Jerrine Khong Bullying in Singapore Schools

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Singapore SchoolsPresented by:

“It isn't big to make others feel small”

Research Officer

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Bully-Free Work

Bully-Free Campaign

Bully-Free Forum

www.bullyfreecampaign.sg/

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Evidence-based Interventions

Research since 1994

  “Bullying in Singapore

Schools” (2008)

“Young Adults’ Recall

”

(2010)

www.childrensociety.org.sg3

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Features of Bullying (Olweus, 1993)

Repetitive

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Prevalence

 PRIMARY SCHOOL

students

1 in 4

 SECONDARY SCHOOLstudents

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Worldwide Prevalence(Akiba, LeTendre, Baker, & Goesling, 2002; Due et al., 2005)

Sweden(6.3 %) to

  .

Colombia 29%  

Philippines (60%)

Hong Kong,

Thailand (both 22%)USA (26%)

Australia (32%)

Singapore (20-25%)6

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“Who-is-bullying-whom”

Bullying is likely between…

  Students of the same gender

Students from the same educational level and

often classmates

Students from the same ethnic groups

i.e. “Intra-ethnic” instead of “Inter-ethnic”

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The Classroom (Rigby, 2003)

Help create a social ethos in which bullying is

 ess e y o appen

Actively discouraging bullying

Providing support and advice

Educating about bullying

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Types of Bullying Behaviours

Types BehavioursVerbal insults Name callin Racial

er a u y ng 

teasing

Physical BullyingKicking, Hitting, Damaging other’s

belongings

Relational

Bullying

Social exclusion, Withdrawal of 

friendship, Rumour spreading

Cyberbullying

Sending abusive text messages, Posting

negative comments online

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Bullying Behaviours

Verbal bullying is the most PERVASIVE

More boys experience PHYSICAL bullying

More girls experience RELATIONAL bullying

Indians are subjected to racial teasing more

frequently in primary schools

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Cyberbullying(Doolay, Pyzalski, & Cross, 2009)

  Intention to harm

Repetitive

Power imbalance

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Cyberbullying via Phone apps?

#OOTD

#FOOD

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Stop, Block and Tell

Stop!Do not attem t to do an thin . It is im ortant to

 have a clear mind before you act.

Block!

Restrict or block communications with the

Cyber Bully.

 Inform an adult whom you trust.Do not suffer alone.

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Bullying Situation

 the person who

is causing harm

Bystanderthe person who

witness the harm

c mthe person whois being harm

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Bullying Situation

CYBER CYBER

CYBER

CYBER-

the person whocauses harm and is

being harm

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Traditional BullyingCyberbullying

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The Bullying Cycle (Rigby, 2003)

Perception of weakness

 and vulnerability

Plan to hurt, undermine,

humiliate

Action: Physical, Verbal,

Relational, Cyber

Potential

Victims (s)

Retaliate

Bullies another

May expose thesevictims to greater risks

of subsequent attacks

(Wolke et al., 2001)

Displaces theaggression onto

another individual

(Thompson et al., 2002) 16

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Bully-victims(Holt, Finkelhor, & Kantor, 2007; Kumpulainen et al., 1998)

Students who are both perpetrators and targets of bullying behaviour

Reasons include:

•Revenge

•Anger•Self-defence

•Others

Victims only

(N = 237)Bully-

victims

Roles of students in bullying 

The most at-risk group

for maladjustment andbehavioural problems

(N = 54)

Bullies only

(N = 38)

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Physical and Academic Effects

Physical Effects Primary School Secondary School

Problem slee in at ni ht 13% 23% 

Wet your bed - 2%

Affected appetite 15% 32%

Academic Effects Primary School Secondary School

Afraid to go to school - 9% 

Did not go to school 11% 11%

Problem concentrating in class 25% 22%

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Psychological Effects

Psychological Effects Primary School Secondary School

Self-blamed 11% 17%

Felt bad about self  21% 25%

Wanted to be alone 18% 37%

Felt no hope for the future - 10%

Young adults who were bullied during their

 school days were had lower self-esteem,

poorer well-being and were more depressed,

compared to those not bullied19

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Emotional and Behavioural EffectsEmotional Effects Primary School Secondary School

Felt angry 59% 75%

 Felt sad 43% 46%

Felt scared 12% 9%

Cried when incident wasrecalled - 16%

Felt OK 39% -

Behavioural Effects Primary School Secondary School

Destroyed properties 9% 19%

Hurt animals 1% 2%

Retaliated against the bully 27% 37%

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‘Bullycide’

Self-harm 

• 10% secondary school

students

Had suicidal thoughts• 6% in secondary school

students

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Bullies and Bystanders

Effects on Bullies Aggressive behaviour in adulthood

  Impaired social abilities and

unstable relationship

Depression and suicide

Effects on B standers  Anxiety

Guilt

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Non-disclosure (Sampson,2002)

Little faith in how adults will

35% of primary

  Fear of retaliation

Feelings of shame for being

weak

Fear of making the situationworse

school students

17% of secondaryschool students

Fear of being called a snitch

Fear that technologies will betaken away

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Sources of Help and Effectiveness

Primar School Secondar School

Favourite

source Parents Peers

Most effectiveSchool School

Respondents reported that the most effective

help source is often the SCHOOL

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Effective Programs

The most positive effects were observed for those

(Farrington & Ttofi, 2009)

programs that adopted:

A whole-school approach

Firm discipline and classroom managementpractices

Provision of information about bullying and

 victimization for parents

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Key Findings Bullies and their victims were often classmates

of the same gender and ethnicity

  Roles of students in a bullying situation are

NOT absolute

There are immediate negative effects and longterm psychological consequences of bullying

was the school

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 What about

CYBERBULLYING?

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on Health, Help-seeking and Risk

Behaviour among Singaporean andFinnish Adolescents

 Institute of Mental Health, University of Turku, Singapore

Children’s Society, NIE Psychological Studies

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Objectives

AIMS Investi ate the biolo ical s cholo ical

 and cultural factors in cyberbullying

and internet addiction

REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE

3,000 students age between 13 and 17

  Randomly select 30 secondary schools

and junior colleges

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Study Implications

IMPLICATIONS 

detect any possible cultural influences.

• Identify the specific factors which are associatedwith internet addiction and cyberbullying

•  

internet addiction and cyberbullying

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Resources

www.childrensociety.org.sg 31

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AcknowledgementsResearch Monographs

• A/P John Elliott (National University of Singapore), Research Advisor• Tan Bee Joo (Singapore Children’s Society), Collaborator

• Christina A adoo Sin a ore Children’s Societ Collaborator

 • Winston Ong (Singapore Children’s Society), Former Research Officer

• Koh Chee Wan (Singapore Children’s Society), Former Research Officer

• Tan Annie (Singapore Children’s Society), Former Research Officer

Cyberbullying Study

• Dr Ong Say How (Institute of Mental Health), Principal Investigator

• Prof Andre Sourander (University of Turku), Site PI

• A/P Daniel Fung (Institute of Mental Health), Collaborator

 • Nikki Lim (Institute of Mental Health), Collaborator

• A/P Angeline Khoo (National Institute of Education), Collaborator

• Wilfred Liang (Institute of Mental Health), Co-Investigator• Tan Yi Ren (Institute of Mental Health), Co-Investigator

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Thank you!

Singapore Children’s Society

(Research and Outreach

Centre)

 Tel: 6358 0911

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ReferencesAkiba, M., LeTendre, G. K., Baker, D. P., & Goesling, B. (2002). Student Victimization: National and School System Effects on

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Dooley, J. J., Pyzalski, J., & Cross, D. (2009). Cyberbullying versus face-to-face bullying. A theoretical and conceptual review. Journal of Psychology, 217 (4), 182-188. doi:10.1027/0044-3409.217.4.182

Due, P., Holstein, B. E., L nch, J., Diderichsen, F., Gabhain, S., Scheidt, P., & Currie, C. 2005 . Bull in and s m toms amon

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Farrington, D. & Ttofi, M. (2009). School-based programs to reduce bullying and victimization. Campbell Systematic Reviews.

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Kumpulainen, K., Räsänen, E., Henttonen, I., Almqvist, F., Kresanov, K., Linna, S., . . . Tamminen, T. (1998). Bullying and psychiatricsymptoms among elementary school-age children. Child Abuse & Neglect , 22(7), 705-717. doi:10.1016/S0145-

2134(98)00049-0

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Thompson, D., Arora, T., & Sharp, S. (2002). Bullying: Effective Strategies for Long-term Improvement . London: RoutledgeFalmer.

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