RESEARCH AND PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS: PREVENTING BULLYING ABUSE AND SCHOOL VIOLENCE

Amanda Nickerson, PhD

Associate Professor and Director

Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention

University at Buffalo

nickersa@buffalo.edu

gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter

Overview

Introduction and needs assessment Alberti Center slideshow Facts and figures about bullying Prevention and intervention: The best of

our knowledge Vision for and highlights from Alberti

Center

Facts and Figures

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)

Types of Bullying

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)

Bullying vs. Teasing vs. Conflict

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

Prevalence

Estimates vary WIDELY, but according to student self-report... 20-25% have bullied at least once

5-20% 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)

Students who Bully: Complex Picture

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

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)

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)

Social Context of Bullying

Culture & Community

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

Bystander

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

Bowers et al. (1994); Finnegan et al. (1998); Ladd & Ladd (1998); Nickerson, Mele, & Princiotta (2008); Olweus, Limber, & Mihalic (1999)

Bullying and Families (cont.)

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)

Bullying and Culture/Community

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)

Prevention and Intervention: The Best of our Knowledge

What can Schools do?

Have a clear and sensible definition of bullying Collect data about its occurrence in your school Ensure that behavioral and social-emotional

skills are developed to prevent bullying Develop and implement anti-bullying policy Actively involve students in efforts Provide training to staff and parents about

bullying and effective responses

Farrington & Ttofi, (2009); Gregory, Cornell, Fan, Sheras, & Shih (2010); Koth, Bradshaw, & Leaf, (2008); Olweus (1993); Olweus, Limber, & Mihalic (1999);

Rigby (n.d.)

Anti-Bullying Policies

Definitions Statement about expected behaviors and

prohibitions Reporting procedure Investigation and disciplinary actions

Continuum of consequences and interventions

Training and prevention procedures Assistance for target

Working with Parents

Proactively communicate the importance of a safe and respectful environment Workshops, newsletters, open house

Be clear about school’s policies

Communicate about incidents

Immediate Response to Bullying

Stop the bullying Name the bullying behavior and refer to school

rules against it

Engage other students (bystanders) in why this is not OK

Apply consequences to student bullying Be aware of possible humiliation or

retaliation against target so use caution in what is done in front of others

Follow-up with Student who is Bullying

Remove from situation

Expect denial

Focus on the behavior (not on the person)

Inform student about consequences Apologize to victim and make plan for preventing problem in future

Discuss incident with teacher, administrator, or parent

Pay for damaged belongings

Spend time in office or another classroom

Lose privilege (e.g., unable to play in sports game)

Communicate with parents

Communicating with Parents

Be timely with communication!

Focus on the behavior (not the person)

Avoid blaming or judging (expect denial)

Emphasize how this type of behavior can be a problem for their child, the other person, and the school environment

Inform parent about school response

Work together to help child behave in other ways

Follow-up with Student who is Bullied

Listen and empathize – allow to tell story

Ask how you can work together to support and stop

Assure that action will be taken

Ongoing Work with Students who are Bullied

Identify qualities that may make them vulnerable and intervene accordingly

Enhance social support (peers and 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 (Hotline for LGTQ youth) www.crisischat.org (text) 1-800-KIDS-400 (Buffalo Crisis Services

Hotline)

Ongoing Work with Students who Bully

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)

Increase empathy and perspective taking

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)

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)

Vision for and Highlights from Alberti Center

Alberti Center Mission

To further our understanding and to reduce bullying abuse

in schools by providing research-

based tools to actively change the language,

attitudes, and behaviors of

educators, parents, students, and wider

society. Dr. Jean M. Alberti

Current Research Projects

Bullying and Wellness Study (Grades 5-8)

School Climate and Prevention and Intervention Efforts Regarding Bullying and Harassment Before and after Dignity Act implementation

PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Evaluation

Past Victimization and Current Attachment in College Students

Proposed Research Projects (grant proposals)

Changes in students’ attitudes and bullying behaviors in middle school in relation to schools’ school climate and bullying prevention efforts

Effectiveness of social norms and bystander intervention training on peer intervention in bullying and sexual harassment

Translating Research to Practice

Website Resources, presentations, and events!

Presentations

Media interviews and appearances

Quarterly e-newsletters (sign up for our mailing list!)

Colloquia and annual conference

Education.com Special Edition, “Bullying at School and Online” – good for parents!

Closing (and Opening)

"It is the long history of humankind (and animal

kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most

effectively have prevailed.“

- Charles DarwinQuestions? Ideas?

Please provide input on needs assessment!!