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Prevalence, Risk Indicators and Outcomes of Bullying Among On-Reserve First Nations Youth

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Abstract

Objective: Bullying is common and multifaceted. There is no published literature focusing on bullying in First Nations youth on-reserve in Canada. The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence, risk indicators and impact of bullying within a First Nations youth population currently living onreserve.

Methods: Students in grades 5 through 8 (age 10 to 16 years) within the Saskatoon Tribal Council were asked to complete a youth health survey. Among the seven schools, 271 students were eligible to participate.

Results: 204 youth completed the eight-stage consent protocol and the school survey for a response rate of 75.3%. Overall, 35.8% of youth reported being physically bullied, 59.3% verbally bullied, 47.5% socially bullied and 30.3% electronically bullied at least once or twice in the previous four weeks. After regression analysis, having a father who works in a professional occupation, doing well in school, and having the perception that parents expect too much from them were found to be independent risk indicators of being bullied. Irrespective of the type of bullying, youth who were bullied were at least twice as likely to suffer from depressed mood.

Discussion: We have found that bullying is more common for First Nations youth living on-reserve, compared to other Canadian youth. Given that the independent risk indicators also appear to be different, we hope that this new information can aid in the design of effective bullying strategies.

Résumé

Objectif: L’intimidation est un phénomène courant et multidimensionnel. Il n’y a pas de travaux publiés portant spécifiquement sur l’intimidation chez les jeunes des Premières Nations dans les réserves au Canada. Nous examinons ici la prévalence, les indicateurs de risque et les incidences de l’intimidation dans une population de jeunes des Premières Nations vivant actuellement dans les réserves.

Méthode: Nous avons demandé aux élèves de la 5e à la 8e année (âgés de 10 à 16 ans) du conseil tribal de Saskatoon de remplir un questionnaire sur la santé des jeunes. Sur les sept écoles du conseil, 271 élèves étaient admissibles.

Résultats: 204 jeunes ont rempli le protocole de consentement en huit étapes et le sondage scolaire, soit un taux de réponse de 75,3 %. Globalement, 35,8 % des jeunes ont déclaré avoir subi des brimades physiques, 59,3 %, des brimades verbales, 47,5 %, des brimades sociales, et 30,3 %, des brimades électroniques au moins une fois ou deux au cours des quatre semaines précédentes. Au moyen d’une analyse de régression, nous avons déterminé que le fait d’avoir un père ayant une profession, les bons résultats scolaires et la perception que les parents attendent trop de l’élève étaient des indicateurs de risque indépendants d’être victime d’intimidation. Quel que soit le type de brimades subies, les jeunes victimes d’intimidation étaient au moins deux fois plus susceptibles de souffrir d’humeur dépressive.

Discussion: Nous avons constaté que l’intimidation est plus courante chez les jeunes des Premières Nations vivant dans les réserves que chez les autres jeunes Canadiens. Comme les indicateurs de risque indépendants semblent aussi être différents, nous espérons que ces nouvelles données pourront contribuer à la conception de stratégies efficaces contre l’intimidation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Adjunct Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Mark Lemstra PhD (Adjunct Professor)

  2. School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Marla Rogers BA, MPA (Researcher) & John Moraros MD, PhD (Assistant Professor)

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Lauren Redgate MD (Pediatric Resident) & Meghan Garner MD (Pediatric Resident)

Authors
  1. Mark Lemstra PhD
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  2. Marla Rogers BA, MPA
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  3. Lauren Redgate MD
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  4. Meghan Garner MD
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  5. John Moraros MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark Lemstra PhD.

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Conflict of Interest: None to declare.

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Lemstra, M., Rogers, M., Redgate, L. et al. Prevalence, Risk Indicators and Outcomes of Bullying Among On-Reserve First Nations Youth. Can J Public Health 102, 462–466 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404201

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404201

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