School Bullying:
Prevention and Intervention
Facts about bullying
•
Bullying
is a common form of violence in our society.
•
Between
15 and 30 percent of students are bullies or victims.
•
A
study of over 15,000 6-10th graders estimates that
–
3.7
million youths engage in moderate or serious bullying
each year.
–
more than 3.2 million are victims of moderate or serious
bullying each year.
(American Medical Association, 2001)
What is
bullying?
•
Directing
physical, verbal or psychological aggression or harassment towards others who
cannot defend themselves, with the goal of gaining power or dominating another
individual.
•
Bullying
involves a spectrum of aggressive behaviors that ranges from overt acts of
physical violence to more subtle (yet equally destructive) patterns of verbal
or relational cruelty.
•
Bullying
behavior is not caused by one factor, but generally results from multiple
influences in a child’s environment, including:
Family factors School factors Peer
group factors
Amount of adult
supervision Staff
ignoring behavior Promoting bullying
Children observing
parents/siblings Staff providing
negative feedback Trying to “fit in”
Who is involved?
•
Considered
more prevalent in boys than girls. However, the prevalence is more evenly
distributed when considering indirect aggression (e.g., verbal threats).
•
Victims
signal to others that they are insecure, primarily passive, and will not
retaliate if they are attacked. Consequently, bullies often target children who
complain, appear physically or emotionally weak, and seek attention from peers.
Studies also show that victims have a higher prevalence of overprotective
parents or school personnel; as a result, they often fail to develop their own
effective coping skills. Many victims long for approval and even after being
rejected, some continue to make ineffective attempts to interact with the
victimizer.
WHERE DOES
BULLYING OCCUR?
•
Bullying
is two to three times more likely to occur at school as on the way to and from
school.
Bullying takes place:
•
in
the classroom,
•
on
the playground,
•
in
hallways,
•
in
gyms,
•
in
locker rooms, and
•
in bathrooms.
IMPACT OF
BULLYING
•
Membership
in either bully or victim groups is associated with school drop out, poor
psychosocial adjustment, criminal activity and other negative long-term
consequences.
•
Bullying
can create a climate of fear and anxiety for both victims and bystanders.
•
Both
bullies and victims show higher rates of fighting than their peers.
•
Chronic
victims report physical and mental health problems,
may develop depression or low self-esteem, may bring weapons to school, and may
contemplate suicide more often than non-bullied peers.
WHAT SCHOOLS AND PARENTS CAN DO
•
Traditional
responses to bullying have been ineffective. Reactive measures (such as
installing metal detectors and the surveillance cameras) have little tangible
positive results. Instead, researchers advocate school-wide prevention programs
that promote a positive school and community climate. Such programs require the
participation and commitment of students, parents, educators, and members of
the community.
ROLE OF SCHOOLS
1.
Provide early intervention. Intervention should begin as
early as preschool. Social skills training is
recommended in addition to counseling and systematic aggression interventions
for those exhibiting bullying and victim behaviors.
2.
Balance discipline with
behavioral supports.
Establish clear consistent consequences for bullying behavior that all children
understand. Discipline should address the behavior and its underlying causes. Incorporating
positive behavioral interventions with loss of privileges or other consequences
will do more to change students’ behavior than approaches based solely on
punishment.
3.
Support parents’ efforts to
teach their children good social skills. Parents should be aware of the resources available
through the schools.
4.
Equip teachers and school staff
with prevention and intervention skills. All school personnel should be trained to prevent and
intervene immediately with bullying behaviors. Staff should provide
supervision, model appropriate behaviors, and be trained to recognize
victimization.
5.
Change attitudes toward
bullying. School
personnel should NEVER ignore or minimize bullying behaviors. The attitude that
bullying is a normal part of growing up must be changed.
6.
Empower students to support
each other.
Teaching children to work together to stand up to a bully, encouraging them to
reach out to excluded peers, celebrating acts of kindness, and reinforcing the
availability of adult support can transform what experts call the “silent
majority” into a “caring majority” of students who become part of the
anti-bullying solution.
7.
Create a positive school
environment.
School rules should be easily understood. Adults should be visible and vigilant
in common areas. Children must trust that an adult can and will help them if
they are bullied.
ROLE OF PARENTS
8.
Be aware of changes in your child’s
behavior or attitudes. Children who are bullied may become withdrawn or reluctant to go
to school. They may experience physical symptoms such as headaches,
stomachaches, or problems sleeping.
9.
Let the school know if your
child is being bullied.
10.
Teach your child strategies to
counter bullying. Useful
strategies include standing up for themselves verbally, such as saying “I don’t
like what you said/or did,” using humor, thinking of positive images or
statements to bolster self-esteem; and getting help from an adult.
11.
Begin teaching good social
skills early. The
pattern of bullying can begin as young as age two. Praise your child for
appropriate social behaviors and model interactions that do not include
bullying or aggression.
12.
Foster positive social relationships
and activities. Help
your child identify peers with whom they get along. Suggest things they can do
together.
13.
Use alternative to physical
punishment. Children
who are spanked too harshly or too often learn that physical aggression is
okay. Consistent alternatives, such as the removal of privileges or additional
chores, serve as more effective consequences for inappropriate behavior.
14.
Stop any bullying behavior
immediately. Supervising
children is important. Intervene as bullying behavior is happening and have the
child practice alternative behaviors.
This
information was developed based upon information from the National Association
of School Psychologists web resources at www.nasponline.org
Further resources on bullying: