A study of children’s bullying victimization in Xi’an: prevalence, risk factors, and correlation with family violence

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Despite there is evidence supporting a substantial overlap between family violence and bullying victimization (Baldry, 2003; Shields & Cicchetti, 2001), few studies have been conducted to examine the co-occurrence or correlation between these two kinds of child victimization. This study aims to present an estimate of prevalence and risk factors of bullying victimization in a wide range of settings (school, street, and internet) and examine its association with family violence victimization in a cohort of Chinese children in Xi’an. METHOD: Using a three-stage stratified sampling design, a total of 2000 students were randomly selected from 24 schools in 3 districts (from both urban and rural areas) in Xi’an, China. Questionnaires were self-administrated by children subjects. The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) and Relational Aggression Scale were used as measures for direct and relational bullying victimization. Family violence includes four types: child abuse, witnessing spouse violence, elder abuse, and in-law conflict. RESULTS: The prevalence rate and the pattern of child bullying victimization will be computed and reported. The correlation between bullying victimization and family violence will be examined by regression analyses. CONCLUSION: The patterns of child bullying victimization occurred in different settings will be compared and discussed.