Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Bullying in Middle School Youth

ABSTRACT

We examined middle school students' attitudes and perceptions of bullying during their middle school years. Participants were categorized along the bully/victim continuum as bullies, victims, bully-victims, and no-status students based on their self-nomination from a survey that queries students about their experiences with bullying (either as a bully, victim, or both), their observations of bullying, and their attitudes toward bullying. The majority of participants were classified as bullies, victims, and bully-victims as 70% of the participants reported involvement with bullying and/or victimization during their middle school years. Participants' perceptions about bullying and attitudes toward bullying were examined at three points in time. Participants' attitudes toward bullying became more supportive of bullying as students progressed through middle school. Additionally, external attributes for bullying were cited across all four status groups as reasons for involvement in bullying. Implications for prevention and intervention programs that address bullying are discussed.     

Blaming the Victim: University Student Attitudes Toward Bullying

Numerous studies have examined adolescent attitudes toward bullying, but limited research has explored college students’ attitudes toward victims of bullying. Using data collected from three southern universities (n = 1,135), the current research investigates demographic, experiential, and behavioral factors that are likely to influence whether university students attribute blame to bullying victims. Findings indicate that most university students report prosocial attitudes toward bullying. Victim blaming and minimizing attitudes were most common among males, heterosexuals, and those with a history of prior bullying perpetration during junior high or high school. Individuals reporting a higher frequency of drug use were significantly more likely to support victim blaming attitudes, and those who engaged in more frequent alcohol use were significantly more likely to minimize bullying.     

初中生依恋风格与欺凌保护行为的关系：社会支持和欺凌应对效能的链式中介作用

为考察初中生依恋风格与欺凌保护行为的关系,同时探讨社会支持和欺凌应对效能的链式中介作用,采用问卷法对565名初中生进行调查。结果发现：（1）依恋焦虑与欺凌保护行为呈显著正相关,依恋回避与欺凌保护行为呈显著负相关;（2）社会支持和欺凌应对效能在依恋回避与欺凌保护行为之间起链式中介作用。若要增加依恋回避初中生的欺凌保护行为,应注重为其提供社会支持,提升欺凌应对效能。     

Social emotional learning (SEL) practices in schools: Effects on perceptions of bullying victimization

The direct and indirect effects of student perceptions of the extent to which social emotional learning (SEL) instruction is provided on bullying at school and student victimization experiences were examined for 2832 public school students. Students in grades 4–12 completed several subscales of the Delaware School Climate Survey (Bear et al., 2016) at a single timepoint to assess their perceptions of the extent to which SEL instruction is used at their school, their own SEL skills, bullying at school, and personal victimization experiences. Structural equation modeling revealed that students' perceptions of SEL instruction were inversely related to their perceptions of bullying at school and students' personal experiences of victimization. Effects were direct and indirect, through students' self-reported perceptions of their SEL skills. Effects were stronger in late elementary and middle school than in high school. The indirect effects of student perceptions of the extent of SEL instruction on perceived bullying at school through students' SEL skills varied as a function of victimization severity. For students with low self-reported victimization, there was a negative relation between student self-reported SEL skills and perceptions of bullying at school. In contrast, for students who reported experiencing high levels of victimization, students' self-reported SEL skills related positively to perceptions of bullying at school; there was no significant relation between SEL skills and perceptions of bullying at school for students who reported moderate levels of victimization. Implications for teachers' inclusion of SEL instruction and its effects on positive youth development are discussed.     

School-wide social emotional learning (SEL) and bullying victimization: Moderating role of school climate in elementary,middle, and high schools

Guided by the school-wide social-emotional learning framework and social-ecological model, in this study we examined the associations between students' perceptions of four core social emotional learning (SEL) competencies (i.e., responsible decision-making, social awareness, self-management, and relationship skills) and school climate and their experience with bullying victimization through a multilevel framework. We also examined the multilevel moderating effects of students' perceptions of school climate, gender, and school levels (elementary, middle, and high schools) on the association between SEL competencies and bullying victimization. Participants were 23,532 students (4th to 12th grade) from 90 schools in Delaware. Using hierarchical linear modeling and controlling for demographic factors and school climate at both student and school levels, we found that three of the four core SEL competencies (i.e., social awareness, relationship skills, and self-management) and student-level school climate perceptions had significant associations with students' bullying victimization experiences. Moreover, the positive association between social awareness and bullying victimization and the negative association between self-management and bullying victimization were both mitigated in schools with more positive school climate at the student level. The association between some of the SEL competencies and bullying victimization varied depending on students' gender and grade levels. The findings highlight the unique and differentiated relations among the four core SEL competencies and students' bullying victimization experiences; they also suggest the importance of including school climate assessment and applying gender- and grade-level-specific efforts in bullying prevention programs with an SEL focus.     

Classroom‐ and School‐Level Contributions to Bullying and Victimization: A Review

School bullying is increasingly viewed by researchers as a group phenomenon that extends beyond the perpetrator–victim dyad and is embedded in the wider social context. This paper reviews the literature on classroom and school factors contributing to bullying and victimization among children and adolescents. Considerable variability in the prevalence of these problems exists between classrooms and schools, which are highly relevant contexts for students' social development. Along with individual characteristics, both classroom‐ and school‐related factors explain the bullying dynamic. The contexts may also exacerbate, or buffer against, the effects of individual‐level risk for bullying involvement and the consequences of victimization. We discuss findings on the contributions of demographic and structural characteristics (e.g. grade level, classroom and school size), peer contextual factors (e.g. status hierarchy, group norms and bystander behaviours) and the role of teachers. Finally, implications for research and school‐based antibullying programs are considered. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

家庭功能与初中生欺负行为:有调节的中介作用

为了探讨家庭功能、父母教养方式与初中生欺负行为之间的关系及其作用机制,研究采用家庭功能量表、父母教养方式量表和欺负量表对429名初中生进行施测。结果显示：（1）家庭功能与父母教养方式中的父母拒绝均能显著预测欺负行为;（2）父母拒绝在家庭功能与欺负行为之间起中介作用;（3）“家庭功能→父母拒绝→欺负行为”这一中介效应的后半路径受到性别的调节,即该中介效应仅在男生群体中显著。     

Bullying and victimization: prevalence and relationship to gender, grade level, ethnicity, self-esteem, and depression

This study investigated the prevalence of bullying and victimization among students in grades 7 and 8. It also explored the relationship of bullying and victimization to gender, grade level, ethnicity, self-esteem, and depression. Three survey instruments were used to obtain data from a convenience sample of 454 public school students. Twenty-four percent reported bullying involvement. Chi-square tests indicated significantly more male than female bullying involvement, seventh graders reported more involvement than did eighth graders, and there were no statistically significant differences in involvement based on ethnicity. Both bullies and victims manifested higher levels of depression than did students who were neither bullies nor victims. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of self-esteem.     

Bullying in school and adolescent sense of empowerment: an analysis of relationships with parents,friends, and teachers

We explore the development of bullying and victimization in school by investigating 11‐, 13‐ and 15‐year‐olds' sense of interpersonal empowerment with parents, friends and teachers. A national sample of 4386 male and female students from 243 middle and secondary schools in Italy were surveyed. Boys were more likely than girls to be bullies and more likely to have been a bully/victim. Victimization and the likelihood of being both a bully and a victim declined with age. Bullying increased with age among boys whereas for girls it was slightly more prevalent at age 13 than ages 11 or 15. The sense of empowerment students experience with their teachers decreased in the older cohorts. Disempowered relationships with teachers consistently predicted bullying behaviour. Higher social competence was reported by 13‐ and 15‐year‐old bullies. Chronically bullied students had lower social competence in all age cohorts. Otherwise, predictors of victimization varied by age: 11‐year‐old victims felt less empowered by their teachers; 15‐year‐old victims reported more difficulties in negotiating cooperative relationships with parents. Bullies in all cohorts and younger bully/victims feel less empowered by their teachers. These findings suggest that students who are disempowered by teachers may either compensate by oppressing (bullying) peers or generalize the power differential with peers (become a victim). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中小学生欺负问题中的性别差异的研究

本研究运用修订的Olweus欺负/受欺负问卷对我国城乡4726名中小学生进行调查,考察了欺负与受欺负的性别差异问题,结果表明1.小学生和初中生受欺负的发生率不存在显著的性别差异,而男孩中欺负他人的比率却极显著地高于女孩;2.中小学生对欺负问题的态度存在显著的性别差异,初中生对欺负的态度受性别和年级的交互作用的影响;3.中小学生不同欺负方式的发生率存在显著的性别差异,男生直接的身体欺负和间接欺负显著地高于女生,而言语欺负的性别差异并不显著.     

累积生态风险与初中生受欺凌的关系模式：心理弹性的调节效应

采用整群抽样法对重庆等7省市24所中学3879名初一、初二和初三年级学生进行问卷调查,以考察累积生态风险与初中生受欺凌的关系模式,并探讨心理弹性在其中的作用。结果表明:(1)累积生态风险显著正向预测初中生受欺凌水平,呈现“负加速模式”,即随着累积生态风险的增加,新增风险因素对受欺凌的影响越来越小;(2)心理弹性对受欺凌的保护作用随着累积生态风险的增加而削弱,呈现“保护-反应”的调节子模型。研究结果为开展针对性地干预受欺凌提供了实证依据。     

儿童欺负行为的类型及其相关因素

本研究采用Olweus欺负问卷中文修订版对我国6471名中小学生进行调查,探讨了中小学生欺负行为的类型特点及其相关因素,结果发现:(1)在小学和初中阶段,直接言语欺负的发生率最高,其次是直接身体欺负,间接欺负的发生率最低。(2)小学和初中男生受直接身体欺负的比例显著高于女生,直接言语欺负没有显著的性别差异。(3)小学阶段三类欺负行为的发生率存在显著的年级差异,三年级儿童受直接身体欺负的比例极显著地高于四、五年级,受直接言语欺负的比例总体上随儿童年级升高而上升,受间接欺负的比例在2-4年级之间相对稳定,5年级出现极显著的下降;在初中阶段三类欺负行为的发生率相对稳定。(4)欺负者大多与受欺负者同龄或年长于受欺负者,初中学生的欺负呈现出明显的“团体化”特点。     

中学欺侮行为现状研究

对湖南两所中学的３９９名中学生学校欺侮行为进行了研究,结果发现,经常受欺侮者为２７％,欺侮者为１４％。欺侮行为发生的地点是学校,发生的时间一般是课间。对于受欺侮者而言,没有性别差异,但是欺侮者以男生为主。受欺侮行为随年龄的增长在下降,而欺侮行为为则在上升。     

A Comparison of Personal Project Motives in Three Age Groups

This study examined the extent to which adolescents systematically perceive a discrepancy between private and group norms about the acceptability of bullying and examined the association between norm estimation and actual bystander behavior. Ninety-one 8th graders (42 male and 49 female) described their personal attitudes about bullies and victims as well as their perceptions of their classmates' attitudes. Teachers rated adolescents' participant roles during bullying episodes at school. Results provided support for the premise that teens systematically perceive their peers to hold less prosocial views (e.g., to be more tolerant of bullies, less empathic toward victims, and less inclined to believe they have a responsibility to protect victims) than they themselves do. This tendency to perceive oneself as “out of step” with the group (i.e., pluralistic ignorance) was particularly salient among girls. In addition, there was a significant association between perceived self–other discrepancy in attitudes toward bullying and adolescents' actual bystander behavior when confronted by peer harassment. The more students viewed themselves as out-of-step with group norms about bullying, the higher their teacher-rated scores on passive bystander behavior. Potential implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.     

中国与英国儿童对待欺负问题态度的比较研究

采用修订的Olweus欺负问卷,对中国和英国近万名(中国8937名,英国1035名)中小学儿童对待欺负的态度进行调查。结果发现:(1)中国儿童对待欺负的态度比英国儿童积极。(2)儿童对待欺负问题的态度存在性别和年龄差异。女孩比男孩对待欺负的态度较积极;小学儿童对待欺负的态度比初中儿童积极。(3)儿童在欺负/受欺负关系中的角色与其对待欺负问题的态度有联系。未参与者对欺负的态度最积极,其次是受欺负者、欺负/受欺负者,而欺负者对待欺负的态度最消极;(4)儿童对受欺负者的同情多,而去帮助受欺负者的行为倾向少。     

Bullying and Victimization in Adolescence: Concurrent and Stable Roles and Psychological Health Symptoms

From an initial sample of 1,278 Italian students, the authors selected 537 on the basis of their responses to a self-report bully and victim questionnaire. Participants' ages ranged from 13 to 20 years (M = 15.12 years, SD = 1.08 years). The authors compared the concurrent psychological symptoms of 4 participant groups (bullies, victims, bully/victims [i.e., bullies who were also victims of bullying], and uninvolved students). Of participants, 157 were in the bullies group, 140 were in the victims group, 81 were in the bully/victims group, and 159 were in the uninvolved students group. The results show that bullies reported a higher level of externalizing problems, victims reported more internalizing symptoms, and bully/victims reported both a higher level of externalizing problems and more internalizing symptoms. The authors divided the sample into 8 groups on the basis of the students' recollection of their earlier school experiences and of their present role. The authors classified the participants as stable versus late bullies, victims, bully/victims, or uninvolved students. The authors compared each stable group with its corresponding late group and found that stable victims and stable bully/victims reported higher degrees of anxiety, depression, and withdrawal than did the other groups. The authors focus their discussion on the role of chronic peer difficulties in relation to adolescents' symptoms and well-being.     

Bullying among Australian school children: reported behavior and attitudes toward victims.

The extent of bullying among Australian school children and attitudes toward victims of bullying were investigated in a survey of Australian school children between the ages of 6 and 16 years (n = 685) and their teachers (n = 32). Approximately 1 child in 10 was subjected to peer group bullying. Boys reported being bullied more often than girls, who tended to be more supportive of victims. With increasing age, there was a slight but significant decline in reported bullying; notably, however, attitudes toward victims became less supportive. Attitudes toward victims were examined in detail by using a reliable and validated 20-item Likert scale. Factor analyses of the children's responses yielded three interpretable factors: a tendency to despise the victims of bullies; general admiration for school bullies; and avowed support for intervention to assist the victim. An understanding of such attitudes is desirable for designing effective intervention programs.     

Explicit- and Implicit Bullying Attitudes in Relation to Bullying Behavior

The main aim of this study was to examine whether an assessment of implicit bullying attitudes could add to the prediction of bullying behavior after controlling for explicit bullying attitudes. Primary school children (112 boys and 125 girls, M age = 11 years, 5 months) completed two newly developed measures of implicit bullying attitudes (a general Implicit Association Test on bullying and a movie-primed specific IAT on bullying), an explicit bullying attitude measure, and self reported, peer reported, and teacher rated bullying behavior. While explicit bullying attitudes predicted bullying behavior, implicit attitudes did not. However, a significant interaction between implicit and explicit bullying attitudes indicated that in children with relatively positive explicit attitudes, implicit bullying attitudes were important predictors of bullying behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Socio‐economic,socio‐political and socio‐emotional variables explaining school bullying: a country‐wide multilevel analysis

Why do some countries, regions and schools have more bullying than others? What socio‐economic, socio‐political and other larger contextual factors predict school bullying? These open questions inspired this study with 53.316 5th‐ and 9th‐grade students (5% of the national student population in these grades), from 1,000 schools in Colombia. Students completed a national test of citizenship competencies, which included questions about bullying and about families, neighborhoods and their own socio‐emotional competencies. We combined these data with community violence and socio‐economic conditions of all Colombian municipalities, which allowed us to conduct multilevel analyses to identify municipality‐ and school‐level variables predicting school bullying. Most variance was found at the school level. Higher levels of school bullying were related to more males in the schools, lower levels of empathy, more authoritarian and violent families, higher levels of community violence, better socio‐economic conditions, hostile attributional biases and more beliefs supporting aggression. These results might reflect student, classroom and school contributions because student‐level variables were aggregated at the school level. Although in small portions, violence from the decades‐old‐armed conflict among guerrillas, paramilitaries and governmental forces predicted school bullying at the municipal level for 5th graders. For 9th graders, inequality in land ownership predicted school bullying. Neither poverty, nor population density or homicide rates contributed to explaining bullying. These results may help us advance toward understanding how the larger context relates to school bullying, and what socio‐emotional competencies may help us prevent the negative effects of a violent and unequal environment. Aggr. Behav. 35:520–529, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

应对校园欺凌:社会情绪能力的干预研究

校园欺凌现象在全球范围普遍存在,为有效解决校园欺凌问题,研究一采用《特拉华校园受欺凌量表》、《简易应对方式量表》以及《社会情绪健康量表》对416名5～6年级小学生进行了调查,结果发现,小学生消极应对方式可以显著预测校园受欺凌,社会情绪能力在消极应对方式与校园受欺凌中起调节作用。此基础上,研究二开展基于社会情绪能力的校园受欺凌团体辅导干预研究。结果表明,社会情绪能力的提升可以显著降低校园受欺凌水平。