Sociodemographic factors and the experiences of school bullying : a study of bullied students in grades 10-12 in Kabul, Afghanistan

Abstract

Decades of war in Afghanistan have significantly increased violence in the society. Violence has become a normalized part of daily life, characterizing, influencing, or shaping nearly all their social interactions. According to research, adolescents who experience violence in their daily lives often develop pro-aggressive moral cognitions, which can significantly raise their likelihood of being involved in bullying behavior. Despite bullying being an important topic and a form of violence against children, there has been little research on it in Afghanistan, particularly in Kabul, the capital city, with its diverse socio-demographic background. Therefore, this thesis research explored the experience of bullying and how sociodemographic factors such as age, ethnicity, language, and religious beliefs shape the nature of bullying experiences among 10 students in grades 10-12 in Kabul, Afghanistan. This study applied a qualitative research methodology. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students and teachers' perspectives. Thematic analysis was applied to identify recurring patterns in the data. The findings of this study revealed that students are often experiencing bullying in their schools, with verbal bullying happening almost every day and physical bullying taking place twice or more in a week. The results also show that bullying in their schools takes several forms, including verbal, physical, and social, with verbal and physical bullying being the most common among students. Regarding locations where bullying occurs, classrooms and hallways are identified as the main places where bullying occurs, while the schoolyard is mentioned as being reported less frequently than the other two places. Regarding certain sociodemographic factors such as age, ethnicity, language, and religious belief roles on bullying experiences of students, the findings revealed that students belonging to the Hazara and Uzbek ethnic groups are experiencing ethnic bullying in their schools. In the case of accent, students from various language groups stated that they were verbally bullied because of the way they spoke. About religious bullying, students who identified themselves as the Shia Islamic sect mentioned that they experienced religious-based bullying in their schools. In the case of age, students experienced bullying from the same age group and seniors.