scholarly journals Genetic and Environmental Influences on Different Forms of Bullying Perpetration, Bullying Victimization, and Their Co-occurrence

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 432-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine A. M. Veldkamp ◽  
Dorret I. Boomsma ◽  
Eveline L. de Zeeuw ◽  
Catharina E. M. van Beijsterveldt ◽  
Meike Bartels ◽  
...  

Abstract Bullying comes in different forms, yet most previous genetically-sensitive studies have not distinguished between them. Given the serious consequences and the high prevalence of bullying, it is remarkable that the aetiology of bullying and its different forms has been under-researched. We present the first study to investigate the genetic architecture of bullying perpetration, bullying victimization, and their co-occurrence for verbal, physical and relational bullying. Primary-school teachers rated 8215 twin children on bullying perpetration and bullying victimization. For each form of bullying, we investigated, through genetic structural equation modelling, the genetic and environmental influences on being a bully, a victim or both. 34% of the children were involved as bully, victim, or both. The correlation between being a bully and being a victim varied from 0.59 (relational) to 0.85 (physical). Heritability was ~ 70% for perpetration and ~ 65% for victimization, similar in girls and boys, yet both were somewhat lower for the relational form. Shared environmental influences were modest and more pronounced among girls. The correlation between being a bully and being a victim was explained mostly by genetic factors for verbal (~ 71%) and especially physical (~ 77%) and mostly by environmental factors for relational perpetration and victimization (~ 60%). Genes play a large role in explaining which children are at high risk of being a victim, bully, or both. For victimization this suggests an evocative gene-environment correlation: some children are at risk of being exposed to bullying, partly due to genetically influenced traits. So, genetic influences make some children more vulnerable to become a bully, victim or both.

Author(s):  
Hussein E. Elias ◽  
Raymond Downing ◽  
Ann Mwangi

Background: Low back pain (LBP) has been recognised as a common occupational problem with a high prevalence among work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Although there appears to be a high prevalence of LBP among school teachers, there is inadequate information on the prevalence and predisposing factors of LBP among primary school teachers in rural Western Kenya.Aim: To determine the prevalence, factors associated with LBP and physical disability caused by LBP.Setting: The setting was public schools in rural Western Kenya selected by simple random sampling method.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among primary teachers from public schools using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included information on LBP, demographic data, occupational and psychosocial factors and disability score. The 12-month prevalence, associated factors and LBP disability were analysed.Results: The 12-month self-reported prevalence of LBP among primary teachers was 64.98%, with close to 70% of them reporting minimal disability. The logistic regression analysis showed that female gender (odds ratio [OR]: 1.692, p < 0.02) was associated with LBP and high supervisor support (OR: 0.46, p < 0.003) was negatively associated with LBP.Conclusion: The prevalence of LBP among primary school teachers in rural Western Kenya is 64.98%, with the majority of them reporting minimal disability. The identified risk factors were female gender and low supervisor support. The presence of work-related psychosocial risk factors in this study suggests a comprehensive approach in evaluation and management of LBP. Preventive measures should be in place to prevent and reduce the progression of LBP disability.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110152
Author(s):  
Faustine Bwire Masath ◽  
Laura Hinze ◽  
Mabula Nkuba ◽  
Tobias Hecker

The need for intervention strategies aiming to reduce teachers’ use of violent discipline methods has been expressed repeatedly, especially for countries where this practice is socially and legally accepted. Nevertheless, initial targets for interventions are not clearly identified, as factors contributing to teachers’ use of violence are still understudied. In the present study, we examined the interplay between teachers’ own experiences of violence, their attitudes, current stress, and their use of violent discipline in a representative sample of 173 Tanzanian primary school teachers (53.7% female, Mage = 38.1 years, SDage = 10) using structural equation modeling. Our model showed good model fit ( χ2 [48, n = 173] = 78.058 ( p = .004), CFI = .962, TLI = .948, RMSEA = .060 [90% CI [.034, .084], PCLOSE = .233], SRMR = .048). Results indicated direct associations between positive attitudes toward violent discipline ( β = .41), stress ( β = .23), and teachers’ own experiences of violence ( β = .21) with teachers’ use of violence. Teachers’ own experiences of violence were significantly associated with positive attitudes ( β = .39), and these significantly mediated the association between teachers’ own experiences of violence and their use of violent discipline ( β =.23). Our findings underscore the relevance of past experiences, societal norms, and current working conditions in understanding teachers’ violence against students. Interventions aiming to reduce teachers’ use of violent discipline may focus on stress management, societal norms, personal beliefs on violent discipline, and how teachers’ own previous experiences of violence may influence teacher’s disciplining behavior.


Author(s):  
Wing Hong Chui ◽  
Xue Weng ◽  
Paul Vinod Khiatani

Bullying has become one of the most significant problem behaviors that school-aged adolescents face. The current study examines the strain–delinquency relationship by employing General Strain Theory as a guiding framework. “Strain” was operationalized as bullying victimization and family dysfunction, “delinquency” was operationalized as bullying perpetration, and “negative affect” was operationalized as anxiety and depression. Analyses were carried out based on a group of 2,139 Macanese schoolchildren. Using a structural equation modeling technique, the results revealed that exposure to family dysfunction and bullying victimization was associated with adolescents’ negative affect, such as anxiety and depression. Contrary to our expectations, the indirect effect of victimization on bullying through negative affect was negative, though the mediation effect was relatively small and only significant in boys. In addition, gender analyses of invariance showed that male adolescents who experienced more family conflict and parental control were less likely to engage in bullying. This study could lead to further anti-bullying interventions and practical efforts designed to improve positive parenting and adolescents’ interpersonal skills.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1356336X2110046
Author(s):  
Géraldine Escriva-Boulley ◽  
Leen Haerens ◽  
Damien Tessier ◽  
Philippe Sarrazin

It is widely acknowledged that teachers’ (de)motivating style (what they say, do and how they act) affects students’ learning. Understanding what leads teachers to adopt a (de)motivating style is necessary to develop effective training programmes. The current study aimed to identify antecedents of teachers’ motivating (i.e. need-supportive) and demotivating (i.e. need-thwarting) styles by (a) examining the relationships between five types of pressures and these styles and (b) investigating the mediating role of motivation. A total of 509 generalist primary school teachers completed a questionnaire about their perceived styles, perceived pressures from above (i.e. time constraints, pressure to display authority), below (i.e. perceptions of students’ disengagement) and within (i.e. beliefs about the effectiveness of rewards, and the adherence to entity theory), and their autonomous and controlled motivations to teach physical education. Structural equation modelling showed that a need-supportive style was negatively predicted by students’ disengagement and teachers’ adherence to entity theory, and this relation was fully mediated by autonomous motivation. A need-thwarting style was positively predicted by pressure to display authority and beliefs about the effectiveness of rewards. Results showed that when pressures from below and from within are reduced, teachers adopt a more need-supportive style, because they are more likely to enjoy and value teaching. Conversely, when pressures from above and from within are prevalent, teachers are more likely to adopt a need-thwarting style. This study identified the pressures to be targeted when developing interventions which aim to modify teachers’ (de)motivating styles which in turn could impact students’ motivation and behaviours.


Author(s):  
Ayaz Muhammad Khan ◽  
Amber Jamshaid ◽  
Tayyibah Roohi ◽  
Amna Ramzan

Sustainable Development (SD) is a rich, challenging and thought-provoking construct in social sciences. The main purpose of this paper was to identify and explore the role played by primary school teachers in building up the idea of sustainable development (SD) among students. This paper was intended to identify that how a teacher can successfully execute the concept of SD by influencing students’ minds at the primary level. Quantitative survey technique were utilized for data collection. All the primary school teachers of Lahore division comprised the population of the study. Through multistage sampling technique, 352 primary school teachers were selected as participants of the study. A self-developed SD questionnaire incorporating four major factors (teachers’ awareness, pedagogy, curricular and co-curricular activities) with Cronbach’s alpha value = .93 was used to measure the role of teachers in building the sustainability concept among students at primary level. The results indicated a significant mean score difference among SD scores of teachers, sector wise (private and public). Furthermore, the results also reconnoitered the significant difference (p=.04) between the mean scores of female and male teachers in building up the SD concept in students’ minds.


Author(s):  
Muhamad Afandi ◽  
Sari Yustiana

The purpose of this study is mainly to describe the performance of primary school teachersin the unit of education technical implementation in Banyumanik, Semarang. This researchwas conducted in January- August 2017. The sample of this research is 162 primaryschool teachers selected by random sampling technique in order to get the same opportunityas sample. The instruments used in this study were the assessment sheets, the RatingSheet consisted of 64 items of question, and 3 indicators of Primary School TeacherPerformance. The results show that each of Implementation of lesson plans is categorizedvery well (90, 9%), the execution of the learning is 83.4%, assessment of learning is good(82.8%). The Overall performance of primary school teachers is categorized good( 85 , 7 % ). In other words, the primary school teachers of the unit of education technicalimplementation in Banyumanik Semarang can arrange the lesson plans, carry out learningand teaching process and assess the learning process in elementary school.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 142-144
Author(s):  
Dr. B. Yella Reddy ◽  
◽  
Dr. T. I. Nagarjuna Dr. T. I. Nagarjuna ◽  
Dr. M. Sateeshnadha Reddy

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