CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. School Bullying: What It Is and Why It Hurts
2. The Role of Bullies, Victims, and Witnesses
3. Factors Contributing to Bullying and Violence
4. Screening and Assessment
5. Treatment For Children and Adolescents
6. Prevention and Intervention
7. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Case Studies
Fact Sheets
References
Resources

The ABCs of Bullying
Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression

When Does Bullying Happen?

Research on bullying and bullying prevention efforts is more recent in the United States than in Europe, where there has been public awareness of bullying for 20 years.

Although children are less likely to be bullied as they get older, research indicates that bullying behavior tends to peak in late middle school or early high school. Older bullies just tend to pick on younger victims.ref^, ref Bullies also tend to encourage others to help in the bullying or to carry out intimidating acts.ref

The Role of the Peer Group

Early adolescence is a particularly vulnerable time for students because it is a time when their peer groups are becoming more and more important. As children begin to yearn for independence from their parents, they turn to their peers for assurance, identity, and comfort.ref Part of that assurance or acceptance comes in the form of stratified groups among boys and girls. These groups reflect status. Elevated standing for boys is frequently based on being tough, aggressive, and athletic. For girls, physical attractiveness is a central determinant of social status.ref

The transition from elementary to middle school, which usually requires children to adjust to new facilities and the presence of older children, can cause some children a lot of stress. Changing from one school to another can often lead to an increase in emotional and academic difficulties, such as dropping grades, loneliness, and anxiety.ref

Some researchers speculate that the process of attempting to define a place in a new social structure may promote bullying behavior. If bullying pervades the social norm of the middle school, then children entering middle school who want to "fit in" start to copy the behaviors of those kids they see as popular.

Recent studies have supported this theory. In one study of 452 fourth- through sixth-grade boys, 13 percent were rated as aggressive and popular by their teachers.ref The peer group in particular, and the school's social climate in general, therefore support the bullying activity. The challenge then becomes how to teach children to handle the stressors of a new environment and pressures to belong without practicing hurtful behaviors.