To determine socio-demographic and family determinants of school bullying among young adolescents.

Data for this study were collected during the 2017/2018 Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey on one of the Russian sites. The sample included 307 urban schoolchildren aged 11 years. We selected the questionnaires with the responses about school bullying. Demographic characteristics of families, outcomes and relationships in the families were analyzed as variables of interest.

293 questionnaires were selected (148 boys). All adolescents were divided into 3 groups depending on their replies about school bullying: group 1 (n=167) included adolescents, who had never faced bullying at school; group 2 (n=90) included adolescents, who had faced bullying at school 1-2 times during last 2 month; group 3 (n=36) had faced bullying several times per month and oftener.

It was shown that 10 (6.1%) adolescents of the 1st group, 14 (15.9%) adolescents of the 2d group and 7 (19.4%) adolescents of the 3d group did not hope for parents’ help in solving school problems (p1-2=0.023; p1-3=0.025). Twenty-one (13.2%) people in the 1 group, 21 (23.9%) in the 2d group and 10 (27.7%) in the 3d group were not sure their parents were willing to go to school to talk to teachers (p1-2=0.033; p1-3=0.057); 10 (6.2%) schoolers of the 1st group, 16 (18.4%) of the 2d group and 7 (19.4%) of the 3d group believed that their parents were scarcely involved or not at all involved in their school life (p1-2=0.006; p1-3=0.025). Adolescents, who had suffered from bullying, relied on parents’ help in decision-making to a lesser extent (p1-2=0.031; p1-3=0.052).

Eighty (90.9%) adolescents from the 2d group and 28 (80%) from the 3d group thought they looked ‘normal’ and ‘good’ in comparison with 162 (97.6%) adolescents, who had never experienced school bullying (p1-2= 0.038; p1-3<0.001). Moreover adolescents, who had suffered from bullying, had lower life satisfaction (p1-2<0.001; p1-3=0.002).

The family composition, material well-being, occupation (employed/unemployed) did not show significant connections with school bullying of adolescents.

Young adolescents, suffering from school bullying, do not feel they get adequate support from their parents. As a result they have low self-esteem and low life satisfaction.

Therefore, work of a teacher and a psychologist with adolescents, suffering from school bullying, should be aimed at not only normalizing the situation at school, but also at determination and correction of imbalanced relationships in the family.