Citation

Shetgiri R, Lin H, Avila RM, Flores G. Am. J. Public Health 2012; 102(12): 2280-2286.

Affiliation

Rashmi Shetgiri, Hua Lin, and Glenn Flores are with the Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Rashmi Shetgiri and Glenn Flores are also with Children's Medical Center, Dallas, TX. Rosa M. Avila is with the National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2012.300725

PMID

23078471

Abstract

Objectives. We identified factors associated with child bullying in the United States. Methods. We used the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health to examine associations among child, parent, and community factors and bullying perpetration among children aged 10 to 17 years, using bivariate and stepwise multivariable analyses. Results. African American and Latino children and children living in poverty and who had emotional, developmental, or behavioral (EDB) problems had higher odds of bullying, as did children of parents who felt angry with their child or who felt their child bothered them a lot or was hard to care for; suboptimal maternal mental health was associated with higher bullying odds. Children who always or usually completed homework and had parents who talked with them and met all or most of their friends had lower bullying odds. Conclusions. Assessing children's EDB problems, maternal mental health, and parental perceptions may identify children at risk for bullying. Parent-child communication, meeting children's friends, and encouraging children academically were associated with lower bullying odds; these protective factors may be useful in designing preventive interventions. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print October 18, 2012: e1-e7. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300725).

Language: en