Bullying What Is the Effect

Bullying

What is the effect of bullying on academic achievement? There has been an increasing amount of research by school and developmental psychologists into peer victimization and its detrimental effects in recent years (Juvonen & Graham, 2001). According to Atlas & Pepler 1998), there are different degrees and types of bullying, but all of them can have an adverse effect on academic achievement. These authors report that, "Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior with an imbalance of power; the dominant person(s) intentionally and repeatedly causes distress by tormenting or harassing another less dominant person(s)" (p. 86).

Students can become the victim of direct bullying, a term that describes open attacks on the victim (i.e., kicking, pushing, hitting, teasing, taunting, mocking, and threatening and intimidating); by contrast, indirect bullying describes behaviors that promote the social isolation, ostracism, or exclusion of the intended victim, as well as rumors and gossip: "Indirect bullying involves manipulating the social status of an individual within his or her peer group by changing the way others perceive and respond to that individual" (Atlas & Pepler, 1998, p. 86). Not surprisingly, then, students that become victims of bullying in school are not able to freely pursue their academic goals compared to their non-bullied counterparts because they appear to live in constant fear of their safety before, during and after school. Indeed, students who are targets of repeated bullying behavior tend to be fearful of even going to school, fear of the bus ride to and from school, and/or a diminished ability to learn while they are in attendance (Bullying by the numbers, 2007). The results of a study of 1,968 fourth-graders across 29 schools found that almost a third of the victims suffered clinical levels of depression, and 20% suffered clinical levels of anxiety; other studies have shown that depression and anxiety are significantly associated with victimization, even when adjusted for social support, gender, and other demographic factors (Borntrager et al., 2006). According to a study cited by these authors, "Ninety percent of students who were bullied experienced a drop in school grades, conceivably because students are unable to concentrate on their work when they are being harassed" (Hazler, 1994). Some other long-term effects of bullying have been shown to include higher incidences of truancy, dropping out of school, difficulties with psychosocial and interpersonal relationships, loss of self-esteem, and feelings of isolation (Hawker & Boulton, 2000). Although the long-term effects of these problems remains unclear, it is reasonable to posit that some of the interpersonal and self-esteem deficiencies may linger into adulthood (Borntrager et al., 2006). In reality, then, the symptoms of bullying that adversely affect academic achievement can also have an impact on the victim's emotional stability, and these issues are discussed further below.

2. What is the effect of bullying on the emotional stability of the victim? While definitions of bullying vary, most include the concept that bullying includes both physical and verbal aggression, which is defined by Espelage and Swearer (2003) as "a systematic, ongoing set of behavior instigated by an individual or a group of individuals who are attempting to gain power, prestige, or goods. Tactics might also be directed at the threat of withdrawal of a friendship" (p. 365). According to Borntrager et al. (2006), "Research indicates that bullying may have a significant negative impact on victims" (p. 92). Students who become targets of repeated bullying behavior by their peers may experience extreme fear and stress including fear of using the bathroom and various physical symptoms of illness (Bullying by the numbers, 2007). In this regard, a study by Rigby (2003) found that victims of bullying were more likely to report somatic complaints such as headaches and stomach aches. Likewise, according to a study by Large (1999), students today report more unique stressors, such as having to contend with a physical disability, parents' divorcing, or financial pressure at home; in addition, many students also "experience the distress of 'victimization' at school -- teasing, intimidation, bullying, and sexual harassment from other students" (p. 39).

Furthermore, bullying can also escalate into more serious behavior and young people that are identified as bullies in grades 6 through 9 experienced at least one criminal conviction by age 24 years; moreover, fully 40% of those young people who were identified as bullies in grades 6 through 9 had three or more arrests by age 30 years (Bullying by the numbers, 2007). In fact, bullies have been shown to be at even greater risk of suicide than their victims (Bullying by the numbers, 2007), and many bullies frequently go on to perpetuate such family violence as adults (Kim, 2006). This point is also made by Miller (2007) who reports that, "School bullying is thought to have potential psychopathologic outcomes in the bully and the victim, and it can lead to more serious violent behaviors" (p. 257).

3. What is the effect of current bullying programs on bullying behavior? Complex problems demand complex solutions, and bullying is no exception. Cash-strapped educators today, however, may well be tempted to first try simplistic solutions such as so-called "zero-tolerance policies" to address bullying in their schools to little effect: "Zero tolerance policies have grown in popularity and, used alone, have shown little evidence of increasing school safety" (Lepkowski, Overton, Packman & Smaby, 2005, p. 546). Unfortunately, bullying appears to be much like substance abuse and other self-destructive behaviors in that it is highly resistant to change and these behaviors tend to be self-reinforcing. The studies of bullying intervention programs to date suggests that "bullying is highly resistant to change, except in organizations that consistently implement a systematic and high-profile organizational anti-bullying program, lasting over a number of years, in a continuous review process" (Arora, Sharp & Thompson, 2002, p. 91).

In their study, "Evaluation of a Bullying Prevention Program," Borntrager, Davis and Hallford (2006) report, "Although numerous anti-bullying programs exist, few have been evaluated to determine their effectiveness" (p. 91). While report rates vary (Espelage & Swearer, 2003), the known and suspected incidence of bullying in the nation's schools are sufficiently severe that more effective intervention programs are clearly needed (Atlas & Pepler, 1998). In fact, Furlong, Greif and Morrison (2003) emphasize that "Bullying is now recognized as a common form of victimization on American school campuses and a significant school safety problem" (p. 456). The National Education Association (NEA) reports that 60% of students witness bullying in the American school at least once each day and bullying affects almost 33% of school children in grades 6 through 10 in the U.S. today; in addition, 83% of girls and 79% of boys have reported experiencing some type of harassment in schools (cited in Bullying by the numbers, 2007 at p. 37). Likewise, evidence from a number of large-scale studies in midwestern and southeastern schools in the U.S. indicates that bullying behavior is quite common (Espelage & Swearer, 2003). In this regard, Miller (2007) suggests that, "Because of the impact bullying has on schoolchildren, it is important to develop programs that prevent or decrease bullying among children" (p. 257).

First and foremost, the school culture concerning tolerance for bullying must be assessed. According to Espelage and Swearer (2003), "School climate factors are important in considering how students' beliefs about violence, role modeling from adults, and personality characteristics lead to bullying. If students attend schools in which bullying behaviors are accepted by adults and peers, it is plausible that they will engage in more of these behaviors" (p. 365). Intervention programs that encourage empathy, various social deficit training initiatives and intervention programs that take into account adolescent developmental issues are particularly important for creating and administering effective bullying prevention and intervention programming today (Espelage & Swearer, 2003). Students who bully may also require accountability instruction to help them assume responsibility for their behaviors, a process that has been shown to encourage the development of empathy and perspective-taking abilities, as well as identifying methods of making amends with their victims; bullies may also need help to learn how to use power in socially appropriate ways (e.g., focusing their energy on causes they care about) (Tips for Effective Bullying Intervention, 2006).