Exploring the relation between self-efficacy and school bullying: The moderating role of personal factors

Bullying/victimization remains a significant issue within school environments, impacting millions of students worldwide and leading to enduring consequences on personal well-being and academic performance. This study sought to examine the moderating effects of demographic factors (gender, age, transfer status, Body Mass Index, and ethnicity) on the relationship between self-efficacy dimensions and both bullying and victimization forms. The sample comprised 2,427 Greek students (M = 12.92, SD = 1.46), including 1,216 females and 1,211 males, spanning from the 5th and 6th grades of primary school to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades of secondary school. multivariate analyses of variance, univariate analyses of variance, correlation analyses and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships and group differences across all dependent variables. Grounded in both Bandura's Social-Cognitive Theory and Social Identity Theory, the findings revealed that gender, age, transfer status, body mass index, and ethnicity may moderate the association between self-efficacy and bullying/victimization involvement. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the development of prevention and intervention strategies within school curricula aimed at addressing the phenomenon.