School counselors’ self-efficacy in addressing bullying of students with disabilities in mainstream schools: predictors and implications

Background Research indicates that many anti-bullying programs are often not implemented effectively in schools. As result, bullying remains a significant issue in schools worldwide, with students with disabilities being particularly vulnerable to victimization. Therefore, this study aimed to: (1) investigate school counselors' perceived level of self-efficacy in addressing bullying; and (2) examine the extent to which selected sociodemographic characteristics, such as years of experience, academic specialization, training, gender and school-setting, predict it. Method This study employed a cross-sectional survey design, using School Counselors’ Self-Efficacy in Addressing Bullying Questionnaire. Data were collected through convenience sampling, comprising 99 school counselors across mainstream schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Result Findings indicate that, overall, counselors reported a moderate level of perceived self-efficacy in addressing bullying (M = 3.17, SD = 0.29). This indicates that school counselors were moderately confident in addressing bullying. The highest level of self-efficacy was observed for the ‘identification of bullying signs’ dimension (M = 4.08, SD = 0.52), whereas the lowest level was reported for the ‘intervention and collaboration’ dimension (M = 2.89, SD = 0.33). Multiple regression analysis revealed that years of experience ( β = .216, p = .006), training ( β = −.592, p .001), and academic specialization ( β = −.146, p = .035) significantly predicted self-efficacy in addressing bullying, accounting for 61.5% of the variance in the dependent variable; gender and school-setting were insignificant. Findings suggests that school counselors who have been trained, have more years of experience, and who are psychology specialists are more confident in addressing bullying of students with disabilities. Conclusion Findings of this study underscore the need to enhance counselors' self-efficacy through training programs that emphasize disability-related competencies, as well as competencies in bullying intervention, and collaboration, to enhance the effective implementation of anti-bullying programs. Future research may benefit from employing qualitative or mixed-methods approaches to gain deeper insight into school counselors’ experiences and practices in addressing bullying.