Self-esteem, empathy and aggressive behavior in adolescent victims of bullying “face-to-face”

Abstract

Problems of coexistence at school are very obvious in the classroom, not only hindering the progress of teaching-learning processes but also having nefarious consequences for human development. Within this context, the study had three goals: 1) To analyze possible differences in victimization as a function of gender and socio-economic-cultural level; 2) To study the relations between victimization and other variables such as self-esteem, empathy, and aggressiveness, exploring possible differences between victims and non-victims in these variables; and 3) To identify predictors of victimization, that is, being a victim of “face-to-face” bullying. The sample is made up of 178 participants aged between 13 and 15 years. A correlational design was used, administering four assessment instruments. Results confirmed a similar level of victimization in males and females. Moreover, analogous victimization was confirmed in the three socio-economic-cultural levels (low-medium-high). Adolescents of both sexes scoring high in victimization had significantly lower levels of self-esteem. However, no significant correlations were found between victimization (i.e., being a victim of “face-to-face” bullying) and empathy, or between victimization and aggressiveness (either impulsive or premeditated). Furthermore, regression analysis revealed two predictors of victimization: low self-esteem and lower age.