If we want to be mentally well, the power is in our hands. If we can strengthen our families, we can more easily cope with the challenges that come our way.
A recent study from BYU’s Computational Health Science Lab sheds light on a surprising truth: the key predictors of bullying might not be the typical ones we often suspect, like peer pressure or a student’s academic environment. Instead, new research emphasizes the influence of family dynamics. By analyzing data from over 350,000 Utah students over more than a decade, researchers are uncovering how the family environment shapes a child’s vulnerability to bullying.
Do you feel like you've been bullied?
Do you feel like ending your life?
Do you drink alcohol?
How often do you have dinner with your family?
Researchers gathered the project’s data from the Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA), a survey taken every other year by students in sixth through twelfth grade. Designed to assess various risks of bullying, such as emotional well-being, social experiences, and family dynamics, the survey information provides insight into what variables might potentially predict bullying victimization. Though several factors came to light, family dynamics played the most significant role in these outcomes. Students with challenging family situations were more likely to face bullying, and the severity of these issues appeared to increase the chances of victimization.
Though the study’s results are compelling, Tass is quick to point out that the study is not causal. “We’ve got to be careful to not confuse causation with association,” she explains. “Our study provided us with associations, but these results are not necessarily causal.” Still, Tass acknowledges that exploring the issue can bring awareness to those victims of bullying who might be struggling.
Now that the team has used the information in the PNA to conclude student vulnerability, they hope to provide schools with risk profiles that will help educators become more aware of those students who might need their help and attention, thereby preventing bullying from becoming an unfortunate hallmark in the lives of vulnerable students. Beyond that, the team believes that the study emphasizes the need to strengthen the family unit, and they hope to encourage others to employ programs like the Strengthening Families Program in local communities. “If we want to be mentally well, the power is in our hands,” Hanson points out. “If we can strengthen our families, we can more easily cope with the challenges that come our way.
The Computational Health Science Lab brought together a wide range of expertise for the study. Dr. Carl Hanson, from the Department of Public Health, contributes a health-focused perspective that shapes the research’s direction. Dr. Shannon Tass, from the Department of Statistics, complements this with her quantitative analysis expertise. Together, they are supported by Dr. Quinn Snell, from the Department of Computer Science whose experience with advanced modeling techniques helps filter and process the data.
Though the professors were integral to the project, undergraduate students played an essential role. “The students did the work,” says Tass. “We'd help with the writing and talk about some of the problems they'd encounter, but they were definitely the workhorses moving the project forward.” Students like Joshua Monsen (PH ’27) interpreted results, wrote the discussion and introduction sections of the published research paper, and explored related studies. They were also involved in the inception of the lab’s research question and had a major role in the data analysis. “Being part of this research group has been a very spiritual experience for me,” Monsen shares. “All the information we’ve uncovered about the essential nature of families really shows me how real and wonderful the Plan of Salvation is.” This collaborative environment has empowered Monsen to strengthen his testimony, contribute meaningfully to real-world science, and prepare for future research and professional careers.
“As a lab, we often sit around a table together and brainstorm how to best use the data we have,” Hanson shares. “Public health teaches us to ask ourselves, ‘What’s the pain of the day?’ What is society really struggling with, and how can we approach this problem using computer science methodology to better understand it?” As Dr. Hanson emphasizes, by addressing the real struggles faced by society and applying interdisciplinary approaches like those used in this study, we can begin to understand and tackle the root causes of bullying.