Acoso escolar y autoestima en adolescentes neurodivergentes de la Unidad educativa Miguel Merchán Ochoa de la ciudad de Cuenca, 2023

Abstract

Bullying deeply affects children and teenagers with intellectual disability (ID) due to their physical vulnerability, their difficulties to develop social skills or the lack of acceptance of their diversity. Despite family and school being crucial agents on their inclusion processes, there is often limited data about this issue that could guide them on how to prevent bullying or how to support people with ID. The current study aimed to determine the relationship between bullying and self-esteem of neurodivergent teenagers of Unidad Educativa Miguel Merchan Ochoa (a high-school) in Cuenca, Ecuador. The project used a quantitative, non-experimental, transversal, and correlational method. Population consisted of 34 (n=34) teenagers previously diagnosed with ID from the school. The Rosenberg self-esteem questionnaire was used to assess self-esteem, while the European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (EBIPQ) was used to evaluate bullying. Results showed bullying and low rates of self-steem among neurodivergent students, despite of nor significant correlation found. These results shed a light on the work that has to be done towards inclusion, accepting differences and promoting respect among peers, especially regarding to neurodivergent ones.