Bullying Victimization among Secondary School Students in Lagos, Nigeria: Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health Correlates

Aim: There is dearth of research on the mental health correlates of bullying in sub-Saharan Africa. The current study aimed to determine the association between bullying victimization (being bullied) and the presence of emotional and behavioral problems among secondary school students in Lagos, Nigeria.

Study Design and Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, secondary school students (n=412) completed the Strength and difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ) and the violence and injury module of the Global school-based health survey questionnaire used to assess mental health problems and bullying victimization respectively.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 15.9 (±1.3) years, and 58.9% were males. More than half (56.8%) of the sample had been victims of bullying in the past month. Males experienced significantly higher rates (63.4% vs. 47.4%) of bullying than females (p=0.002). Bullying victimization was significantly associated with the presence of emotional problems (p=0.005), conduct problems (p<0.001), hyperactivity problems (p<0.001) and mental health problems/total SDQ difficulties scores (p<0.001). On regression analysis, bullying victimization was predictive of conduct problems (p<0.001, OR=8.38, 95% CI=3.87-18.14), hyperactivity (p=0.002, OR=10.20, 95% C.I=2.32-44.8), emotional problems (p=0.015, OR= 1.683, 95% C.I=1.11-2.56) and mental health problems (p<0.001, OR= 3.164, 95% CI= 1.838-5.444).

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the need for interventions to prevent and combat bullying, as well as facilitate prompt referral of victims for appropriate mental health assessment.