University victims of bullying: A study of temporal and situational factors

Abstract

Bullying at university level has lacked the same prominence as in previous stages despite being a reality. For this reason, the aim of this study was to analyze the presence of victims of bullying among university students depending on sociodemographic variables as well as temporal and situational factors. To this end, the Questionnaire on Harassment among University Students (QAEU) was administered to 765 participants who were studying at a university of the southeast of Spain, both undergraduate (83.7%) and Master's or other studies. This psychometric tool collected information on sociodemographic variables, place (class or outside the classroom), and time (during group work, in class or at another time). The results showed that 35.4% of women and 26.7% of men in the group of victims of bullying were in the fourth year of a Grade. The direct aggressions occurred even while teaching (3.3% in men and 1.1% in women), also occurring outside the classroom and during group work. The conclusions derived from this study support the need for detecting and intervening on bullying among university students, as was done in previous stages. Similarly, it is necessary to design and implement both proactive and reactive programs that have a rapid impact on the phenomenon described.