Influence of School Bullying on Mental Health of Students in Delta Central Senatorial Districts in Delta State

The study examined influence of school bullying on mental health of students in Delta central senatorial districts in Delta State. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study and a sample size of 375 students were involved in the study. A questionnaire titled “School Bullying on Mental Health Rating Scale (SBMHRS)” which contains physical Bullying Rating Scale (BRS), Verbal Bullying Rating Scale (VBRS) and Relational Bullying Rating Scale (RBRS). Cronbach Alpha was used to obtain the internal consistency of the instrument. Reliability indices of 0.71 for physical bullying, 0.94 for verbal bullying, and 0.67 for relational bullying were obtained. The data obtained were analyzed with mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and one way sample t-test was used to analyse the hypotheses. Based on the findings, it was concluded that physical bullying, verbal bullying and relational bullying influences the mental health of secondary school students. On the basis of the findings and conclusion of the study, it was recommended that the Post Primary Education Board in collaboration with the Ministry of Education should organize seminar for the students on various forms of bullying and their implications; Teachers should look keenly into the students behavior to identify bullies and victims of bullying; The principal together with the teachers can educate the students on disciplinary; measures to be taken if found wanting to discourage them from  indulging  in the act; Parents are advised not to use violence in the presence of their children when settling dispute.