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Definition of Bullying
Bullying can be defined as the use of one's strength or status to intimidate, injure, or humiliate another person of lesser strength or status. Bullying can be categorized as physical, verbal, or social. Physical bullying involves physical injury or threat of injury to someone, while verbal bullying refers to teasing or insulting someone. Social bullying refers to the use of peer rejection or exclusion to humiliate or isolate a victim. Bullying must be distinguished from other forms of peer aggression or conflict; bullying always involves a power imbalance between the bully and the victim (Besag, 1989; Olweus, 1993).
For more information, see Youth Violence Project video on bullying (posted on Youtube).
Prevalence of Bullying
Bullying is increasingly recognized as a serious problem in schools throughout the United States and other countries. A national study found that 29.9% percent of students are involved in bullying either as a bully (13.0%), a victim (10.6%) or both a bully and a victim (6.3%) (Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simons-Morton, & Scheidt, 2001). A study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development estimated that 1.7 million U.S. children in grades 6 through 10 can be identified as bullies (Nansel et al., 2001). This study found that 10.6% of students reported bullying others "sometimes" (moderate bullying ) and 8.8% admitted to bullying others "once a week" or more (frequent bullying). Bullying occurs most frequently from 6th to 8th grade, with little variation seen between urban, suburban, and rural areas (Nansel et al, 2001).
The 2003 National Center for Education Statistics report on school violence reported increases in the percentage of students victimized by bullying in 2001 as compared to 1999. While crime at school as a whole has declined in recent years, bullying is one of the few problems to increase in prevalence. In 2001, 8 percent of students reported that they had been bullied at school in the last 6 months, up from 5 percent in 1999. This report also found that both males and females were more likely to be bullied in 2001 than in 1999. Nine percent of all males and seven percent of all females surveyed (ages 12-18) reported experiencing bullying during the past 6 months. The percentage of students who reported that they had been bullied increased between 1999 and 2001 for each racial/ethnic group except Black students. About 6 percent of Black students in both years reported they had been bullied. Between 1999 and 2001, the percentage of students bullied increased from 5 percent to 9 percent for White students, from 4 percent to 8 percent for Hispanic students, and from 3 percent to 7 percent for other, non-Hispanic students (NCES, 2003).
Percentage of Students Being Bullied at School, by Grade Level |
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Bullying is one form of violence that seems to have increased in recent years, although it is not clear if the increase reflects more incidents of bullying at school or perhaps greater awareness of bullying as a problem. |
| Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Cited in Figure 12.2 in Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2005; National Center for Education Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics. | |
What Can Be Done About Bullying?
Research shows that bullying can have lasting adverse effects on children, but that carefully implemented school programs can substantially reduce bullying (Swearer et al., 2001; Rigby & Slee, 1999; Olweus, 1994). Bullying at school can be reduced by approximately 50%, according to ground-breaking research by Scandinavian researcher Dan Olweus, whose program was implemented throughout Norway. His approach has been adapted for use in many schools in other countries, including the United States. The basic program involves school-wide, classroom, and individual interventions. School-wide rules and sanctions that emphasize a climate intolerant of bullying behaviors are reinforced by regular classroom discussions. Individual students receive consistent supervision and discipline, accompanied by parent involvement and in some cases, mental health interventions. For information on this bullying program, the book Bullying at School -- What We Know and What We Can Do can be ordered from Blackwell Press (800-216-2522).
The Bully-Proofing Your School approach is a comprehensive program derived from the work of Olweus and others. School staff participate in conflict resolution training and methods of intervention in bullying situations. Students learn social problem-solving techniques in a nine-session curriculum followed by booster sessions in middle school. Individuals who engage in bullying are taught appropriate leadership skills, while victims are taught more effective social skills. Parent support groups are also used. For information on this program, contact John Dandurand, Executive Director; Creating Caring Communities; 6795 E. Tennessee Avenue, Suite 425; Denver, Colorado 80224. Phone: (720) - 941-0700. Website: http://www.creatingcaringcommunities.org
References
Besag, V. (1989) Bullies and Victims in Schools; A Guide to Understanding and Management. Philadelphia : Open University Press.
Ericson, N (2001). Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying. US Department of Justice, no. 27.
Gardner, R. (1992). Self-Esteem Problems of Children: Psychodynamics and Psychotherapy. Cresskill , N.J. : Creative Therapeutics.
Nansel, T. Overpeck, M. Pilla, R. Ruan, W., Simons-Morton, B. & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying Behaviors among US Youth: Prevalence and Association with Psychosocial Adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2094-2100.
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying as School: What we know and what we can do. Oxford : Blackwell.
Olweus, D. (1994). Bullying at school: Long-term outcomes for the victims and an effective school-based intervention program. In L.R. Huesmann (Ed.), Aggressive Behavior: Current Perspectives (pp. 97-130). New York : Plenum.
Perry, D., Kusel, S.,& Perry, L. (1998). Victims of peer aggression. Developmental Psychology, 24, 807-814.
Rigby, K., & Slee, P. (1999). Suicidal ideation among adolescent school children, involvement in bully-victim problems, and perceived social support. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 29, 119-130.
Swearer, S., Song, S., Cary , P.T., Eagle, J.W., & Mickelson, W.T. (2001). Psychosocial correlates in bullying and victimization: The relationship between depression, anxiety, and bully/victim status. In R.A. Geffner and M. Loring (Eds.) Bullying Behavior: Current issues, research, and interventions. Binghamton , NY : Haworth Maltreatment and Trauma Press/The Haworth Press.
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