Prevalence, risk and protective factors of traditional and cyberbullying among children and adolescents: Systematic Review and meta-analysis.

Background Bullying is aggressive behavior that can have a long-lasting negative impact on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents. While traditional bullying occurs in person, cyberbullying occurring through electronic devices and online platforms is also increasingly common. The aim of this review was to assess the prevalence, risk and protective factors of traditional and cyberbullying among school children and adolescents. Methods A systematic review was conducted using PCC (population, concept, and context) framework. A total of 47 original quantitative articles exploring prevalence, protective and risk factors of both traditional and cyberbullying were included in the review. Meta-analysis was used for the prevalence of bullying, but due to the heterogeneity of the studies, thematic analysis was used to identify the protective and risk factors of bullying. Results The pooled rate of traditional bullying was 0.17 [CI 95%, 0.13–0.21] for victimization and was 0.11 [CI 95%, 0.05–0.23] for perpetration. Whereas for cyberbullying, these figures were 0.08 [CI 95%, 0.05–0.12] and 0.05 [CI 95%, 0.03–0.09] respectively. The pooled rate of combined victimization was 0.07 [CI 95%, 0.05–0.11] and combined perpetration was 0.02 [CI 95%, 0.01–0.04]. Good family support, good friend relations, positive feelings at school and good academic achievement were among the protective factors of bullying victimization. Young age, female gender, weak family support, feeling unsafe at school, peer group pressure, and poor academic achievement were the risk factors of bullying victimization. Conclusion Traditional bullying was more prevalent compared to cyberbullying. Protective factors against bullying victimization included strong family support, healthy friendships, emotional regulation, positive feelings about school, and good academic performance. In contrast, risk factors were the absence of these factors, such as poor family support, lack of emotional control, and negative school experiences.