The Relationship Between Bullying Cognitions and Subjective Well-Being at School in Secondary School Students: The Moderating Role of Gender

Cognitions related to bullying underlie violence, which is a common problem in schools. These cognitions negatively affect students' subjective well-being at school. Subjective well-being at school affects the overall well-being of the student as well as the school climate. The purpose of this study is to investigate how gender moderates the relationship between bullying cognition and subjective well-being among secondary school students. The research group consisted of a total of 340 secondary school students, 173 (50.7%) girls and 167 (49.3%) boys. Their ages range from 10 to 15 years and the mean age is 12.56. The data were gathered with a personal information form and a short school subjectivity scale for adolescents and a bullying-related cognition scale for children. Subjective well-being at school was significantly higher in girls, while cognition related to bullying was significantly higher in boys. Cognitions related to bullying differed significantly by grade level. Cognitions about bullying were found to be significantly higher in 6th grade than in 7th and 8th grades. Finally, gender was found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between bullying-related cognitions and subjective well-being at school.