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!