Bullying e habilidades sociais em alunos do ensino fundamental

Abstract

Bullying comprehends a set of aggressive behaviors, in which physical, verbal, psychological and/or sexual aggressions are perpetrated, repeatedly, unjustifiably and intentionally, being the victims in unequal power, unable to defend themselves. Approximately, one in ten students is victim to frequent bullying in schools. This conduct becomes more perceptible after 2nd grade, but it is present from an early age. Objective: to evaluate bullying and social abilities in elementary and middle school students. Method: cross-sectional study. The participants were 79 elementary and middle school students, 7-13-year-olds (2nd to 8th grade), males and females, from five municipal schools of Santa Adélia/SP. The selection was a stratified sample, through a simple group draw. For the research, the instruments applied were a school bullying scale (Escala de Avaliação do Bullying Escolar - EAB-E), an inventory of social abilities, behavioral issues and academic competence for children (Inventário de Habilidades Sociais, Problemas de Comportamento e Competência Acadêmica para Crianças - SSRS) and an identification form. Results: the sample was 46% of males and 54% of females, the majority (29%) was 13 years old. The self-evaluation of social abilities indicated that 31,39% of students defined themselves under the low average, however, teacher’s analysis identified 21,27% of students with good social abilities; behavioral issues appeared in 17,22% of students, while, for academic competence, 27,34% of students had an average classification; there is significant negative correlation between social abilities and behavioral issues ( = 0,5280) and there is significant positive correlation between social abilities and academic competences ( = 0,6745). There was no significant difference between males and females in the variable victim and aggressor. Conclusion: there is no difference between behaviors, being a victim or aggressor, among males and females, in the group of students observed. The students self-evaluate themselves with less social ability than recognized by the teachers. Also, students with higher academic competence present fewer behavioral issues.