Bullying victimization and psychological distress among a national sample of in-school adolescents in Afghanistan

Abstract

This study aimed to assess bullying victimization (BV) and psychological distress (PD) among adolescents in Afghanistan. The study included 2,579 students (15 years median age) from the cross-sectional and nationally representative 2014 Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS) in Afghanistan. Results indicate that past-month BV was 42.4%. In adjusted multinomial logistic regression analysis, PD, low parental support, drug use (cannabis and/or amphetamine), injury, and interpersonal violence (physically attacked and involvement in physical fights) were associated with infrequent (1-2 days/month) and/or frequent (3-30 days/month) BV. More than two in five students reported BV and internalizing factors (psychological distress) and externalizing factors (drug use, interpersonal violence and injury) were identified as associated factors that can assist in school health promotion strategies.