Michal Molcho,
Chair of the HBSC VIP
NUI Galway

• Bullying as a public health concern
• HBSC study: background and methods
• General findings
• Regional trends in bullying
• Gender trends
• Age trends
• Time trends
• Vulnerable populations
• Challenges and Conclusion

• Prevalent behaviour in young people
• Related to adverse health:
▫ psychological maladjustment,
▫ psychosomatic health problems,
▫ medicine use,
▫ Absenteeism and impaired academic performance.
• Bullying behaviour is associated with involvement in a range of risk behaviours
• Long term effects for victims as well as perpetrators
• Effects for bystanders who witness bullying.

Health Behaviour in School Aged Children
(HBSC) study
• International study, initiated in 1982
• The network currently consists of 43 countries and regions
• Aims to gain better understanding of young people's lives
• Focus on science and policy.

HBSC 2006 – 41 regions

HBSC - structure
IC
CC
Assembly MDG
ED
PDG
VIP
DBM
SDG
RB PH ...

• Cross-sectional survey, 4-year cycle;
• School going children 11y, 13y, 15y;
• Stratified sample, systematic random, nationally representative;
• Self-administrated questionnaires in classrooms;
• Ethics.

• Participate in physical fight
▫ Weapon carrying
▫ [who did you fight with]
• Been bullied
• Bullied others
▫ Types of bullying.
• Bullying items based on Olewus’s work.

• HBSC 2001/2
▫ Highest rates: Lithuania
▫ Lowest rates: Sweden (11,13) and Wales (15)
• HBSC 2005/6:
▫ Highest Greenland (11), Latvia (13), Lithuania (15)
▫ Lowest: Sweden (11,13) and Czech Republic (15)
• HBSC 2009/10:
▫ Highest: Romania (11,13) and Latvia (15)
▫ Lowest: Sweden (11) and Wales (13,15)
• In all the years, countries and ages, perpetration is more prevalent among boys.

• HBSC 2001/2:
▫ Highest rates: Lithuania
▫ Lowest rates: Sweden (11,13) and Hungary (15)
• HBSC 2005/6:
▫ Highest: Turkey (11), Lithuania (13) and Bulgaria (15)
▫ Lowest: Sweden (11,13) and Iceland(15)
• HBSC 2009/10:
▫ Highest: Lithuania
▫ Lowest: Armenia (11,13) and Italy (15)
• Less clear gender pattern and a more narrow gap.

• Bullying range from 8.6 % to 45.2 % among boys (5fold), and from 4.8 % to 35.8 % among girls (7-fold);
• Higher rates in reported in Lithuania, Latvia,
Greece, Greenland, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine;
• Lower rates in Hungary, Norway, Ireland, Finland,
Sweden, Iceland, Czech Republic, and Wales;
• Generally, lower rates in reported in North & West
Europe and higher in Eastern European countries.

• Boys reported higher rates of bullying in all countries;
• Rates of victimization were higher for girls in 29 of 40 countries;
• Rates of victimization decreased by age in 30 of
40 (boys) and 25 of 39 (girls) countries.

• Consistent decrease in the prevalence of bullying in most countries, West and East
• The largest decrease was reported in the Czech
Republic, followed by Denmark
• Pronounced increase in Greece and England countries
• An increase or no change in most English speaking countries.

• Migrant children:
• Higher rates of bullying in Ireland, Scotland,
Spain and Italy,
• Lower rates in Greece,
• No differences in Belgium, Germany, Denmark,
Sweden, Wales and Portugal.
• Disability / chronic illness:
• Students reporting a D/CI were more exposed to peer victimization at school.

• Translation of the items
• General items, type of bullying not measured
• Not measuring cyber bullying
• Explaining regional differences
• Lack of links with policy.

▫ Gender differences
 Clear in perpetration – less clear with victimization
▫ Age differences
 Clearer for boys than for girls
▫ Regional differences
 Clear East / West differences
 No clear North / South differences
 English Speaking countries

Currie C et al. (eds). Currie C et al (eds.) Young People's Health in Context: international report from the HBSC 2001/02 survey, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, 2004.
Currie C et al. (eds). Inequalities in young people’s health: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children international report from the 2005/2006 survey. World Health Organization, Copenhagen, 2008.
Currie C et al. (eds). Social determinants of health and well-being among young people. Health
Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: international report from the 2009/2010 survey.
Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2012.
Craig et al., A cross-national profile of bullying and victimization among adolescents in 40 countries.
Int J Public Health 54 (2009) S216–S224.
Molcho at al. Cross national time trends in bullying behaviour 1994-2006: Findings from Europe and
North America. Int J Public Health 54 (2009) S225–S234.
Molcho et al. Health and well-being among child immigrants in Europe. Eurohealth, 2010. 16 (1), 20-
23.
Sentenac et al. Peer victimization and subjective health among students reporting disability or chronic illness in 11 Western countries. European Journal of Public Health, 1–6 (2012, in press).
Sentanc et al. Peer victimization among school-aged children with chronic conditions, Epidemiologic
Reviews, 2012, 34(1), 120-128
Elgar et al. School bullying, homicide and income inequality: a cross-national pooled time series analysis, Int J Public Health (2012, in press)

 Prof. Candace Currie & team, International
Coordinating Centre, Scotland
 Dr. Oddrun Samdal & team, Data Bank, Norway
 HBSC network of researchers
 Schools & children