Study on ijime among female Japanese junior high school students-traditional bullying and cyberbullying

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine ijime among female Japanese junior high school students and to examine the behavioral attributes of those who have experienced ijime. Method: A total of 310 female Japanese junior high school students (mean age of 13.93 years participated in the study. The students were required to complete a questionnaire about experiences of traditional bullying and victimization during a period of 6 months, cyberbullying and cybervictimization over a period of 6 months, and about their school environment. In addition, they had to answer the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: Of the sample, 6.2% were victims only, 5.5% were bullies only, and 2.0% were bully-victims. Further, among the 275 students who use the Internet, 0.4% were cybervictims only, 0.4% were cyberbullies only, and 0.4% were cyberbully-victims. Over half the victims and bully-victims (including cybervictims and cyberbully-victims) did not feel safe at school. The total difficulties scores of the SDQ were analyzed using ANOVA. The results revealed that victims and bully-victims (including cybervictims and cyberbully-victims) exhibit a higher number of problems on the SDQ than other students. Conclusion: The survey suggested that almost 10% of female Japanese junior high school students have experienced ijime, but most of them have not experienced cyber ijime. Further, victims of ijime do not feel safe at school and possibly face certain difficulties.