Bullying Prevention: Research Highlights and Vision for the Alberti Center

Amanda Nickerson, PhDAssociate Professor and Director

Dr. Jean Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence

University at Buffalonickersa@buffalo.edu

gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter

WNYESCOctober 6, 2011

Introduction and needs assessment Facts and figures about bullying Prevention and intervention: The best

of our knowledge Issues, challenges, and opportunities Vision for Alberti Center

My Research• School crisis prevention and intervention

(focus on violence and bullying) NASP’s PREPaRE Crisis Prevention and

Intervention• Role of parents, peers, and schools in

prevention and promotion of well-being• Assessment and intervention with children

with emotional and behavioral problems (focus on strengths)

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)

Physical bullying• punching, shoving, acts that hurt people

Verbal bullying• name calling, making offensive remarks

Indirect bullying• spreading rumors, excluding, ganging up

Cyber bullying• willful and repeated harm inflicted through the

use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices

Hinduja & Patchin (2009)

Teasing: Fun, good-natured, “give-and-take” between friends designed to get both parties to laugh

Bullying: Based on a power imbalance; taunting another with the intent of harming; continues when the other is distressed

Conflict: A struggle, dispute, and/or misunderstanding between two opposing forces

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)

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)

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)

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)

Often popular, high social status

Report average self-esteem and believe they are superior • Most do NOT lack

self-esteem However, also

report being less engaged in school, less supported by others, more depressed

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)

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)

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)

Culture & Community

School (Staff/Peers) Family Bully, Target, and

Bystander

Adapted from Swearer & Espelage (2004)

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 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)

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)

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)

Exposure to violent TV/video games predicts greater risk of bullying actions

Characteristics of neighborhoods have significant effects on bullying behavior• Unsafe• Violent• Disorganized

Increased risk of

bullying behaviors

Cook et al, (2010); Gentile (2003); Olson et al. (2009); Swearer et al. (in press)

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)

Meet individually with child bullying• Remove from situation• Expect denial• Focus on the behavior (not on the person)• Inform bully about consequences (not only

punishment but intervention) Meet individually with target

• Listen and empathize – allow to tell story• Ask how you can work together to support and stop• Assure that action will be taken

Identify qualities that may make them vulnerable and intervene accordingly• Teach assertiveness skills

Enhance social support from peers and significant adults

Encourage involvement in an activity in which he or she can experience success

“Check in” regularly about bullying

Monitor for signs of depression, suicide, or violence and refer to mental health professional• 1-800-273-TALK

(Suicide Lifeline)• 1-866-4-U-Trevor

(LGBTQ Youth Suicide Hotline

• www.crisischat.org (text)

• 1-800-KIDS-400 (Buffalo Crisis Services Hotline)

Increase empathy and perspective taking

Teach problem-solving to manage emotions

Cognitive restructuring for problematic attributions (e.g., “He deserved it;” “Now they know who is in charge”)

Assess for other problems (e.g., drugs, suicidality)

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

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

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 behaviorDodge, Dishion, & Lansford, (2006); Farrington & Ttofi, (2009); Nansel et al., (2001)

Measurement• Definitional issues; lack

of correspondence among reporters

Lack of attention toward areas of bullying in regards to homophobia

• High victimization rates Research and practice link Role of Character Education

programs, PBIS, and SEL with bullying efforts

Bradshaw, & Waasdorp (in press); Espelage, Aragon, & Birkett (2008); Farrington & Ttofi, (2009); Merrell et al., (2008)

Lack of experimental research

Impact of state-level bullying policies has not been measured

Need more research in urban schools, with ethnic minorities, and with high school students

Time to EVALUATE efforts

Dovetail with 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

Mission:

To research, identify, and disseminate resources to

practitioners on the topics of bullying abuse prevention and intervention.

Dr. Jean M. Alberti

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)

Protective factors (focus on family) for bullying, victimization and sexual harassment

Assessment and ongoing monitoring of school climate and bullying/victimization (in conjunction with examination of strategies implemented)

If you and your school are…• Interested in partnering

on any of the aforementioned projects

• Committed to engaging in a partnership where bullying prevention and intervention efforts can be carefully evaluated and researched…contact me!

Benefits:• Have connection with

center dedicated to this issue

• Receive free consultation and training

• Receive data about bullying, victimization, and school engagement to inform programs and evaluate them

Purpose: • Share (and learn

from others) what you are doing, perceived effectiveness, and identified needs

Facilitators (and faculty affiliated with the center):• Janice DeLucia-

Waack• Laura Anderson• Jennifer Livingston• Amy Reynolds