, evidenciando a necessidade de implementação de políticas públicas que contribuam para minimizar esse problema entre os adolescentes.

El objetivo del estudio fue analizar la tendencia temporal de bullying verbal, violencia doméstica e implicación en peleas con armas entre adolescentes en las capitales brasileñas entre 2009 y 2015. Se trata de un estudio de tendencia, usando datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud del Escolar (PeNSE) realizadas en 2009, 2012 y 2015, con escolares del 9º año de enseñanza fundamental, en escuelas públicas y privadas de las 26 capitales del país y Distrito Federal. Se analizó la ocurrencia de violencia doméstica, de bullying verbal, así como la implicación en peleas con uso de armas blancas y de fuego durante los 30 días anteriores a la entrevista. Se realizó una regresión logística ajustada para características sociodemográficas y comportamentales, con análisis de cada tipo de violencia en Brasil y en las capitales, según el sexo. Las tendencias fueron espacializadas. Para el conjunto de capitales hubo un aumento, entre 2009 y 2015, de un 12% (IC95%: 1,11-1,14) para violencia doméstica, de un 10% (IC95%: 1,08-1,11) para bullying verbal, de un 7% (IC95%: 1,05-1,09) y 7% (IC95%: 1,05-1,08) para implicación en peleas con armas de fuego y blanca, respectivamente. En todas las capitales hubo un aumento de la violencia doméstica. En un 96,3%, 70,4% y 62,9% de las capitales se observó el aumento de bullying verbal, implicación en peleas con armas blancas y de fuego, respectivamente. En las demás capitales, se observó una tendencia estacionaria. Se identificó una tendencia de aumento de la violencia en la mayoría de las capitales, mostrando la necesidad de implementación de políticas públicas que contribuyan a la minimización de los diferentes tipos de violencia entre los adolescentes.

Healthy lifestyle as a preventive measure against victimization among school-going adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Bullying and violence are problems of aggression in adolescents. Healthy lifestyle practices are common health promotion approaches in school settings; however, their association with aggressive behaviours in school-going adolescents is less explored. AIMS: This study examined the associations of healthy lifestyle behaviours including good hygiene, physical activity, recommended diet and refrainment from tobacco use with bully victimization and violence among adolescents. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Global School Health Survey conducted in Pakistan (2009). The study population consisted of school-going adolescents aged 13 to 15 years. We constructed our final dataset using information from 4102 participants. Association of healthy lifestyle behaviours with bully victimization and violence experience were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Results indicate lower odds of being bullied (good hygiene: OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.50-0.76, P <0.001; physical activity: OR=0.55, 95% CI 0.40-0.75, P <0.001; abstinence from tobacco: OR=0.43, 95% CI 0.30-0.63, P <0.001) and lower odds of violence (good hygiene: OR=0.68, 95% CI 0.55-0.84, P <0.001; physical activity: OR=0.55, 95% CI 0.43-0.71, P <0.001; abstinence from tobacco: OR=0.48, 95% CI 0.32-0.72, P <0.001), after controlling for socio-demographic and potential confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports the significance of healthy lifestyle as a preventive measure against victimization. Anti-bullying programmes focusing on social-emotional skill development may also consider promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviours among adolescents, aiming at reducing victimization and its related consequences.

Workplace violence against doctors involved in clinical care at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.

A study was conducted to determine perceptions, attitudes and experience of workplace violence among residents and faculty at a tertiary care centre in Karachi, Pakistan. An anonymous, electronic, self-administered questionnaire was circulated among all residents and faculty members working at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. A standard questionnaire was devised and used, and workplace violence and its types were defined as per World Health Organization (WHO) definitions. An overall response rate of 44.9% was achieved. A total of 53.4% of the respondents reported being victims of some form of workplace violence with verbal abuse being the most prevalent (41.6%) followed by bullying and threat. Most frequent perpetrators were found to be faculty members followed by patients or their attendants. Specialty of respondents was found to be significantly associated with verbal abuse and significantly more females were subjected to sexual harassment, while ethnicity was found to be significantly associated with racial harassment. The results correspond to previously available literature, while they also highlight some findings unique to our culture. We suggest that measures should be taken as per WHO and Joint Commission International Accreditation ( J CIA) recommendations to prevent workplace violence across the country.

School Climate & Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescent Mental Health.

Sexual/gender minority (Sexual/gender minority people are also referred to as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) youth are more likely than cisgender heterosexual youth to exhibit depressive symptoms and be victimized. School climate research indicates that the presence of a Gay-Straight Alliance (a Gay-Straight Alliance or Gender-Sexuality Alliance is also referred to as a GSA and is a youth group to support sexual/gender minority youth), a supportive school climate, and seeking help from teachers are associated with more positive mental health outcomes; however, they are not typically measured together. This study uses a survey that measures all four measures of school environment with a national sample of 240 sexual/gender minority high school students ages 14-18 (mean age 15.77) where 53% of participants had a Gay-Straight Alliance in their school. The sample is 53% cisgender, 100% sexual minority and 62% white. Adjusting for demographics and presence of a Gay-Straight Alliance, fewer depressive symptoms were associated with lower help-seeking intentions for suicidal thoughts. The presence of Gay-Straight Alliance was not statistically associated with past-month help-seeking intentions or behaviors. Additionally, a more supportive school climate was associated with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, the presence of a Gay-Straight Alliance was not statistically associated with anxiety or depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that a supportive school climate and supportive school personnel may be important for supporting the mental health of sexual/gender minority students.

Association Between Victimization, Internet Overuse, and Suicidal Behaviors Among Adolescents.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the association between violence exposure and suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts among adolescents and to test whether these relationships were mediated by internet overuse. DESIGN AND METHODS: We used a cross-sectional design and analyzed the raw data of 101,440 high school students (52.1% male; mean age = 16.43 years, SD = 0.03) from the 10th-12th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey. RESULTS: A series of multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Violence exposure incurred a significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation (crude odds ratio, 95% confidence interval = 4.44, 4.07-4.87), suicidal plans (crude odds ratio, 95% confidence interval = 8.89, 7.94-9.96), and suicidal attempts (crude odds ratio, 95% confidence interval = 11.17, 9.86-12.66). The Sobel test showed evidence of the mediating role of internet overuse in the relationship between violence exposure and each suicidal variable: ideation (p = .004), plans (p = .004), and attempts (p = .012). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest a need to organize the protective procedures for victimized high school students so that they can use the internet more securely. In particular, adolescents who are prone to being victimized or bullied should have restricted access to the internet or monitored with caution to prevent internet overuse. Counseling for this population is suggested to reduce the risk of suicide by assessing the motivations and patterns of internet use. It is necessary to spread awareness among potential violence exposure group on coping with violence experience and using the internet appropriately.