Persécution par les camarades et manifestations anxieuses chez des enfants français âgés de huit à douze ans

RésuméBut de l'étudeDe nombreux travaux anglo-saxons ont souligné la fréquence des violences entre enfants dans le cadre scolaire et démontré que celles-ci ont des conséquences psychologiques et psychopathologiques, parmi lesquelles les troubles anxieux sont particulièrement fréquents. Le but de cette étude est d'examiner les liens entre victimisation et manifestations anxieuses chez des enfants français.Participants et méthodeNous avons administré à 734 enfants de 8 à 12 ans (dont 387 filles) recrutés dans des écoles de Paris et de l'Ouest du bassin parisien, le questionnaire de Persécution par les camarades (PPC-17) qui évalue trois formes de victimisation (violence physique, mise à l'écart, insultes-moqueries) et le questionnaire de dépistage des troubles anxieux SCARED (Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders) qui évalue cinq syndromes anxieux : panique/somatique, anxiété généralisée, angoisse de séparation, anxiété sociale et phobie scolaire.RésultatsLes garçons déclarent subir plus de violence physique et les filles plus de violence psychologique. Les filles ont des scores plus élevés que les garçons aux échelles évaluant les syndromes anxieux. Presque toutes les formes de victimisation sont corrélées significativement avec tous les syndromes anxieux évalués par la SCARED. Ces corrélations se traduisent par un risque relatif de symptômes anxieux deux à cinq fois plus élevé chez les enfants les plus persécutés que chez les enfants subissant moins d'agressions.ConclusionÀ la lumière des apports de la recherche internationale, nous interprétons les associations observées dans le sens d'une augmentation du risque de manifestations anxieuses consécutif aux persécutions subies dans le cadre scolaire.

BackgroundBullying at school and its psychological and psychopathological consequences have been thoroughly investigated in English-speaking countries and northern Europe for more than 30 years. Initially focused on physical bullying, the perpetrators and victims of which are mainly boys, the research thereafter focused on psychological violence and involvement of girls into bullying and being bullied. Among the many different adverse effects of victimization, anxious disorders are frequently mentioned. However, little research having addressed these issues is available in France and the aim of this study was to examine the links between victimization and anxiety syndromes.MethodsA sample of 734 children aged 8 to 12 years (387 girls) was recruited in schools in the Paris district and Normandy. They completed the 17-item Harassment by Peers questionnaire (in French: Persécution par les Camarades [PPC-17]), a questionnaire assessing three forms of aggression suffered at school: physical violence, exclusion, and insults/mockery, and the French version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), which allows for assessment of panic/somatic disorder, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, and school phobia. The probability of having a high anxiety score (> percentile 90) among youths scoring high (> percentile 90) on the victimization scales was compared to that of their counterparts scoring lower than percentile 90.ResultsBoys disclosed having suffered more physical violence and girls more exclusion and insults-mockery. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on all SCARED scales, with the exception of school phobia. All scores of victimization were significantly, positively, and moderately correlated with scores of anxiety problems, with the only exception of social anxiety among girls. The probability to present a high level of anxiety was 2 to 5 times higher among the 10 % children having disclosed more victimization, and this relationship was higher among boys (from 3.70:1 for separation anxiety to 5:1 for generalized anxiety) than among girls (2.87:1 for generalized anxiety to 3:1 for panic/somatic). After adjustment, only exclusion and insults/mockery displayed a significant relationship with anxiety among girls. Exclusion with the total score and social anxiety, and insults/mockery with panic/somatic and generalized anxiety. Among boys, physical violence remained significantly related with generalized anxiety and separation anxiety. Exclusion was related with generalized anxiety, and insults/mockery with social anxiety.ConclusionThough this study was cross-sectional, which does not allow for etiological conclusions, it seems possible, based on the convergent findings of a huge amount of previous international research, to interpret our findings as demonstrating that being bullied is a risk factor that may multiply by 3 to 5 the probability of suffering from an anxiety syndrome.