The impact of bullying in school in pupils’ well-being - comparison in the different types of school in Luxembourg

A person is considered to be bullied when repeatedly exposed to negative actions of others over time (Olweus, 1996). Adolescents who are bullied more frequently experience negative psychosocial outcomes, such as lower levels of well-being (Halliday et al., 2021). The present study aims to compare the mean levels of well-being within bullying victims/non-victims in the different types of school in Luxembourg. In the (Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children) HBSC Luxembourg study, adolescents were asked how often they have been bullied at school and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index measured subjective well-being. Independent t-tests were performed to compare the mean values of well-being by victims and non-victims of bullying by each school type. Although in Luxembourg, the prevalence of bullying victimization decreased since 2006 (13% in 2006 vs 7% in 2022), in 2022 it varied considerably in the seven different school types, from 1.6% (in ESC-sup) to 13.6% (in VP). Adolescents who had not been bullied exhibited significant higher mean levels of well-being compared to those who had experienced bullying in past two months in most of the school types, the exception being pupils from VP, in which no significant difference was found. As individuals evaluate their own experiences in comparison to others (Festinger, 1954), it is possible that once a pupil is being bullied in a context where many others experience the same situation, this problem might be relativized, while in the context of infrequent bullying, the detriment to one's well-being might be increased.