The relationship between social preference, social competence, and students’ victimization

Bullying in school has marked significant effects, including short-term and long-term psychological effects, on victimized students. Therefore, it is highly essential to identify potential risk factors and protective factors. The present study aimed to explore the relationship between social competence, social preference, and students’ victimization. This study was descriptive with correlational design. The statistical population included all 13-15-year-old students (N = 11910) in Kashan, Iran. Cochran formula was used to estimate the sample size, and 414 students (202 females & 212 males) were selected based on multistage cluster sampling. The participants filled in Illinois Bullying Scale (2001) and Smart and Sanson’s Social Competence Questionnaire (2003) and sociogram. Pearson correlation and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that victimization has a significant correlation with social competence, social acceptance, and social rejection. Moreover, regression analysis indicated that social rejection directly and social competence inversely demonstrated the highest power in predicting victimization, respectively. Hence, taking measures to improve students’ interpersonal relationships and help them acquire a desirable social status, avoid social rejection among their peers, and increase their social competence can reduce students’ victimization.