Background: This study was conducted to assess and determine the prevalence and perception of bullying and also the associated factors with bullying among high school students in Buraidah, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 560 high school students aged from 15 to 18 in Buraidah, Qassim region, during October 2018. The cluster sampling technique was used by dividing Buraidah into four regions which are north, south, west, and east. Two schools were selected randomly from each region. A validated written questionnaire was used to collect information about the demographic factors, history
of academic failure, number of school days missed, and exposure to bullying.
Results: Out of 266 students, who were bullied 51% were female. The average age of the whole study sample was 16.74 years. The majority of students were absent for about 1-3 days. The most common type of bullying was verbal (36%), followed by social (22.9%). The most common bullying places as reported by students were school (63.5%). Most of the bullied students were bullied due to their physical appearance which accounted for 48%. The speaking problem and physical appearance as the reason for bullying were insignificantly higher among males. Furthermore, academic performance was also insignificantly higher among females.
Conclusion: The prevalence of bullying was higher among females including both verbal and social bullying. Physical appearance was the most common cause of bullying. It was recommended that schools must establish strict punishments regarding this issue.
Key words: Bullying, school, students, prevalence
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