Bullying and its influence on well-being in adopted adolescents

Abstract

Despite the large body of evidence on bullying, little attention has been paid to adoptees, who represent a population more vulnerable to experiencing problems in peer relationships and school adjustment. This study presents the results from the Spanish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study. We studied bullying among 251 adopted and 753 non-adopted adolescents aged between 11 and 15 years and its relationship with their well-being. We analyzed different roles (bully, victim, and bully-victim) and types of bullying (physical, verbal, relational, and cyberbullying). In addition, we explored possible differences concerning the type of adoption (domestic or intercountry). The results show that domestic adoptees usually experience more bullying, whereas intercountry adoptees showed no differences compared with non-adoptees. On the other hand, the relationship between bullying and well-being is virtually identical for both types of adoptees and non-adoptees. Thus, adoption alone does not seem to be a risk factor for bullying. It is the particular circumstances surrounding each type of adoption what can put adolescents at a greater risk. Teachers should consider paying special attention to instances of bullying involving domestic adoptees in order to improve their peer relationships.