{"title":"Help-Seeking for Bullying Victimization Among Adolescents in Germany","authors":"Bettina Grüne, Diana Willems","doi":"10.1007/s10566-024-09799-4","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background</h3><p>Seeking help is an essential step for victims of bullying to cope with and possibly stop bullying and thus prevent and reduce the consequences of bullying. Focusing on the group of bullied adolescents, however, shows that many of them do not seek help.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Objectives</h3><p>This study aimed to (1) describe the prevalence of help-seeking for bullying victimization, (2) analyze the relationship between help-seeking and associated individual factors, (3) describe the prevalence of formal help-seeking, and (4) investigate associations between formal help-seeking and the factors above.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Method</h3><p>A subsample of a nationally representative survey of n = 453 12- to 17-year-old adolescents who reported being bullied in the last couple of months was analyzed. Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate factors associated with help-seeking and formal help-seeking.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>Of the bullied adolescents, 60% sought help after experiencing victimization. Among these, 32% sought formal help, for example, from social workers. Most (63%) also sought help from family and friends. Family cohesion and self-efficacy were positively and well-being was negatively associated with help-seeking. Among adolescents who sought help, age was positively and self-efficacy was negatively associated with formal help-seeking.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusion</h3><p>A trustful and supportive environment, especially within families, is essential to facilitate adolescents' help-seeking. Within formal settings, specific procedures for identifying and addressing bullied adolescents are necessary for younger adolescents and adolescents with lower self-efficacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":47479,"journal":{"name":"Child & Youth Care Forum","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Child & Youth Care Forum","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-024-09799-4","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Seeking help is an essential step for victims of bullying to cope with and possibly stop bullying and thus prevent and reduce the consequences of bullying. Focusing on the group of bullied adolescents, however, shows that many of them do not seek help.
Objectives
This study aimed to (1) describe the prevalence of help-seeking for bullying victimization, (2) analyze the relationship between help-seeking and associated individual factors, (3) describe the prevalence of formal help-seeking, and (4) investigate associations between formal help-seeking and the factors above.
Method
A subsample of a nationally representative survey of n = 453 12- to 17-year-old adolescents who reported being bullied in the last couple of months was analyzed. Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate factors associated with help-seeking and formal help-seeking.
Results
Of the bullied adolescents, 60% sought help after experiencing victimization. Among these, 32% sought formal help, for example, from social workers. Most (63%) also sought help from family and friends. Family cohesion and self-efficacy were positively and well-being was negatively associated with help-seeking. Among adolescents who sought help, age was positively and self-efficacy was negatively associated with formal help-seeking.
Conclusion
A trustful and supportive environment, especially within families, is essential to facilitate adolescents' help-seeking. Within formal settings, specific procedures for identifying and addressing bullied adolescents are necessary for younger adolescents and adolescents with lower self-efficacy.
期刊介绍:
Child & Youth Care Forum is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary publication that welcomes submissions – original empirical research papers and theoretical reviews as well as invited commentaries – on children, youth, and families. Contributions to Child & Youth Care Forum are submitted by researchers, practitioners, and clinicians across the interrelated disciplines of child psychology, early childhood, education, medical anthropology, pediatrics, pediatric psychology, psychiatry, public policy, school/educational psychology, social work, and sociology as well as government agencies and corporate and nonprofit organizations that seek to advance current knowledge and practice. Child & Youth Care Forum publishes scientifically rigorous, empirical papers and theoretical reviews that have implications for child and adolescent mental health, psychosocial development, assessment, interventions, and services broadly defined. For example, papers may address issues of child and adolescent typical and/or atypical development through effective youth care assessment and intervention practices. In addition, papers may address strategies for helping youth overcome difficulties (e.g., mental health problems) or overcome adversity (e.g., traumatic stress, community violence) as well as all children actualize their potential (e.g., positive psychology goals). Assessment papers that advance knowledge as well as methodological papers with implications for child and youth research and care are also encouraged.