Measurement of the bystander intervention model for bullying and sexual harassment

Although peer bystanders can exacerbate or prevent bullying and sexual harassment, research has been hindered by the absence of a validated assessment tool to measure the process and sequential steps of the bystander intervention model. A measure was developed based on the five steps of Latané and Darley’s (1970) bystander intervention model applied to bullying and sexual harassment. Confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 562 secondary school students confirmed the five-factor structure of the measure. Structural equation modeling revealed that all the steps were influenced by the previous step in the model, as the theory proposed. In addition, the bystander intervention measure was positively correlated with empathy, attitudes toward bullying and sexual harassment, and awareness of bullying and sexual harassment facts. This measure can be used for future research and to inform intervention efforts related to the process of bystander intervention for bullying and sexual harassment.     

Association between Bullying and Mental Health Status in New Zealand Adolescents

This study investigates the association between mental health status and chronic bullying. Findings are based on a cross-sectional survey of 3,265 randomly selected secondary school students. Students were classified as having experienced chronic bullying if they had experienced any of the following five or more times during the previous six months while at school: physical violence, verbal teasing, sexual harassment and racist comments. Analysis showed that bullied students had lower self-esteem, suffered more from depression, stress and hopelessness, and were more likely to think about and attempt self-harm and suicide than others. Our findings suggest that young people in New Zealand secondary schools are experiencing significant levels of mental distress. Addressing violence in the school setting is important, as positive mental health is a prerequisite for the social, academic and physical achievements of young people in a school environment.     

Interventions to reduce school bullying.

In the last 2 decades, school bullying has become a topic of public concern and research around the world. This has led to action to reduce the problem. We review interventions targeted at the school level (for example, whole school policy, classroom climate, peer support, school tribunal, and playground improvement), at the class level (for example, curriculum work), and at the individual level (for example, working with specific pupils). Effectiveness of interventions has been sporadically assessed. We review several systematically evaluated, large-scale, school-based intervention programs. Their effectiveness has varied, and we consider reasons for this. We suggest ways to improve the evaluation and comparability of studies, as well as the effectiveness of future interventions.     

Enhancing Student Attitudes via a Brief, Universal-Level Bullying Prevention Curriculum

Bullying is a salient challenge for children and schools around the world, appearing to be especially prevalent at the middle-school level. Contemporary research reveals an exigent need for systematic programing that aims to reduce and prevent bullying via promoting awareness, attitudes, and skills that facilitate the development of positive peer relationships and positive school climates. Considering this need, the present quasi-experimental study examined the effects of a relatively new, brief, universal-level bullying prevention curriculum on middle-school students’ general attitudes toward bullying and perceptions of their school bullying supports. Results indicated statistically significant enhancement of prosocial attitudes for intervention-group students compared to control-group students, with small effect sizes. Feasibility and social validity outcomes indicated that the intervention was implemented with adequate fidelity and that its goals, procedures, and outcomes were perceived as appropriate. The interpretation, limitations, and implications of these results for practice are discussed herein.     

Predictors of Bullying among 10 to 11 Year Old School Students in Australia

Cross-sectional data collected at baseline from the Grade 6 cohort of the Friendly Schools, Friendly Families Project (n = 1,257) were analysed to investigate differences in self-reported attitudes and behaviours of students who reported bullying regularly and occasionally compared with those who reported never bullying others. This study found some similarities and some differences between students who reported bullying regularly and those who reported bullying occasionally, supporting the need to consider both groups when developing school-based bullying interventions. Attitudes to bullying, social and emotional health, peer support and being bullied were predictors of both regular and occasional bullying. The findings of this study support the need for universal bullying prevention interventions targeting the whole school community, including specific selective and indicated strategies, to effect a change in bullying behaviours.     

Participant role approach to school bullying: implications for interventions.

This paper describes practical implications of the participant role approach to bullying in schools. This view looks at bullying as a group phenomenon which is largely enabled and maintained by members of a school class taking on different participant roles (such as assistants of the bully, reinforcers of the bully, or outsiders). Since peers are involved in bullying in different ways, and seem to be powerful moderators of behaviour in a school class, this "peer group power" should also be utilized in putting an end to bullying. In interventions targeting the whole peer group it is peers that, after initial adult encouragement and training, take action against bullying. This happens informally, in their spontaneous everyday intractions. Peers can also be utilized in formal helper roles, as peer counsellors. It is suggested that the focus of counselling could be shifted from supporting the victims towards also working with students in other participant roles.     

Peer involvement in bullying: insights and challenges for intervention.

The purpose of this research was to examine the peer processes that occur during bullying episodes on the school playground. These processes were examined from a social learning perspective, allowing us to consider the effects of various types of reinforcement among bullies, victims, and peers. Fifty-three segments of video tape were examined. Each segment contained a peer group (two or more peers) that viewed bullying on the school playground. Peers were coded for actively joining or passively reinforcing the bully, and for actively intervening on behalf of the victim. On average, four peers viewed the schoolyard bullying, with a range from two to 14 peers. Averaged across all episodes, peers spent 54% of their time reinforcing bullies by passively watching, 21% of their time actively modelling bullies, and 25% of their time intervening on behalf of victims. Older boys (grades 4-6) were more likely to actively join with the bully than were younger boys (grades 1-3) and older girls. Both younger and older girls were more likely to intervene on behalf of victims than were older boys. The results were interpreted as confirming peers' central roles in the processes that unfold during playground bullying episodes. We discuss the results in terms of the challenges posed to peer-led interventions. Peers' anti-bullying initiatives must be reinforced by simultaneous whole-school interventions.     

Preliminary Evaluation of a School-Based Youth Leadership and Prevention Program in Rural Alaska Native Communities

Youth Leaders Program (YLP) is a health intervention implemented in a rural Alaskan school district, which utilizes natural helpers and peer leaders to increase protective factors such as school engagement and personal/cultural identities, and to reduce risks associated with drug/alcohol abuse, violence, and bullying. Through these means, the program aims to ultimately decrease the disproportionately high rates of indigenous youth suicide in the region. This paper describes process and outcome evaluation findings from the program during the 2013–2014 school year. Data collected include a survey for program participants done at the beginning and end of the study year (n = 61, complete pairs); pre- and post-intervention school data (attendance, GPA, and disciplinary actions) (n = 86); an all-school survey asking students at the participating schools about their experience with YLP and participating youth (n = 764); interviews with program advisors (n = 11) and school principals (n = 2); and focus groups with participating students at all eleven participating schools at the end of the year. Outcomes included increased school attendance (mean attendance increased from 146 to 155 days) and improved academic performance (mean GPA of 8th, 9th, and 10th graders increased from 3.01 to 3.14) of program participants; positive peer reviews of participating student interventions in cases of bullying, depression, and suicidality; and a reported increase in the sense of agency, responsibility, and confidence among participating youth. The YLP appears to improve school climate and increase school and other protective factors for participating students. Recommendations for program implementation in the future and implications for school health will be discussed.     

Traumatismes cumulatifs,harcèlement dans l’enfance et retrait social/hikikomori du jeune adulte

This study illustrates the association between childhood trauma, usually school bullying and/or sexual abuse, and social withdrawal conduct. A bibliographic review with the keywords: hikikomori, claustration, sexual abuse, trauma, childhood, social withdrawal, social isolation, child abuse, psychological trauma and motors HealthPsy, Lissa, Google Scholar, PubMed, PBSC in French and English was made at the library of the hospital Sainte-Anne, the main references found here are studied, the commentary of the documentalist being “very little results”. Two observations of young adults in social withdrawal who reported their repeated victim status in the school environment are used. The classic definition of harassment/bullying here appears too narrow in relation to the reported suffering of these victims formerly known as “pain-sufferers”. Social withdrawal is directly related to these traumatic situations. In addition, we note a constant, which is that of the questioning by these young people of society as the origin of all their difficulties.     

Prevention and early intervention to improve mental health in higher education students: a review

Background: The age at which most young people are in higher education is also the age of peak onset for mental and substance use disorders, with these having their first onset before age 24 in 75% of cases. In most developed countries, over 50% of young people are in higher education. Aims: To review the evidence for prevention and early intervention in mental health problems in higher education students. The review was limited to interventions targeted to anxiety, depression and alcohol misuse. Methods: Interventions to review were identified by searching PubMed, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Interventions were included if they were designed to specifically prevent or intervene early in the general (non-health professional) higher education student population, in one or more of the following areas: anxiety, depression or alcohol misuse symptoms, mental health literacy, stigma and one or more behavioural outcomes. Results: For interventions to prevent or intervene early for alcohol misuse, evidence of effectiveness is strongest for brief motivational interventions and for personalized normative interventions delivered using computers or in individual face-to-face sessions. Few interventions to prevent or intervene early with depression or anxiety were identified. These were mostly face-to-face, cognitive–behavioural/skill-based interventions. One social marketing intervention to raise awareness of depression and treatments showed some evidence of effectiveness. Conclusions: There is very limited evidence that interventions are effective in preventing or intervening early with depression and anxiety disorders in higher education students. Further studies, possibly involving interventions that have shown promise in other populations, are needed.     

Bullying,Cyberbullying, and Suicide

Empirical studies and some high-profile anecdotal cases have demonstrated a link between suicidal ideation and experiences with bullying victimization or offending. The current study examines the extent to which a nontraditional form of peer aggression—cyberbullying—is also related to suicidal ideation among adolescents. In 2007, a random sample of 1,963 middle-schoolers from one of the largest school districts in the United States completed a survey of Internet use and experiences. Youth who experienced traditional bullying or cyberbullying, as either an offender or a victim, had more suicidal thoughts and were more likely to attempt suicide than those who had not experienced such forms of peer aggression. Also, victimization was more strongly related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors than offending. The findings provide further evidence that adolescent peer aggression must be taken seriously both at school and at home, and suggest that a suicide prevention and intervention component is essential within comprehensive bullying response programs implemented in schools.     

Bullying victimization and emotional distress: is there strength in numbers for vulnerable youth?

ObjectiveThe present study examines whether the prevalence of vulnerable peers in school protects the emotional health of youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning (LGBQ), overweight, or have a disability, and if the adverse emotional effects of bullying victimization are mitigated by the presence of these peers.MethodsSurvey data come from a large school-based sample of adolescents attending 505 schools. The primary independent variable was the percent of students in school with each vulnerability characteristic. Multilevel logistic regression models estimated the odds of internalizing problems, self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among students who were LGBQ, overweight or had a disability. Cross-level interaction terms were added to determine if the association between being victimized and emotional distress was moderated by the presence of vulnerable peers.ResultsGreater presence of similar students was, on average, protective against emotional distress for LGBQ girls and overweight boys. In contrast, greater presence of students with a disability was, on average, a risk factor among girls with a disability. Several tests of effect modification indicated that odds of emotional distress for those who had been victimized were lower in schools with a higher proportion of vulnerable youth.ConclusionsThe presence of a similar peer group may increase the likelihood that a bystander or witness to bullying will react in a helpful way. School personnel, health care providers and other youth service professionals should inquire about social relationships at school, including experiences of harassment and perceptions of peer support, to buffer negative experiences.     

上海市中学生心理健康状况与生活事件之间关系的横断面研究(英文)

背景 在国内,学生的人口学特征及负性生活事件与其心理健康的关系尚未得到充分的研究。目的 评估中学生中各种生活应激事件的发生率,确定与中学生自我感知的心理健康问题密切相关的人口学特征和生活事件的类型。方法 采用分层随机抽样的方法进行横断面调查,抽取上海市2个区4所中学共1818名学生,应用2种自评问卷进行评估:长处与困难问卷(Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire,SDQ)学生版和用于评估11项负性生活事件的简易版青少年生活事件量表(Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist,ASLEC)。结果 中学生报告的常见负性生活事件为学习压力(74%),受到批评(66%),家庭冲突(29%)以及受人欺负、歧视或人际关系紧张(26%),但是这些事件的发生率因学生的性别、学校类型以及所处城郊位置不同而有所差异。同样,不同组别的学生其生活事件所致心理应激水平、心理困难总分以及社会行为水平亦有所不同。多因素线性回归分析表明,评估前6个月内心理困难的独立预测因素依次为(按照重要性先后顺序):过去一年内负性生活事件所致的应激总评分高,受人欺负、歧视或人际关系紧张,没有发生亲人死亡,男性,学校位于郊区,以及未患重病或残疾。社会行为水平的独立预测因素依次为负性生活事件所致的应激总评分高,学校位于城区,女性,普通中学(与重点中学比),受人欺负、歧视或人际关系紧张,没有发生亲人死亡,初中(与高中比)。结论 与中学生的应激和社会行为相关的众多因素之一是负性生活事件。进一步需要开展前瞻性研究以阐明中学生应激与负性生活事件的因果关系,开展并验证人群特异性的干预方法以减轻应激、增加适应性社会行为。     

Determinants of Bullying at School Depending on the Type of Community: Ecological Analysis of Secondary Schools in Poland

Ecological studies, when the school is the unit of analysis, may help to design and evaluate school intervention programs. The paper discusses selected contextual determinants of bullying, using data collected in Poland in 2015 and aggregated to school level (4085 students; 70 junior high schools). The main hypothesis is related to the neighborhood social capital as protective factor and the type of community as a modifier. The main dependent variable was the combined index of bullying which included three perspectives (victim, perpetrator, bystander). Student delinquent behavior was taken into account as potential determinant, along with selected characteristics of the school and neighborhood. The analyses were adjusted for the percentage of the surveyed boys. The overall bullying index ranged, depending on the school, from 0.88 to 4.07 points (out of 12 possible); intraclass coefficient ICC = 2.8%. In the entire sample, the main predictors of bullying were student delinquent behaviors as a risk factor and the school social climate as a protective factor (R ² = 56.3%). The stratification of schools due to their location influences the inference regarding those main determinants. The dominating influence of delinquent behavior is visible only in big cities where bullying index showed the highest dispersion. In smaller towns and rural areas, the neighborhood social capital becomes an important protective factor; highly correlated with the school climate. We can conclude that strong social bonds in the community are supportive for school climate and can reduce the level of bullying at schools.     

Understanding the relationship between resiliency and bullying in adolescence: an assessment of youth resiliency from five urban junior high schools

Much of the debate on youth bullying and violence focuses upon interventions with instigators of the violence or on broad-based general prevention strategies that may or may not be geared toward individual school conditions. These strategies frequently take a problem-focused approach that can pathologize behavior and create divisions within schools rather than providing solutions. One of the reasons why this occurs is because it is difficult for educators to gather specific information related to bullying and aggressive behaviors in their school or district. This article provides an overview of a comprehensive assessment tool, the Youth Resiliency: Assessing Developmental Strengths questionnaire, developed by Resiliency Canada, that is being used by educators and other concerned stakeholders to understand the dynamics of resiliency to bullying and other aggressive behavior patterns. The article also provides information for understanding the resiliency factors and strengths related to a range of connected behaviors and attitudes of young people who engage in bullying. It also suggests a strength-based approach that can be used by educators, parents, students, and members of the community to promote the development of resiliency through collaborative strategies that address the needs of youth in their school.     

Heteronormativity, school climates, and perceived safety for gender nonconforming peers

Students' perceptions of their school climates are associated with psychosocial and academic adjustment. The present study examined the role of school strategies to promote safety in predicting students' perceptions of safety for gender nonconforming peers among 1415 students in 28 high schools. Using multilevel modeling techniques, we examined student- and school-level effects on students' perceptions of safety for gender nonconforming peers. We found that older students, bisexual youth, Latino youth, and youth who experienced school violence perceived their gender nonconforming male peers to be less safe. Similarly, we found that older students and students who experienced school violence and harassment due to gender nonconformity perceived their gender nonconforming female peers to be less safe. At the school-level, we found that when schools included lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) issues in the curriculum and had a Gay-Straight Alliance, students perceived their schools as safer for gender nonconforming male peers.     

Situational and interpersonal correlates of anxiety associated with peer victimisation

InStudy One the nature of peer bullying among 353 Australian primary school children from years three to seven was studied with a view to understanding the anxiety generated by victimisation. Over one-third of the sample reported feeling unsafe from bullying at school and over half of the sample believed that the reason children did not ask for help from bullying was that they were too afraid. InStudy Two 114 primary school students from a second school were assessed for social-evaluative anxiety associated with peer victimisation at school. The findings indicated that victimisation was associated with fear of negative evaluation amongst males and females and social avoidance amongst females.     

Bullying and attention-deficit- hyperactivity disorder in 10-year-olds in a Swedish community

The association of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with bullying in the peer group in school was studied in an entire population of 577 fourth graders (10-year-olds) in one municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. The schoolchildren were screened for ADHD in a two-step procedure that included Conners'ratings of behavioural problems: teacher and parent interviews in a first step; and a clinical assessment in the second. Information about bullying was collected from the children themselves in a classroom questionnaire. Five-hundred and sixteen children (89.4%; 252 females, 264 males), for whom there was information from all data sources, were included in the study population. Conners'ratings that were collected from parents early in first grade were available for 382 of these children. Hypotheses were tested by multivariate analyses with adjustment for sex and parental education. Pervasive ADHD was diagnosed in 9.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6-12.8) of the males and 1.6% (CI 0.1-3.1) of the females. ADHD was associated with bullying other students (adjusted odds ratios (OR) 3.8 [CI 2.0-7.2]) as well as being bullied (often, OR 10.8 [CI 4.0-29.0]; sometimes, OR 2.9 [CI 1.5-5.7]). Bullying other students in fourth grade was associated with high scores in parental reports of behavioural problems at entry into first grade, suggesting a causal link to the ADHD syndrome. Being bullied, on the other hand, was not linked to behavioural problems at school entry. This study demonstrates a connection between ADHD and bullying in the peer group at school. Evaluation and treatment strategies for ADHD need to include assessment and effective interventions for bullying. Evaluation of ADHD should be considered in children involved in bullying.     

Bullying and attention-deficit– hyperactivity disorder in 10-year-olds in a Swedish community

The association of attention-deficit—hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with bullying in the peer group in school was studied in an entire population of 577 fourth graders (10-year-olds) in one municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. The schoolchildren were screened for ADHD in a two-step procedure that included Conners'ratings of behavioural problems: teacher and parent interviews in a first step; and a clinical assessment in the second. Information about bullying was collected from the children themselves in a classroom questionnaire. Five-hundred and sixteen children (89.4%; 252 females, 264 males), for whom there was information from all data sources, were included in the study population. Conners'ratings that were collected from parents early in first grade were available for 382 of these children. Hypotheses were tested by multivariate analyses with adjustment for sex and parental education. Pervasive ADHD was diagnosed in 9.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6-12.8) of the males and 1.6% (CI 0.1-3.1) of the females. ADHD was associated with bullying other students (adjusted odds ratios (OR) 3.8 [CI 2.0-7.2]) as well as being bullied (often, OR 10.8 [CI 4.0-29.0]; sometimes, OR 2.9 [CI 1.5-5.7]). Bullying other students in fourth grade was associated with high scores in parental reports of behavioural problems at entry into first grade, suggesting a causal link to the ADHD syndrome. Being bullied, on the other hand, was not linked to behavioural problems at school entry. This study demonstrates a connection between ADHD and bullying in the peer group at school. Evaluation and treatment strategies for ADHD need to include assessment and effective interventions for bullying. Evaluation of ADHD should be considered in children involved in bullying.     

A Review of Bullying Prevention and Intervention in South Korean Schools: An Application of the Social–Ecological Framework

School bullying is a serious social problem that results in potentially severe and long lasting consequences for youth, parents, teachers, and school officials. Commensurate with the serious nature and outcomes of bullying, there has been a number of bullying prevention and intervention programs and measures in schools. The current review provides a synthesis and evaluation of the existing research on bullying prevention and intervention strategies in South Korean schools, set within Bronfenbrenner’s social–ecological contexts, including the micro- (i.e., family, peer, school), meso- (i.e., family–school), and macro- (i.e., religion, policies) systems. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of the research reviewed and provide directions for future research focusing on major empirical gaps in the literature on bullying prevention and intervention strategies in South Korea.