IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/apmaco/v492y2025ics009630032400715x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A mathematical model for the bullying dynamics in schools

Author

Listed:
  • Crokidakis, Nuno

Abstract

We analyze a mathematical model to understand the dynamics of bullying in schools. The model considers a population divided into four groups: susceptible individuals, bullies, individuals exposed to bullying, and violent individuals. Transitions between these states occur at rates designed to capture the complex interactions among students, influenced by factors such as romantic rejection, conflicts with peers and teachers, and other school-related challenges. These interactions can escalate into bullying and violent behavior. The model also incorporates the role of parents and school administrators in mitigating bullying through intervention strategies. The results suggest that bullying can be effectively controlled if anti-bullying programs implemented by schools are sufficiently robust. Additionally, the conditions under which bullying persists are explored.

Suggested Citation

  • Crokidakis, Nuno, 2025. "A mathematical model for the bullying dynamics in schools," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 492(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:apmaco:v:492:y:2025:i:c:s009630032400715x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.amc.2024.129254
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009630032400715X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.amc.2024.129254?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sooknanan, J. & Comissiong, D.M.G., 2018. "A mathematical model for the treatment of delinquent behaviour," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 60-69.
    2. Oestereich, André L. & Pires, Marcelo A. & Crokidakis, Nuno & Cajueiro, Daniel O., 2023. "Optimal rewiring in adaptive networks in multi-coupled vaccination, epidemic and opinion dynamics," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    3. Nuno Crokidakis, 2023. "Radicalization phenomena: Phase transitions, extinction processes and control of violent activities," International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 34(08), pages 1-12, August.
    4. Crokidakis, Nuno, 2024. "Nonequilibrium phase transitions and absorbing states in a model for the dynamics of religious affiliation," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 643(C).
    5. Serge Galam & Marco Alberto Javarone, 2016. "Modeling Radicalization Phenomena in Heterogeneous Populations," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-15, May.
    6. Crokidakis, Nuno & Sigaud, Lucas, 2021. "Modeling the evolution of drinking behavior: A Statistical Physics perspective," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 570(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Crokidakis, Nuno, 2024. "Nonequilibrium phase transitions and absorbing states in a model for the dynamics of religious affiliation," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 643(C).
    2. Santoprete, Manuele, 2019. "Countering violent extremism: A mathematical model," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 358(C), pages 314-329.
    3. Sooknanan, Joanna & Seemungal, Terence A.R., 2023. "Criminals and their models - a review of epidemiological models describing criminal behaviour," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 458(C).
    4. Crokidakis, Nuno & Sigaud, Lucas, 2021. "Modeling the evolution of drinking behavior: A Statistical Physics perspective," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 570(C).
    5. Crokidakis, Nuno & Galam, Serge, 2022. "After 2018 Bolsonaro victory, is a 2022 remake feasible?," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 600(C).
    6. Han, Wenchen & Gao, Shun & Huang, Changwei & Yang, Junzhong, 2022. "Non-consensus states in circular opinion model with repulsive interaction," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 585(C).
    7. Santoprete, Manuele & Xu, Fei, 2018. "Global stability in a mathematical model of de-radicalization," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 509(C), pages 151-161.
    8. Markus Brede, 2019. "How Does Active Participation Affect Consensus: Adaptive Network Model of Opinion Dynamics and Influence Maximizing Rewiring," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2019, pages 1-16, June.
    9. Boris Podobnik & Marko Jusup & Dejan Kovac & H. E. Stanley, 2017. "Predicting the Rise of EU Right-Wing Populism in Response to Unbalanced Immigration," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2017, pages 1-12, August.
    10. Wu, Yujia & Guo, Peng, 2024. "Effects of relative homophily and relative heterophily on opinion dynamics in coevolving networks," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 644(C).
    11. Aliyu, Major Murtala Bello & Baidu, Ali Audu & Abdulhamid, Bala Ma’aji & Ibrahim, Mohammed Olanrewaju & Mukhtar, Fu’ad Muhammad, 2023. "Assessing the impact of escalating attacks on soft targets by criminal gang: A modelling viewpoint using bifurcation analysis," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 122-137.
    12. Marco Alberto Javarone & Daniele Marinazzo, 2018. "Dilution of Ferromagnets via a Random Graph-Based Strategy," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2018, pages 1-11, April.
    13. Brandon Shapiro & Andrew Crooks, 2023. "Drone strikes and radicalization: an exploration utilizing agent-based modeling and data applied to Pakistan," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 415-433, September.
    14. Si, Xia-Meng & Wang, Wen-Dong & Zhai, Chun-Qing & Ma, Yan, 2017. "A topic evolution model with sentiment and selective attention," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 471(C), pages 480-491.
    15. Galam, Serge, 2023. "Identifying a would-be terrorist: An ineradicable error in the data processing?," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    16. Podobnik, Boris & Kirbis, Ivona Skreblin & Koprcina, Maja & Stanley, H.E., 2019. "Emergence of the unified right- and left-wing populism—When radical societal changes become more important than ideology," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 517(C), pages 459-474.
    17. Zimmaro, Filippo & Galam, Serge & Javarone, Marco Alberto, 2024. "Asymmetric games on networks: Mapping to Ising models and bounded rationality," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    18. Cano Macias, Ricardo & Ruiz Vera, Jorge Mauricio, 2024. "Dynamics of opinion polarization in a population," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 31-40.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:apmaco:v:492:y:2025:i:c:s009630032400715x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/applied-mathematics-and-computation .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.