bullying: information from ub's alberti center
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Amanda B. Nickerson, PhDAssociate Professor and DirectorAlberti Center for Bullying Abuse
PreventionUniversity at Buffalo
alberticenter@buffalo.edugse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter
November 16, 2011
Overview of Presentation Overview of Bullying A Role for All: The Social Context of Bullying About the Alberti Center Q & A
Bullying
Intentional, usually repeated acts of verbal, physical, or written aggression by a peer (or group of peers) operating from a position of strength or power with the goal of hurting the victim physically or damaging status and/or social reputation
Olweus (1978); United States Department of Education (1998)
Bullying vs. Teasing vs. Conflict
Teasing: Fun, good-natured, “give-and-take” between friends to get both parties to laugh
Bullying: Based on a power imbalance; intent to cause psychological or physical harm; usually repeated
Conflict: A struggle, dispute, or misunderstanding between two equal forces
Prevalence Estimates vary WIDELY, but according to
student self-report...
○ 20-25% have bullied at least once5-20% bully consistently
○ 15-40% are targets of bullying20-25% are bullied regularly~ 18-20% are cyber-bullied1-2% are extreme victims who experience
severe traumatization or distress
Carylyle & Steinman (2007); Cowie (2000); Nansel et al. (2001); Perry, Kusel, & Perry (1988); Skiba & Fontanini (2000)
When and Where Does Bullying Occur? Pre-K through late high school (and
beyond); peaks in middle school ○ Physical bullying declines as children get older○ Social, verbal, and cyberbullying continue through
high school
Anywhere; most likely in less closely supervised areas
○ Bus, locker room, playground, lunch, hallways, and everywhere(for cyberbullying)
Gender Differences Boys
○ More direct, physical bullying○ Bully more frequently than girls○ Bully both boys and girls
Girls○ More indirect ○ More subtle, hard to detect, and often occurs in
groups○ Tend to target other girls of the same age○ Cyberbullying slightly more common than for
males
Banks (2000); Cook, Williams, Guerra, Kim, & Sadek, (2010); Crick & Grotpeter, (1995); Hinduja & Patchin, (2009); Hoover & Oliver, (1996); Nansel et al., (2001); Olweus, (2002); Underwood, (2003)
Common Characteristics of Students who Bully Desire for power and control Get satisfaction from others’ suffering Justify their behavior (“he deserved
it”) More exposed to physical punishment More likely to be depressed Engage in other risky and delinquent
behaviors○ Alcohol and drug use○ Fighting
Batsche & Knoff (1994); Beaver, Perron, & Howard, (2010); Olweus (1993); Swearer et al. (in press); Vaughn, Bender, DeLisi, (in press)
Characteristics of Children who are Bullied Have a position of relative weakness
○ Age, ethnic background, financial status, disability, sexual orientation
Most are passive and lack assertiveness○ Do nothing to invite aggression○ Do not fight back when attacked○ May relate better to adults than peers
Fewer provoke others (provocative victims or bully-victims)
○ Offend, irritate, tease others○ Reactive; fight back when attacked
Boivin, Poulin, & Vitaro (1994); Hodges & Perry (1999); Olweus (1978, 1993, 2001); Schwartz (2000); Snyder et al. (2003)
What are Signs that Child May be Bullied? Unexplained illnesses, cuts/bruises Avoidance of school and social situations Passive, unassertive, lacking friends Change in behavior
○ Not interested in doing things○ Withdrawn
Feelings of self-blame or hopelessness
Stopbullying.gov
What are Signs that Child May be Bullying Others? Refers to others negatively (wimp, loser) Lack empathy Strong need to win or be the best Hostile/defiant attitude Angers easily Gets in verbal or physical fights Blames others
Stopbullying.gov
Consequences for Youth who Bully More likely to experience legal or
criminal troubles as adults (even after controlling for other risk factors)
Poor ability to develop and maintain positive relationships in
later life
Andershed, Kerr, & Stattin (2001); Farrington (2009); Farrington, & Ttofi (2009, 2011); Oliver, Hoover, & Hazler (1994); Olweus (1993); Ttofi & Farrington (2008)
Consequences for Targets of Bullying Emotional distress Loneliness, peer rejection Desire to avoid school Increased anxiety, depression, suicidal
ideation; low self-esteem In some cases, may respond with
extreme violence (two-thirds of school shooters were victims of bullying)
Boivin, Hymel, & Bukowski (1995); Boulton & Underwood (1992); Crick & Bigbee (1998); Egan & Perry (1998); Hinduja, & Patchin, (2009); Kochenderfer & Ladd (1996);Nickerson & Sltater (2009); Olweus (1993); Perry et al. (1988)
A Role for All: The Social Context of Bullying
Adapted from Swearer & Espelage (2004)
Bullying and Bystanders Peers see 85% of bullying (most join in,
some ignore, small number intervene)
Peers are influential in early adolescence, when they are more supportive of bullying and less likely to intervene
○ Bullying = higher social status in a group○ Adolescents seek out peers who display more
independent, aggressive as opposed to more adult-like, conforming behaviors
○ “Culture of silence
Charach et al. (1995); Hawkins, Pepler, & Craig
Bullying and School Environment
Bullying is more likely to thrive in:○ Unsupportive or unhealthy school climates○ Environments lacking in sense of belonging for students and
strong relationships among and between students, teachers, and families
○ Schools where adults ignore or dismiss bullying behaviors○ Schools who serve students who are not academically engaged
LEADERSHIP IS CRITICAL!!!
Doll, Song, Champion, & Jones, (2011); Holt, Keyes, & Koenig, (2011); Kasen, Johnson, Chen, Crawford, & Cohen, (2011); Swearer (in press)
Bullying and Families For children who bully, there may be…
○ Less warmth, involvement, supervision○ Lack of clear, consistent rules○ Harsh/corporal punishment○ Parental discord○ Domestic violence/child abuse
For children who are bullied, there may be…○ More intense, positive, and overprotective parenting
(for boys) ○ More threats of rejection and lack of assertion (for girls)○ Inconsistent discipline practices (overprotective and neglectful)
without warmth for bully-victims
For children who intervene, there may be…○ More open, trusting relationships with mothers
Bowers et al. (1994); Finnegan et al. (1998); Ladd & Ladd (1998); Nickerson, Mele, & Princiotta (2008); Olweus, Limber, & Mihalic (1999)
Bullying and School Staff Often not involved in bullying
problem or resolution○ Intervene less than 10% of the time○ Not told about problem (victims fear
reprisal)
Powerful influence on peer acceptance of others
○ Warmth, positive feedback leads to greater peer acceptance
Banks (1997); Chang (2003); Cohn & Canter (2002); Hughes, Cavell, & Willson (2001); Limber (2002); Mullin-Rindler (2003); Skiba & Fonanini (2000); White, Sherman, & Jones (1996)
What are “Key Ingredients” for Prevention at the School Level? STRUCURE AND SUPPORT
○ Clear, consistently enforced expectations and policies for behavior, including prohibition of bullying and harassment, and effective classroom management – means of reporting
○ Warmth, positive interest, adult involvement and supervision, and appreciation of differences
Farrington & Ttofi, (2009); Gregory, Cornell, Fan, Sheras, & Shih (2010); Koth, Bradshaw, & Leaf, (2008); Olweus (1993); Olweus, Limber, & Mihalic (1999)
School-Based Anti-Bullying Programs Some evidence to support effectiveness
of school bullying interventions in enhancing…
○ Teacher knowledge○ Efficacy in intervention skills○ Behavior in responding to incidences of
bullying○ To a lesser extent, reduction of participation of
students in bully and victim roles
(Merrell, Gueldner, Ross, & Isava, 2008 meta-analysis)
School-Based Anti-Bullying Programs On average, bullying decreased by 20-30%
and victimization 17-20% through the use of school-based interventions
Best results for programs that are:○ Intensive and long-lasting○ Carefully monitored for fidelity of implementation○ Assessed regularly (2x monthly)○ Evidence-based ○ Inclusive of parent training activities
(Ttofi & Farrington, 2011 meta-analysis)
What DOESN’T Work? Brief assemblies or one-day awareness raising
events
Zero-tolerance policies○ May result in under-reporting bullying○ Limited evidence in curbing bullying behavior
Peer mediation, peer-led conflict resolution○ Many programs that used this approach actually saw an
increase in victimization○ Grouping children who bully together may actually
reinforce this behavior
Dodge, Dishion, & Lansford, (2006); Farrington & Ttofi, (2009); Nansel et al., (2001)
Responding to a Bullied Child Listen Empathize
○ “That must have been very scary for you”
Thank child for telling Take it seriously Partner with child and school to
problem-solve Follow-up
Responding to a Child who Bullies Focus on behavior (not child as person) and
why it is not OK
Apply logical, meaningful consequences
Increase supervision and monitoring
Work with child to develop plan for how to prevent this behavior in future
Consider professional help to increase empathy, perspective taking, and problem-solving
Dignity for All Students Act
Prohibits harassment of students with respect to race, weight, religion, sexual preference, etc.
Unlawful to not remedy harassment or bullying on school grounds
Includes:○ Policies and guidelines○ Curriculum changes in civility,
citizenship, and character education○ Training (for staff and point person)○ Record keeping
www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/Effective July 1, 2012
Mission
To research, identify, and disseminate
resources to practitioners on the topics of bullying
abuse prevention and intervention
Dr. Jean M. Alberti
Current Activities Identification of
high quality resources and links for website
Needs assessment
○ Resource availability and utilization
○ Current practices and needs (interviews, surveys)
Research and evaluation
○ Gender, empathy, group norms, and prosocial affiliations on bullying roles (middle school)
○ Bullying, anxiety, and self-care (middle school)
○ Group intervention for students at-risk for depression (middle and high school)
Research Directions Bullying and victimization within the context
of school engagement and wellness
Parents’ responses to children’s bullying experiences
Factors that contribute to peer intervention in bullying situations
Evaluation of efforts to prevent and intervene in bullying
Questions?
Thank you for your attention and interest!
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