The Gendered Impacts of Bullying on Mental Health Among Adolescents in Low- And Middle-Income Countries

Working with USAID, YouthPower Learning led a multi-country analysis of GSHS to investigate the associations between bullying, violence and other risk and protective factors that contribute to poor mental health among in-school adolescent girls and boys (ages 13–17). USAID was interested in investigating the gendered drivers of poor mental health and its association with other health and development outcomes including substance use, sexual activity, violence and suicide. This study includes data from six countries from different regions around the world—Cambodia, El Salvador, Ghana, Iraq, Maldives, and Swaziland—that participated in the GSHS between 2009 and 2013. The GSHS assesses a broad range of health behaviors (including mental health, sexual and reproductive health questions, and protective factors) for in-school adolescents.