School violence and bullying : Global status and trends, drivers and consequences

Abstract

This short report presents a summary of the latest available evidence on the scale, nature and consequences of different forms of school violence and bullying, the drivers of bullying, and global and regional trends in the prevalence of bullying, physical attacks and physical fights. The report draws on multiple data sources and, in particular, on two large-scale international surveys – the WHO Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) and Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, conducted by the HBSC Consortium – which together provide data from 144 countries and territories in all regions of the world. Other key data sources include the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA), Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (TERCE), and Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS). Review and secondary analysis of data from these sources was supplemented by a review of the literature.