Bullying Victimisation and Self-Esteem Among Junior Secondary School Students in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria

Bullying in Nigerian schools is a prevalent yet systematically underreported problem with significant consequences for victims' psychological well-being, particularly during the formative junior secondary school years. In Sokoto State, where limited school psychological services and cultural norms of conflict normalisation compound the problem, empirical investigation is especially needed. This study examines the relationship between bullying victimisation and self-esteem among junior secondary school students in Sokoto State. A cross-sectional survey is applied to 250 students aged 10 to 15 years from six public junior secondary schools in three local government areas. The revised Olweus Bully-Victim Questionnaire and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale are administered in Hausa with support from trained research assistants. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and regression analysis are computed in SPSS. Available school psychology literature from North West Nigeria identifies verbal and relational bullying as the most prevalent forms, with significant negative effects on self-esteem, school belonging, and academic engagement. The Social Identity Theory and the Bioecological Model of bullying provide the theoretical framework. Findings are expected to confirm significant negative associations between victimisation frequency and self-esteem, with implications for anti-bullying policy development and counselling programme establishment in Sokoto State schools. Keywords: bullying, victimisation, self-esteem, junior secondary school, Sokoto State.