Bullying/Cyberbullying in 5th and 6th grade: differences between public and private schools

Título: Bullying/Cyberbullying en quinto y sexto curso de primaria: diferencias entre centros públicos y privados. Resumen: Este estudio tuvo como objetivos estudiar la prevalencia de bullying/cyberbullying y explorar la cantidad de conducta sufrida, realizada y observada de bullying/cyberbullying en centros públicos y privados. Con un diseño descriptivo de corte transversal, se administró el test ―Cyberbullying: Screening de acoso entre iguales‖ a 1993 participantes del País Vasco de 5o y 6o curso, 49% en centros públicos y 51% en privados. Los resultados pusieron de relieve que: (1) No hubo diferencias entre centros públicos y privados en el porcentaje de víctimas-puras, agresores-puros, víctimas-agresivas y observadores ni en bullying ni cyberbullying; (2) Aunque, al analizar todas las víctimas o agresores (no solo los puros), el porcentaje de estudiantes que sufrió agresiones físicas, verbales, sociales y psicológicas, que agredió física y verbalmente, y que observó agresiones físicas, verbales y psicológicas fue significativamente mayor en los centros públicos; (3) En los centros públicos las cibervíctimas sufrieron significativamente más cuatro conductas de cyberbullying, y los ciberobservadores observaron significativamente más una de las 15 conductas de cyberbullying; y (4) La cantidad de conducta sufrida de bullying/cyberbullying y la cantidad de conducta observada cara-a-cara fue mayor en centros públicos. Estos resultados revelan que el tipo de centro puede ser un factor relevante. Palabras clave: Bullying; cyberbullying; público-privado; nivel socioeconómico. Abstract: The study aimed to analyse the prevalence of bullying/cyberbullying and to study the level of bullying/cyberbullying suffered, perpetrated and observed in public and private schools. Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, the test "Cyberbullying: Screening of peer harassment‖ was administered to a sample of 1,993 pupils from the Basque Country attending 5th and 6th grade of elementary school, 49% in public and 51% in private schools. The results revealed that: (1) There were no statistical differences between public or private schools in the percentage of pure-victims, pure-aggressors, bully-victims and observers either in bullying or in cyberbullying; (2) Nevertheless, when analyzing victims or perpetrators in general (not just pure-victims/pure-aggressors), the percentage of students who had suffered physical, verbal, social and psychological abuse; who had physically and verbally assaulted others; and who had observed physical, verbal and psychological aggression was significantly higher in public schools; (3) In public schools, cybervictims suffered significantly more of four out of fifteen cyberbullying behaviours, and cyberobservers also witnessed one behaviour significantly more; (4) The level of abuse suffered in bullying/cyberbullying was significantly higher in public schools, as well as the level of aggressive behaviours observed in face-to-face aggressions. These results reveal that the type of school can be a relevant factor.