A Vitimização por bullying entre adolescentes na fase inicial da pandemia COVID-19

Abstract

Bullying is a multifaceted violence characterized by a set of aggressive, repetitive and intentional behaviors that occur in a relational context of power/force inequality between the aggressor and the victim, generating serious damage to those involved. This study aimed to analyze the records of occurrences of bullying victimization in students with different body patterns and body-image, in public schools in the city of Dourados -MS, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. To verify the students who were victims of bullying, we used the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (QBO) - victim version, created by Olweus (1996), and questions prepared by the author; the Body Mass Index was obtained using the calculation: IMC = body mass (kg)/ height (m)², and to verify the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the perceived body image and the ideal one, we used the body silhouette scale proposed by Stunkard, Sorenson, and Schlusinger (1983). The results indicated 24 participants with reports of victimization, and the main types of bullying were verbal aggression, such as: swearing, which affects morality; the use of some physical characteristic to give vent to the aggression; laughter; nicknames; social exclusion, and gossip, with the highest percentage in females. Among the participants who declared themselves victims of bullying, 37.5% were classified as overweight or obese, 29.17% were dissatisfied with their body image due to being overweight, and 33.33% were dissatisfied because they were underweight. This cross-sectional study indicated that victims experienced reduced victimization, as well as a sense of safety in their residence, indicating that social distancing in the Covid-19 pandemic was a protective barrier in school bullying actions.