Prevalence and manifestations of bullying in secondary education: a study of mozambican students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15536/reducarmais.9.2025.4085Keywords:
Bullying, Prevalence, Secondary Education, MozambiqueAbstract
School bullying is widely recognized as a serious psychosocial problem with significant negative consequences for students. Although it has been the subject of extensive research in developed countries, it remains understudied in Mozambique. In this article, we assess the prevalence of bullying and its manifestations in a group of secondary school students in Mozambique. The study sample consisted of 271 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students from secondary schools in the City of Montepuez, located in the northern region of Mozambique. Analyses revealed an overall prevalence of 69.4% of bullying in the last few months. The rates were 100% for victims, 39.5% for aggressors, and 50.2% for observers/witnesses. Boys were more likely to be aggressors and bystanders than girls. Students in 9th grade, with a mean age of 15.4 years, were more significantly involved in bullying than their peers in 8th grade (14.0 years) and 10th grade (16.1 years). Younger age decreased involvement in bullying. In terms of family structure, students from families with more siblings and those living with a single mother were more likely to be aggressors and victims, respectively. There were no significant differences in the occurrence of bullying between students from urban and peri-urban schools. Taken together, the results indicate that bullying is a common practice in the school context and point to the need for educational practices aimed at reducing and preventing it.
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