Correlation between the level of victimization and the quality of family interaction, school attachment, and social self-efficacy

Anna Alajbeg

Summary:  The aim of this paper is to analyze and explain the correlations between the level of victimization and the quality of family interaction, school attachment, and social self-efficacy. The study included 715 students (54% girls and 46% boys) from both seventh (N = 370) and eighth (N = 345) grades from different regions of the Republic of Croatia; the average age was 13.22 years (SD = 0.664). Along with the General Data Questionnaire, measuring instruments used for this paper were the Quality of Family Interaction Scale (KOBI), the School Bonding Scale, the School Anxiety Scale, the Social Self-Efficacy Scale, and the adapted Participant Role Questionnaire (PRQ). A descriptive analysis showed that the largest number of victims experienced verbal (occasionally: 48.8%; often: 18.6%) and relational violence (occasionally: 30.6%; often: 12.3%). The correlation analysis showed a weak but statistically significant negative correlation between the quality of family interaction and the level of victimization, a negative correlation between school bonding and fear of school with the level of victimization, and a negative correlation between social self-efficacy and the level of victimization. The results of this research may serve as a great starting point for further research and may pose important implications for creating preventive programs to reduce and prevent both bullying and cyberbullying nationwide.