Prevalence of Bullying and Its Relation with Social-Emotional Skills, Problem Solving Skills and Depression in First High School Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of bullying victimization bullying and its correlation with social-emotional skills, problem-solving skills, and depression in middle school students. This is a correlational and descriptive study. The study population consists of all students of the first-grade middle school of city of Bukan. The sample has been chosen by cluster sampling method of 525 people. The data were collected by using illinois bullying questionnaire, Heppner problem-solving skills, child and young depression (CADS), and social-emotional skills (SEL). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression by spss24. The results showed that bullying behaviors with total score of problem solving (p=0.001, r =-0.25) and self-confidence (p=0.000, r=-0.21), self-control (p=0.002 r=-0.25) tendency to problem solving (p=0.000, r=-0.27) and total score social-emotional skills (p=0.02, r=-0.13) and the components of self-organizing (p=0.009, r=-0.14) self-regulation (p=0.003, r=-0.12) and relationships with peer (p=0.03, r=-0.10) have negative correlation. But there is a positive correlation with depression (p=0.006, r=0.16) and avoidance of problem solving (p=0.005, r=0.20). The results of regression analysis also showed that solving problem (β=0.19) and emotional social skills(β=0.71) and depression (β=0.10) were reliable predictors in the regression model. Findings indicate that bullying can be predicted based on variables of depression (positive correlation), social-emotional skills (negative correlation), and problem-solving skills (negative correlation). These results can be considered in clinical interventions for students and used as preventive variables.