Bullying and victimization in students with emotional and behavioural disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence rates, risk and protective factors

Abstract

ABSTRACT Bullying and victimisation are extremely damaging behaviours that are present in schools all over the world. However, there is little research on the involvement of students with emotional and behavioural disabilities in the bullying dynamic and their risk and protective factors. Following the PRISMA guidelines, the search terms were entered in bibliographic databases in February 2020. Articles needed to report on empirical studies that examined the association between EBD and bullying with primary data and be published in English in a peer-reviewed journal.Articles were excluded based on certain designs and no verifiable diagnosis. The narrative synthesis includes 12 articles, 8 are included in the meta-analysis. General trends indicate that students with EBD are more frequently victims and perpetrators of bullying. The meta-analysis reveals small to moderate significant effect sizes. Students with EBD are more often involved in the bullying dynamic. The heterogeneity of the studies is low to moderate. The funnel plots demonstrate evidence of publication for perpetration but none for victimisation . Limitations include the varying conceptualisations of bullying behaviour and the limited number of studies focusing on specific disabilities. Although more research is needed, the review provides indications of the significance of developing targeted interventions and preventions.