Being immigrant as factor risk to be bullied: An Italian study on individual characteristics and group processes

Journal title MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA
Author/s Simona C. S. Caravita, Elisa Donghi, Annalisa Banfi, Federica Meneghini
Publishing Year 2016 Issue 2016/1
Language Italian Pages 29 P. 59-87 File size 192 KB
DOI 10.3280/MAL2016-001004
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Discriminatory bullying against immigrant is still little studied in Italy. This study aims at investigating whether, in the Italian schools, immigrants are more bullied than natives, whether different dimensions of peer-status are associated to increased risk to be bullied for the immigrants, and whether individual and group factors, especially related to selfjustification for bullying against immigrants, are linked to role behaviors in bullying. Participants were 711 pupils of elementary and middle school. Immigrants have been found to be more bullied than their peers. Among immigrants, being younger and less accepted by peers was linked to higher levels of victimization. Furthermore, moral disengagement for bullying against immigrants was linked to higher helping and reinforcing bullies, especially in classrooms in which immigrants actually were victims. There is, hence, the need to develop interventions against discriminatory bullying for immigrants, which also address discriminatory cognitions.

Keywords: Immigration, discriminatory bullying, moral disengagement, peer-group.

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Simona C. S. Caravita, Elisa Donghi, Annalisa Banfi, Federica Meneghini, Essere immigrati come fattore di rischio per la vittimizzazione nel bullismo: uno studio italiano su caratteristiche individuali e processi di gruppo in "MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA" 1/2016, pp 59-87, DOI: 10.3280/MAL2016-001004