Bullying among Kazakhstan School Learners and Overcoming Strategies

Bullying often involves harm to others, especially adolescents. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of bullying, identify risk factors, and assess the relationship between bullying and the psychological status of adolescents who face this problem in the region of Kazakhstan. The research was conducted on 224 students between the ages of 11 and 16 using an online survey in a validated Google Form to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of bullying, as well as questionnaires to assess the psychological consequences of bullying. In response to the question, Where is bullying most common?, 42.8% of the participants answered “on social networks,†33.5% answered “in the yard, on the street,†and 23.7% answered “at school.†About 20% of the participants spent more than 12 hours on the Internet every day, and the overall estimated prevalence of bullying and cyberbullying was 42.8%. In addition, 26.3% of the participants had a significant deterioration in academic performance due to cyberbullying. Approximately 20% of all participants considered dropping out of school, 19.7% considered stopping Internet use, and 21.1% considered harming themselves as a result of bullying. Furthermore, 75% of schoolchildren were victims of bullying. Unfortunately, schools are not entirely safe environments for children. Schoolchildren talked about the negative effects of bullying, negative childhood experiences, and trauma. Currently, researchers focus on "bullying" and its psychological consequences. Some researchers have identified characteristics of bullying victims, such as low self-esteem, poor social connection, aggression, anxiety, and complicated family relationships.