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Elementary School Bullying Among Girls 1

Running Head: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BULLYING AMONG GIRLS

Elementary School Bullying Among Girls: Psychosocial Health Problems

Cori S. Thompson

University of West Florida


Abstract

The purpose of this study is to help determine the psychosocial health problems that are

related to bullying among elementary school females. Bullying among elementary school

females has always been an issue, but only recently has it gained research attention. Most

girls show aggression in indirect ways which makes it difficult for one to perceive as

bullying. But now that it is becoming a widespread problem, researchers wonder if

psychosocial health problems affect bullies and victims of bullying sometime in their life.

This study will use a survey research method to answer the following research question:

Are elementary school females, who are involved in bullying situations, effected by

psychosocial health problems sometime in their life? This research study will help give a

better understanding to the effects bullying has on elementary school females.


Bullying is becoming a widespread problem in elementary schools across the

United States and is commonly overlooked. According to Lingren (1997) as cited in

Entenman, Murnen, and Hendricks (2005), "about one in seven school children--that's

about 5 million kids--has been either a bully or a victim” (p. 1). It is difficult to determine

what action a student performs is truly bullying. The meaning of bullying is becoming

such a broad subject and continues to broaden. When bullying is overlooked and seen

only as a superior event, many would portray boys as the bullies and victims. Today,

other forms of bullying are beginning to catch public eye, those performed by girls. These

forms may include violent acts, such as pushing and hitting, but more commonly verbal

acts, such as gossiping, taunting, and spreading rumors.

Looking at the different types of aggression, it is becoming clearer that girls are

not all sugar and spice, and everything nice. It is possible girls are starting to show more

aggression than boys, but they express their aggression in a different way. Girl aggression

is not merely labeled bullying, but commonly identified as relational aggression.

The purpose of this study is to examine bullying from a researcher’s perspective,

as well as a child’s perspective. It reviews other studies to help compare definitions and

help determine what bullying is. This study gathers research from previous studies to help

define the effects of bullying in three categories: the bullies, victims, and bully-victims.

Last, this study focuses on the attitudes a child aims at bullying. This study will analyze

the methods of other surveys to create a better understanding of indirect bullying and

depression as a result. The intent goal of this study, with information provided from other

researchers, is to create a research question that is new to related studies.


Literature Review

What is bullying?

One Definition of Bullying. When one thinks of ways to describe bullying, they

may begin with an example of an older or bigger child picking on someone who is

smaller than they are. “Bullying refers to a conscious and willful act of aggression or

manipulation by one or more people against another person or people” (Entenman et al.,

2005, p.1). Most of the time a person thinks of only boys being the bullies and victims,

but this is not the case. Remillard and Lamb (2005) also stated that many people

portrayed school boys as those who were involved in bullying situations, but girls are

becoming more involved. According to Turkel (2007), bullying between girls consists

mostly of indirect bullying, such as spreading rumors, gossiping, and yelling.

In 2003, a Chicago high school powder puff game hazing turned into a bullying

episode. Over 50 females were involved in the bullying event. A bucket was placed over

one of the females’ heads and pounded on with a hammer leaving the girl unconscious

for over 2 minutes. Other injuries included broken ankles and stitches to another girls

scalp (Turkel, 2007). Situations like these are occurring more often and are slowly

grasping public attention.

This study helped describe what was perceived as bullying and describes the

different characteristics that existed between bullies and victims in relation to other

factors. This study was significant because it opens the public eye to how widespread

bullying is among females. It shows that males are not the only ones vulnerable to

bullying situations. This research concentrates its study on bullying among all ages.


Although this study succeeds at educating the reader about bullying, more research needs

to be done to broaden bullying as more than sexual harassment and aggression.

Defined by children. A study performed by Mishna (2004) used a qualitative

method to gather definitions of bullying by a selective number of children. A child was

interviewed and asked to define bullying; after their response they were asked a series of

questions which pertained to their definition. A total of 15, one-half hour interviews were

completed. From the results, the children defined bullying as a person having more power

over someone who is weaker. Other results to this study concluded that children viewed

bullying as kicking hitting, but also indirect bullying, such as gossiping and spreading

rumors. One girl described bullying as “bullies enjoy hurting and scaring others”

(Mishna, 2004, p.4). This study is relevant because it offers valuable information on a

child’s perspective of bullying. If a child does not completely understand what bullying

is, then it is hard to prove if they will have health problems in the long-term.

Attitudes Aimed at Bullying

Bullying is becoming a more common issue, but recent studies have shown that

students do not favor bullying. According to a study by Mooney, Creeser, and Blatchford

(1991) as cited in Baldry (2004), nearly 83% of children claimed they did not like

“fighting because it caused distress and often because there is no way to stop it” (p.2).

The study also presented evidence that half the students examined could not understand

the enjoyment one received from bullying (Baldry, 2004). When it comes to gender

attitudes, females feel more sympathy for those who are bullied, but it is not uncommon

for a female to idle a bully because they are viewed as strong and self-confident. Some

females may see the victim as being weak and powerless (Baldry, 2004).


Of all the studies done about bullying, Baldry (2004) attempted something new.

She designed a field experiment where students viewed a bullying act on video and then

filled out a survey directly after seeing the video. The questionnaires avoided words such

as ‘bully’ and ‘victim’ to avoid persuading the participant’s opinions and thoughts

(Baldry, 2004). Overall, the study concluded that children are more inclined to the victim

then the bully. The bully was blamed more for the incidents in the video then the

helpless victim.

According to Baldry (2004), this study was “innovative” (p. 10) because it

experimented and studied the “measurement of changes in specific attitudes towards

bullies and victims” (p. 10) when it came to a certain situation. This experiment helps

other researches by proving that bullies may be seen as strong, brave and self-confident,

but they are not any more liked then their victims. This can create a social isolation for

both the bully and the victim, in terms, creating psychosocial health problems.

This study creates an insight for other researchers and this study particularly,

suggesting a child’s attitudes toward bullies and victims of bully. This study does not

have full external validity because the child is able to base their answers on the survey

from personal experience other then the act they saw on the video. It is unsure what act

they based their answers on, in terms, creating a bias survey. Understanding a child’s

attitude about bullying can help researcher’s better identify bullies and victims. For

instance, if a child views bullying as fun, exciting, or makes them feel like they are

somebody, that child will most likely relate to bullies.

Effects of Bullying, Internal and External


According to the effects of bullying involvement study performed by Holt,

Finkelhor, and Kantor (2007), those involved in bullying appear to have more

“internalizing and externalizing problems” (p. 2). Olweus (1992) as cited in Holt et al.

(2007) concluded that those who have suffered from bullying are more prone to

“loneliness, depression, school avoidance, and suicidal ideation” (p.3) than those who

have avoided bullying situations. Victims of bullying are not the only ones to suffer with

psychological problems in the long run. A study conducted by Eron, Huesmann, Dubow,

Romanoff, and Yarnel (1987) as cited in Holt et al. (2007) revealed that those who

bullied in school would have a “25% chance of having a criminal record by the age of

30” (p. 3)

There are not just those who are bullied and those who bully. A third group is

bully-victims, which consists of students who are bullies and are victims of bullying

(Holt et al., 2007). This group is also liable for psychological problems in the long run.

Bully-victims, bullies, and victims have different in the long-term and short-term

problems. Research should expand the study on these three groups to distinguish the

difference between them (Holt et al., 2007).

In this study, 689 fifth-grade students were examined (333 girls and 347 boys). It

was discovered those who were involved in bullying situations had a higher rate of

internalizing psychology. Girls were proven to have a higher externalizing problem when

victims of bullying (Arseneault, Walsh, Trzesniewski, Newcombe, Caspi, & Moffitt,

2006). Bully-victims showed a higher rate of internalizing psychology of the three

groups, followed by victims, then bullies (Holt et al., 2007).


This research is significant to this study because it researches not only short-term

internalizing and externalizing problems among those involved in bullying, but long-term

problems as well. It is successful in proving internalizing and externalizing psychological

problems as a result to bullying. Although this study surveyed a large quantity of

students, it focuses the study only on fifth-graders. This study should have focused on

different grade levels to obtain an accurate study in elementary school students. This

study also had more boy participants than female, in terms, making it a bias experiment.

This study also created bias results because the surveys were distributed among

students in low income schools in urban areas. The results from the surveys showed that

children involved in bullying situations were more likely to have a criminal record as a

long-term problem. The study stated the crime rate in these communities were twice the

national average, which could have easily influenced the students who were involved in

the study (Holt et al., 2007). More studies need to be performed to obtain a more accurate

study of long-term psychological problems.

Depression and Indirect Bullying

Indirect bullying is a more common type of bullying among girls than direct

bullying; this does not mean that girls do not engage in direct bullying. According to

research preformed by Wal, Wit, and Hirasing (2003), indirect bullying is considered

“social isolation” (p. 1). This includes acts of ignoring, spreading rumors, gossiping about

the victim, excluding, and cruel remarks. Indirect bullying can be just as harmful as direct

bullying (hitting, kicking, threatening, ect.) and creates “a negative impact on

psychosocial health” (Wal et al., 2003, p. 1). As most researchers have concluded about

bullying, indirect bullying can lead to depression, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts (Wal


et al., 2003). Crothers, Field, Kolbert, Bell, et al. (2007) stated in a research that girls are

more likely then boys to seek help from an adult; “Girls seem to use problem-solving,

support-seeking, and internalizing strategies to a greater extent than boys” (p. 13). There

is no evidence supporting that girls who use these strategies are less likely to identify

with psychosocial health problems. Just because a girl is more likely to seek help from an

adult does not prove that she is less likely to (1) be involved in bullying and (2) avoid

psychosocial health problems sometime in their life.

These psychosocial problems are not only found in victims, but according to a

study by Seals and Young (2003), those who bully also showed signs of depression (a

form of psychosocial illness). Every child should involve themselves in a social setting.

Being left out or having low social interaction can create an unwanted feeling. Bullying

can create low social interactions. It is an unpleasant experience and can make a person

feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.

This study examined the difference between the two types of bullying, direct and

indirect. The study also examined three types of psychosocial health involved in bullying,

depression, suicidal ideation, and delinquency (Wal et al., 2003). This study is significant

in this review because it exams the direct and indirect effects bullying has on young

children. It also helps define the different psychosocial health between girls and boys. It

also helps define different psychosocial health problems bullies, victims, and

bully/victims experience. The Amsterdam Children’s Bullying questionnaire was used to

measure bullying because it provides “good reliability and validity” (p. 1).

The study was very careful about how they measured depression. They used the

Short Depression Inventory for Children because it did not allow a full diagnosis of


depression. This study provides internal validity because it very careful to examine all

types of social settings, such as demographics, social status, and ethnic origin of the

participants (Wal et al., 2003). Olweus (1992) as cited in Wal et al. (2003) found that

even as children became older (years after their bullying incidents), they were still

vulnerable to depression.

Research Questions

Millions of children are diagnosed with some type of psychosocial illness. The

cause of the illness is not always determined. Many illnesses are hereditary or caused

from personal home situations, but could bullying be one of the many causes to a child’s’

psychosocial health problem? Through resent studies, researchers have been trying to

determine how bullying effects a child. They have examined both boys and girls, long-

term and short-term, indirect and direct bullying and so much more, but no study has

determined the actual psychosocial health of a child who is or has been involved in

bullying situations.

Most researchers used survey methods to help determine their relationship

between their independent and dependent variables. Very few, if any, researchers have

used field experiments to prove their hypothesis or answer their research question. A field

experiment would take several years to complete and would lack external validity

because only a selective amount of participants would be evaluated. Most researchers

concluded that depression was a psychosocial health problem that could be related to

bullying, but do we know this for sure? What other psychosocial health problems could

arise from females who are bullied through elementary school? Does bullying effect a


female when they are young or old, or does it even have an effect on them? For these

reasons, the following research question was proposed:

RQ: Are elementary school females, who are involved in bullying situations, effected by

psychosocial health problems sometime in their life?


Methods

Research Participants

Participants in this study will be a random sampling of female elementary school

students, grades 3-6 from both urban and rural areas. Approximately 20 females will be

selected from each school.

Procedures

Participants will be contacted through guidance counselors. A parental consent

will be sent home to each participant requesting permission from the parent/guardian for

the student to participate in the research. The participants and their parent/guardian will

be guaranteed confidentiality. The participants will be brought into a different classroom

or to the auditorium to ensure their privacy from those who are not involved in the study.

The guidance counselor will distribute the surveys after giving the students clear

instructions on how to complete the survey. The survey will take no longer than 30

minutes.

The survey will ask a series of questions regarding the participants’ knowledge of

bullying, personal encounters they have experienced with bullying, and how they felt

before, during, and after the incident. The survey will consist of opened and closed

questions to help test the cause-and-effect relationship between the independent variable

(bullying) and the dependent variable (female psychosocial health problems).

Data Treatment

After all the surveys have been collected, the survey information will be entered

into SPSS, Statistical Package for Social Science. This data analysis program will help

organize the data that is collected from the surveys in a timely and accurate manner. The


results from the survey will help determine the persistent occurrence of bullying among

each grade level. Open-ended questions from the surveys will help determine how

emotional bullying can be for females who are involved.

The surveys are distributed to a young crowd of females; this could create flaws

in this particular research. The females may not answer some of the survey questions

because they do not recall an incident when they were involved in bullying. Participants

may have different views of what bullying is. Some may perceive an incident as bullying

as others may perceive the same incident as fighting.


References

Arseneault, L. (2006). Bullying victimization uniquely contributes to adjustment

problems in young children: A nationally representative cohort study. Pediatrics,

118, (1), 130-139.

Baldry, A.C. (2004). ‘What about bullying?’ An experimental field study to understand

students’ attitudes toward bullying and victimization in Italian middle schools.

British Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 583-598.

Crothers, L.M., Field, J.E., Kolbert, J.B., Bell, G.R., et al. (2007). Relational aggression

in childhood and adolescence: Etiology, characteristics, diagnostic assessment,

and treatment. Counseling and Human Development, 39, (5), 1-25.

Entenman, J., Murnen, T.J., & Hendricks, C. (2005). Victims, bullies, and bystanders in

K-3 literature. The Reading Teacher, 59, (4), 352-365.

Holt, M.K., Finkelhor, D., & Kantor, G.K. (2007). Hidden forms of victimization in

elementary students involved in bullying. School Psychology Review, 36, (3),

345-361.

Mishna, Faye. (2004). A qualitative study of bullying from multiple perspectives.

Periodical, 26, (4), 234-248.

Remillard, A.M, & Lamb, S. (2005). Adolescent girls’ coping with relational aggression.

Sex Roles, 53, (3/4), 221-410.

Seals, D., & Young, J. (2003). Bullying and victimization: Prevalence and relationship to

gender, grade level, ethnicity, self-esteem, and depression. Adolescence, 38, 735-

747.


Turkel, A.R. (2007). Sugar and spice and puppy dogs’ tails: The psychodynamics of

bullying. Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic

Psychiatry, 35, (2), 243-259.

Wal, M.F., Wit, C.A.M, & Hirasing, R.A. (2003). Psychosocial health among young

victims and offenders of direct and indirect bullying. Pediatrics, 111, (6), 1312-

1318.

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