Cyberbullying among Brazilian schoolchildren: data from the National Student Health Survey, 2019

Abstract

This cross-sectional study assessed data from Brazil’s 2019 National Student Health Survey to investigate associations between cyberbullying and sociodemographic, family, mental health, and behavioural factors among Brazilian schoolchildren. Multivariate analysis by Poisson regression found 13.2% prevalence of cyberbullying, which was higher among adolescents who felt nobody cared about them (PR=1.47; 1.36-1.59); felt sad (PR=1.5; 1.4-1.7); reported that life was not worth living (PR=1.71; 1.59-1.84); had no friends (PR=1.68; 1.50-1.87); suffered parental aggression (PR=1.54; 1.45-1.65); missed classes without permission (PR=1.13; 1.06-1.20); used tobacco (PR=1.19; 1.10-1.30); alcoholic beverages (PR=1.16; 1.08-1.25); or illicit drugs (PR=1.14; 1.04-1.25); or had sexual intercourse (PR=1.23; 1.14-1.33). Prevalence was lower among boys (PR=0.85; 0.80-0.91); those 16-17 years old (PR=0.88; 0.82-0.95); and who reported having parental supervision in their free time (PR=0.78; 0.73-0.83). Cyberbullying has a high prevalence, highlighting the importance of monitoring this practice and establishing prevention measures in schools.