Prevalence, characteristics, and emotional effects of school bullying among Grade 5–6 students in Hat Yai, southern Thailand: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background School bullying is a common form of youth violence and an adverse experience with well-established effects on mental health and development. Thailand reports one of the highest prevalence rates globally. However, evidence concerning bullying in primary school populations, particularly in the southern region of Thailand, remains limited. This study examined the prevalence and characteristics of traditional bullying and cyberbullying and identified the factors associated with bullying roles among students in Grades 5 and 6 in Hat Yai, southern Thailand. Methods We conducted a school-based, cross-sectional survey in one public and one private primary school. A total of 291 students participated. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, including the Thai versions of the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, the Cyber-Aggression Perpetration/Victimization Scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents. Students were classified as victims, bullies, bully-victims, and those not involved. Associated factors were identified using multinomial logistic regression and reported using relative-risk ratios (RRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Overall, 78.7% of the participants were involved in bullying, with bully-victims constituting the largest group (44.7%), followed by victims (30.2%) and bullies (3.8%); a sensitivity analysis restricted to the two global R-OBVQ items yielded an involvement prevalence of 59.1%. Verbal bullying was the most common form of bullying, and incidents frequently occurred in unsupervised areas in the school. Moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were strongly associated with bullying involvement, particularly with being a bully-victim. In adjusted analyses, attending a private school (RRR 4.48, 95% CI 1.97–10.22) and authoritarian parenting (RRR 4.20, 95% CI 1.24–14.21) were independently associated with a higher relative risk of being a bully-victim, whereas shorter-than-average stature was associated with a lower relative risk (RRR 0.27, 95% CI 0.08–0.93). Cyberbullying was uncommon (5.2%) and was not significantly associated with bullying roles. Conclusions Bullying involvement is highly prevalent among primary school students in southern Thailand, with bully-victims constituting the largest and the most vulnerable group in terms of mental health. These findings highlight the need to integrate mental health screening, parenting-focused interventions, and improved supervision within school environments to prevent school bullying.