Pathways of Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Peer Bullying in Children and Youth: A Scoping Review

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Pathways of Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Peer Bullying in Children and Youth: A Scoping Review
Language: English
Authors: Kevin C. Runions (ORCID 0000-0002-8770-8743), Jonathan H. Sae-Koew (ORCID 0009-0004-4473-2788), Natasha Pearce, Kiira Sarasjärvi, Matilda Attey, Francis Mitrou
Source: Health Education & Behavior. 2025 52(1):122-134.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Low Income Students, Disadvantaged Youth, Peer Relationship, Bullying, Socioeconomic Status, Predictor Variables, Children, Adolescents, Victims, Antisocial Behavior, Mental Health, Depression (Psychology), Individual Characteristics, Homicide, Social Support Groups, Interpersonal Relationship, Family Violence, Access to Health Care, Self Esteem
DOI: 10.1177/10901981241275631
ISSN: 1090-1981
1552-6127
Abstract: Growing up in socioeconomic disadvantage increases risk of peer bullying at school. Both socioeconomic status and involvement in bullying are predictive of a range of adverse developmental outcomes. However, neither (a) the mechanisms whereby disadvantage increases bullying risk nor (b) the developmental outcomes for which bullying may mediate disadvantage are clear. This review scoped the literature on the relationships between socioeconomic disadvantage, bullying, and health and developmental outcomes for school-aged children and adolescents. Four databases were searched up to June 3, 2023 with 565 studies retrieved, of which 17 met criteria. Most studies were cross-sectional, and studies varied greatly in their definition and measurement of both bullying involvement and disadvantage. No intervention studies were found. Mediators of the disadvantage-bullying association ranged from individual level (e.g., depression) to the national level (e.g., homicide rate); only two studies examined bully-victim status. Of studies where bullying was a mediator, none examined bullying perpetration; the range of outcomes examined was narrowly focused on mental health, failing to capture the full range of developmental outcomes associated with either socioeconomic disadvantage or bullying involvement. This review highlights that future research is needed on identifying and understanding the mediators of the association between disadvantage and bullying victimization, and on the developmental outcomes mediated by bullying perpetration for disadvantaged children. These insights are critical to increase the effectiveness of community- and school-based bullying prevention, particularly in communities with high proportions of socioeconomically disadvantaged families.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1467234
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Growing up in socioeconomic disadvantage increases risk of peer bullying at school. Both socioeconomic status and involvement in bullying are predictive of a range of adverse developmental outcomes. However, neither (a) the mechanisms whereby disadvantage increases bullying risk nor (b) the developmental outcomes for which bullying may mediate disadvantage are clear. This review scoped the literature on the relationships between socioeconomic disadvantage, bullying, and health and developmental outcomes for school-aged children and adolescents. Four databases were searched up to June 3, 2023 with 565 studies retrieved, of which 17 met criteria. Most studies were cross-sectional, and studies varied greatly in their definition and measurement of both bullying involvement and disadvantage. No intervention studies were found. Mediators of the disadvantage-bullying association ranged from individual level (e.g., depression) to the national level (e.g., homicide rate); only two studies examined bully-victim status. Of studies where bullying was a mediator, none examined bullying perpetration; the range of outcomes examined was narrowly focused on mental health, failing to capture the full range of developmental outcomes associated with either socioeconomic disadvantage or bullying involvement. This review highlights that future research is needed on identifying and understanding the mediators of the association between disadvantage and bullying victimization, and on the developmental outcomes mediated by bullying perpetration for disadvantaged children. These insights are critical to increase the effectiveness of community- and school-based bullying prevention, particularly in communities with high proportions of socioeconomically disadvantaged families.
ISSN:1090-1981
1552-6127
DOI:10.1177/10901981241275631