Bullying e afetividade negativa em crianças e adolescentes

Abstract

Bullying and Negative Affectivity are widely discussed in psychology, especially in contexts involving children and adolescents. Negative Affectivity is a psychological construct composed of anxiety, depression, and stress. Evidence suggests that experiencing bullying may be associated with high levels of Negative Affectivity, contributing to increased psychological distress in this population. Therefore, the following question arose: How are bullying and its different forms of involvement (victimization and perpetration) related to Negative Affectivity in children and adolescents? Two studies were conducted to answer this question. Study 1 aimed to gather evidence of the factorial validity and accuracy of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - Youth Version (DASS-Y) measure for the Brazilian context. Exploratory factor analysis and Item Response Theory (IRT) were performed. The analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Jeffreys's Amazing Statistics Program (JASP), and R software, and included methods such as categorical factor analysis using the Diagonally Weighted Least Squares (DWLS) estimator and Item Response Theory (IRT), specifically the graded response model. The results confirmed the scale's three-factor structure (depression, anxiety, and stress), with adequate fit indicators (CFI = 0.91). The subscales demonstrated high internal consistency (α ranging from 0.85 to 0.87). Study 2 aimed to adapt and validate the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale - Youth Version (DASS-Y) in Brazil. The relationship between bullying and Negative Affectivity was also investigated. To achieve these objectives, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEA) were performed. The analyses were performed using SPSS, JASP, and R software. The results revealed a three-factor structure with adequate fit indices (CFI = 1.0, TLI = 1.0, RMSEA = 0.00). The inferential analyses identified that both bullying victimization and perpetration are associated with higher levels of Negative Affectivity. The structural analysis indicated that the tested model fit the observed data significantly better than the baseline model, providing strong statistical support for the model's robustness. The findings of this research offer relevant contributions, such as the validation of a psychometrically robust instrument to assess Negative Affectivity in Brazilian youth and the expansion of understanding of the impact of bullying on mental health. It is concluded that interventions should prioritize actions aimed at emotional support and coping strategies that mitigate the negative effects of bullying.