Predictors of Bullying Behaviors Among Adolescents in Saudi Arabia: The Role of Self-Esteem, Emotional Intelligence and Moral Disengagement
type: CreativeWork
description: Problem Bullying issues are increasing among school-age children worldwide. Children and adolescents involved in bullying as victims, perpetrators, or both are likely to experience negative consequences on their emotional, social, and academic levels (Espelage & Holt, 2001). In spite of the increasing research on bullying in Saudi Arabia, there exists gaps in the literature, especially in the role of individual traits (self-esteem, emotional intelligence) and cognitive processes (moral disengagement) on bullying behavior. Additionally, using modeling analysis to understand the predictive factors affecting bullying involvement processes also filled in some of the gaps in the literature. The current study investigated the prevalence of bullying behavior and gender differences in bullying behavior. In addition, the extent of the relationships among bullying behavior, self-esteem, emotional intelligence, and moral disengagement were examined, including how these variables predicted bullying behavior (victimization/perpetration), and mediated the relationship between moral disengagement and bullying. Method The current study was designed as a non-experimental quantitative research analysis, with data collected via survey methodology. The data was collected from 735 high school students (male/female) between 14 and 19 years old who were attending public high schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the 2022 academic year. Participants completed a self-report survey measuring their (a) demographic background information, (b) bullying behaviors (BCS-A), (c) moral disengagement (MDS), (d) self-esteem (RSES), and (f) emotional intelligence (WLEIS). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to examine gender differences, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the structure of relationships among the study variables. Results Regarding the prevalence of victimization, 20.8% of students reported being involved in verbal bullying…
abstract: Problem Bullying issues are increasing among school-age children worldwide. Children and adolescents involved in bullying as victims, perpetrators, or both are likely to experience negative consequences on their emotional, social, and academic levels (Espelage & Holt, 2001). In spite of the increasing research on bullying in Saudi Arabia, there exists gaps in the literature, especially in the role of individual traits (self-esteem, emotional intelligence) and cognitive processes (moral disengagement) on bullying behavior. Additionally, using modeling analysis to understand the predictive factors affecting bullying involvement processes also filled in some of the gaps in the literature. The current study investigated the prevalence of bullying behavior and gender differences in bullying behavior. In addition, the extent of the relationships among bullying behavior, self-esteem, emotional intelligence, and moral disengagement were examined, including how these variables predicted bullying behavior (victimization/perpetration), and mediated the relationship between moral disengagement and bullying. Method The current study was designed as a non-experimental quantitative research analysis, with data collected via survey methodology. The data was collected from 735 high school students (male/female) between 14 and 19 years old who were attending public high schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the 2022 academic year. Participants completed a self-report survey measuring their (a) demographic background information, (b) bullying behaviors (BCS-A), (c) moral disengagement (MDS), (d) self-esteem (RSES), and (f) emotional intelligence (WLEIS). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to examine gender differences, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the structure of relationships among the study variables. Results Regarding the prevalence of victimization, 20.8% of students reported being involved in verbal bullying…
author: Hamzah, Ayat
keywords: Bullying, Adolescents, Saudi Arabia, Self-Esteem, Emotional Intelligence, Moral Disengagement, Educational Psychology, Personality and Social Contexts, Psychology
date published: 2023-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:54:19Z
provider: Andrews University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Andrews University