This study aims to investigate the association of bullying victimization of primary school students with their happiness in urban and rural areas of Thailand. A nationally representative survey from Thailand Healthy School Data 2017 was employed. A total of 7,825 students (age 6 to 12 years) from 160 schools in 9 regions were included in the analysis. Multistage probability random sampling was applied to select students enrolled and collected data through face-to-face interviews. About 49.7% of students had been bullied. Bullying victimization was higher among males (52.0%) and younger students. Bullying was also associated with urban/rural (x2 = 5.3, p = 0.021). Students who had been bullied were 28.0% less likely to be happy (p 0.000; CI 0.647–0.810). Bullying victimization has a significant negative effect on students’ happiness. The findings suggest that specific action should be taken by entities which directly contribute to the implementation of the education system in Thailand.
Health and Education Resource Centre