Bullying and cyberbullying victimization in adolescent migrants: emotional adjustment and school belonging as protective factors

Bullying and cyberbullying represent significant challenges for schools worldwide, particularly affecting migrant adolescents and hindering their integration into host countries. These issues may be shaped by youths’ sense of school belonging and emotional adjustment. However, limited research has examined how these factors influence bullying and cyberbullying among migrant populations. This cross-sectional study examined the associations between school belonging, emotional adjustment, and traditional and cyberbullying victimization, with a particular focus on migrant status. Participants were 4,014 secondary school students in La Rioja, Spain. Results indicated that migrant students had higher odds of experiencing both traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization than their non-migrant peers (24% and 69%, respectively). Importantly, these differences were substantially attenuated after accounting for school belonging, emotional adjustment, and relevant background factors (i.e., age, gender, SES, and academic performance). A stronger sense of school belonging and fewer emotional difficulties were consistently associated with a lower likelihood of victimization, regardless of migrant status. These findings suggest that both factors operate as general protective mechanisms rather than as migrant-specific moderators of bullying and cyberbullying victimization, thereby underscoring their relevance for interventions in multicultural school contexts.