Bullying Victimization and Subjective Well-Being in 10- and 12-year-Old Children from 24 Countries: The Buffering Effect of Family and Teacher Support

Abstract

Bullying victimization in children is a recognized public health concern in many countries worldwide. Specifically, studies have consistently demonstrated that bullying victimization is one of the indicators that most significantly and negatively influences the subjective well-being (SWB) of children. Following this assumption, a study was conducted to examine the impact of bullying victimization on subjective well-being among 75,877 students aged 10 and 12 years across 24 countries. Additionally, the moderating role of support from teachers and family members in the relationship between bullying victimization and subjective well-being was investigated using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. The results show that, in many countries, there is an interaction effect of both family support and teacher support figures in both age groups (10 and 12 years). However, significant variability in these interaction effects was observed across countries, and in some countries, no moderating effect was detected. Specifically, in the 12-year-old group, a larger number of countries show no interaction effect from any adult support figure in the relationship between bullying victimization and SWB. The findings are discussed with a focus on the buffering effects of both types of support, the variability observed across countries, and the practical implications of these results