Association between school bullying, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation

The objective of this investigation was to estimate the relationship between bullying, depressive symptoms with clinical importance (DSCI) and high level of suicidal ideation level (HLSI) in adolescent students in Santa Marta, Colombia. A cross-sectional study was designed in which participated students between 10 and 17 years old, from sixth to eleventh grade. Students filled out a five-item version of the Abbreviated School Bullying Questionnaire, ASBQ, the ten-item version of the Center of Epidemiological Depression Studies, CES-D-10, and the Okasha scale for suicidality, OSS. A total of 350 students were included (M=13.3, SD=1.8), 188 women and 162 men, 236 middle school students and 114 high school students. A group of 58 (16.6%) students reported bullying, 59 (16.9%) DSCI and 33 (9.4%) HLSI. Bullying was significantly associated with HLSI (OR=3.1, 95%CI 1.3-7.9), after controlling for DSCI and gender. It is concluded that bullying is substantially associated with HLSI in a sample of students in Santa Marta, Colombia. Further research of this association is needed.