Bullying Victimization Among Ukrainian College Students: The Role of Family Communication and Satisfaction, Corporal Punishment and Child Abuse

Abstract

Bullying involves aggression that is proactive, intentional, and repeated in a relationship with unequal power. We assessed the association of recent bullying victimization with family processes during childhood using standardized measures in a sample of 1008 young adults attending 10 Ukrainian universities in Ukraine. Structural equation modeling was utilized to examine the associations between family communication and satisfaction, childhood corporal punishment and abuse, and adulthood bullying victimization. The majority of participants had been bullied by a peer or teacher (62.38%) and had a history of corporal punishment (63.46%). There were direct effects of child abuse and corporal punishment and family communication style on bullying victimization during young adulthood. The extent of satisfaction with students’ families of origin showed indirect effects. The results highlight the present needs of many students, as well as the risk factors associated with bullying victimization during their post-secondary education years.