The cross-sectional correlates and longitudinal predictors of involvement in violent and bullying behavior among adolescents and young adults: evidence from India

• Published in: Journal of public health Vol. 32; no. 11; pp. 2059 - 2072
• Main Authors: Muhammad, T., Maurya, Chanda, Thakkar, Shriya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.11.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescents; Adults; Aggressive behavior; Bullying; Correlation; Drug abuse; Epidemiology; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Information processing; Longitudinal studies; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Original Article; Public Health; Regression analysis; Teenagers; Tobacco; Violence; Young adults; India; Violent and bullying behavior; Young adults; Adolescents; India
• ISSN: 2198-1833; 1613-2238
• DOI: 10.1007/s10389-023-01945-x

Background In low-resource settings, there is a dearth of research focusing on different predictors of involvement in violent and bullying behaviors among the youth. In this study, we attempt to investigate the cross-sectional correlates and longitudinal predictors of violent and bullying behavior among adolescents and young adults in India. Methods Data presented in this paper were drawn from a longitudinal study of adolescents aged 10–19 years ['Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA)'] conducted in two major states of India —Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The analysis reported in this paper utilized information from 4428 adolescent boys and 11,864 adolescent girls. We performed separate multivariable logistic regression analyses for both cross-sectional and longitudinal samples to examine the associations between explanatory and outcome variables. Results The significant correlates of violent and bullying behaviours in the cross-sectional analysis included male gender, not co-residing with parents, having a family member who consumes alcohol, tobacco, or drugs and showing depressive symptoms [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.5; p  < 0.001 and AOR: 1.4; p  < 0.001] and tobacco consumption among the respondents (AOR: 1.7; p  < 0.001 and AOR: 1.9; p  < 0.001). On the other hand, significant longitudinal predictors of initiating violent (AOR: 1.21; p  < 0.05) and bullying behavior (AOR: 1.38; p  < 0.001) included having an alcoholic family member. Limitations The scope of our data was restricted to the regional level, and the utilization of self-reported measures may have introduced potential reliability concerns and biases to our investigation. Conclusion The findings indicate that various challenges experienced by adolescents, such as lack of parental presence, unfavourable peer relationships, familial substance abuse, and depressive symptoms, are associated with an increased likelihood of involvement in violent and bullying behavior.