The relationship between bullying and self-esteem : a correlational study in a sample of UOB students

Abstract

Bullying is a critical problem recognized to be a commonly observed phenomenon that takes place in multiple contexts, not only schools, and has several detrimental effects on the individual and society. This study will focus exclusively on bullying and self-esteem. This research aims to examine the frequency of bullying among a sample of Balamand University students, and the correlation between bullying and the students self-esteem. This correlational study used quantitative methods and convenience sampling. The sample consisted of 315 students, 37.2% males and 62.8% females) from the University of Balamand. The age range was 18 to 21 years old and above. The tools used were the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) to measure students global self-esteem, and the University Bullying Questionnaire to check the frequency of bullying, the different types of bullying (verbal, relational, cyber) and bullying roles (bully, victim, bystander). In this sample, it was found that 23.2% of students had low global self-esteem. In addition, out of the 315 participants, 4.7% were bullies, 11.4% were victims and 60.3% were bystanders. On average, males had higher self-esteem and higher rates of bullying perpetrations, while females were more likely to be bystanders of bullying. It was also found that as age increased, self-esteem increased and bullying decreased. Furthermore, self-esteem was negatively correlated to verbal victimization, relational victimization and relational bullying specifically. This study found that bullying is present in Balamand University, and identified a correlation between self-esteem and some aspects of bullying. Thus, the seriousness of this issue emphasizes the need to, first obtain a clearer view of bullying frequency using a larger sample, and second, implement intervention plans and provide students with a safer academic environment.