[Bullying amongst students attending state basic and middle schools].
OBJECTIVE
Determining the characteristics and level of bullying in state schools in Ciudad Bolivar (Locality 19) in Bogotá, Colombia.


METHODS
A sample of 3 226 basic education students was taken, the students being in the sixth to eleventh grades in state schools in the locality of Ciudad Bolivar in Bogotá. The data was collected by applying a survey in which the perception of bullying in the schools was established. SPSS 14.0 was used for statistical analysis.


RESULTS
This research took statistical results indicating the level of indifference, aggressiveness and other kinds of violence in the schools. The initial conclusion was that a high percent of students were rejected and humiliated by their peers. The level of bullying depended on the students' scholastic level rather than their socioeconomic level. Bullying situations such as giving students nicknames which they did not like or not including them in class activities were more frequent in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Overall, intensity and strategic indices revealed that school is a place where each day brings more suffering, where many violent situations may arise thereby making students feel afraid and that this affects the children's life for a high percentage of the students.


CONCLUSIONS
The student community from the locality of Ciudad Bolivar in Bogotá, Colombia, is affected by a high number of bullying situations.
Departamento de Estadística, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. ecepedac@unal.edu.co
Edilberto
E
Cepeda-Cuervo
Pedro N
PN
Pacheco-Durán
Liliana
L
García-Barco
Claudia J
CJ
Piraquive-Peña
D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression; D002648:Child; D003105:Colombia; D003625:Data Collection; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence; D055815:Young Adult