Involvement in bullying, victimization by employees and depression: relations with school engagement

• Grant number: 12/17691-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2012
• End date: April 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Lúcia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Williams
• Grantee: Jéssica Elena Valle
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The influence of education on the development of a country is unquestionable. Learning academic contents depends, although not exclusively, of class attendance and engagement in school activities. Studies have reported risk factors for school engagement, including bullying involvement. Despite these investigations, it is still necessary to understand the relationship between bullying and school engagement, considering variables such as gender, age, depression and victimization by school employees. This study is part of a larger study and investigates the relationship between bullying and school engagement at 700 students from grades 6-9 from public schools located in vulnerable neighborhoods of a mid-size Brazilian city. Those students responded to the following instruments: Escala de Violência Escolar, Inventário de Depressão Infantil e Escala de Engajamento Escolar. Data analysis will include linear regression, considering as variables: gender, age, level of depression, type of involvement in bullying - author, victim or victim-author, being victimized by employees and school engagement. Additionally, a theoretical model will be made with such variables, which will be tested using structural model equations. It is hypothesized that involvement in bullying and victimization by employees predict low school engagement and depression has a greater contribution to lower school engagement than bullying involvement. Furthermore, it appears that being victim of bullying, victim-author of bullying and victim by employees has an indirect effect on academic engagement, which is mediated by depression. (AU)