Prevalence and sociodemographic predictors of bullying among university students in Jordan: a cross-sectional study

Abstract:?? Objective: To determine the prevalence of bullying among university students in Jordan. The study also aims to identify potential predictors of bullying within the context of university students in Jordan. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a convenience sampling method was conducted with 350 university students from 3 institutions (2 public and 1 private), who participated in this study. Data were collected through a self-reported questionnaire. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, and multivariate linear regression was executed through the SPSS program (version 26) (IBM Corporation, Armonk, New York, United States) at 5% level of significance. Results: The findings revealed that 30% of the surveyed students reported never experiencing bullying, 41.1% indicated rare exposure, 20% reported occasional bullying, 4.3% noted frequent exposure, and 4.6% reported constant exposure. Statistical analysis identified university and academic year as significant predictors of bullying. The university exhibited significance (B = ?0.403, P ? 0.05), while the academic year was also a significant predictor (B = 0.213, P ? 0.05). Conclusions: Given the prevalence and predictors identified, this study recommends the implementation of policies in universities to safeguard students from bullying. These policies should specifically target the most affected individuals.