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Bullying victimization among in-school adolescents in Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional analysis of the 2017 Sierra Leone Global School-Based Health Survey
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Bullying victimization among in-school adolescents in Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional analysis of the 2017 Sierra Leone Global School-Based Health Survey

Augustus Osborne, Peter Bai James, Camilla Bangura, Samuel Maxwell Tom Williams, Jia Bainga Kangbai and Aiah Lebbie
PLOS global public health, Vol.3(12), e0002498
22/12/2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002498
PMID: 38134001
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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0,  Open Access
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Abstract

Schools Adolescents Mental health and psychiatry Sierra Leone Cannabis Medical risk factors Alcohol consumption Regression analysis
Adolescent bullying victimization is recognized as a public health and mental health problem in many countries. However, data on bullying victimization's prevalence and risk factors is scarce in sub-Saharan Africa Sierra Leone. This research aimed to determine bullying victimization prevalence and its associated factors among Sierra Leonean school-going adolescents. The Sierra Leone 2017 Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS) dataset was analyzed. The outcome variable was the respondent's self-report of bullying victimization ("How many days in the previous 30 days were you bullied?"). Descriptive, Pearson chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. The regression analysis yielded adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and a significance level of p 0.05. Bullying victimization was prevalent among 48.7% of the in-school adolescents. Adolescents who drank alcohol [aOR = 2.48, 95% CI = 1.50-4.10], who reported feelings of loneliness [aOR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.07-2.14] and who had attempted suicide [aOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.03-2.87] were also more likely to be bullied. Also, school truancy [aOR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.24-1.88] among teenagers was associated with an increased risk of being bullied. Our findings suggest that bullying is a widespread problem among Sierra Leonean school-aged youth, and alcohol drinking, loneliness, suicide attempt and school truancy are potential risk factors. In light of the aforementioned causes of bullying in schools, policymakers and school administrators in Sierra Leone need to develop and execute anti-bullying policies and initiatives that target the underlying risk factors of bullying among teenagers.

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