BULLYING AND VICTIMIZATION IN CHILDHOOD

Bullying and Victimization in Childhood

Bullying and Victimization in Childhood

Introduction

Bullying behaviors can include verbal aggression, physical aggression, and relationship-damaging behaviors. An example of the latter would be using gossip to systematically exclude a child from a peer group. Bullying also may have sexual content, particularly in later elementary years and among older youth. Typically, a distinction is made between direct and indirect bullying to distinguish behaviors that are expressed overtly from those expressed covertly.

Prevalence of Bullying

Because schools provide a natural structure within which children's peer relationships develop, studies examining the prevalence of bullying have typically been conducted in American and European schools and have identified bullying as a common experience affecting many children and adolescents (Craig, 2006). In a recent national study of 15,686 sixth through tenth graders in the United States, 29.9% of the total sample revealed that they were involved in bully-victim behaviors at least several times within the current school term. Of these students, 13% were involved as bullies, 10.6% were targets of bullies, and 6.3% reported involvement as both bullies and victims. Additionally, boys were more likely than girls to bully or be victimized, as were students in the sixth through eighth grades. A similar nationwide survey conducted among 130,000 primary and junior high school students in Norway found that 15% of the children indicated involvement in bully-victim problems “now and then” or more frequently. Of this sample, 7% bullied other children, 9% were victims, and 1.6% were both bullies and victims. These national studies of bullying prevalence signify the increasingly accepted trend that bullying seems to increase during the elementary school years and peak during junior high or middle school, with relatively fewer reports of such behaviors during the high school years (Nansel, 2007).

Direct and Indirect Bullying

Direct bullying is characterized by open physical or verbal attacks on the targeted child. In cases of direct bullying, the child and, often, others within the school know the identity of the person(s) doing the bullying. Direct bullying is easier to recognize because the behaviors are readily observable and the impact is immediate. In contrast, indirect bullying includes covert, harmful behaviors directed toward another child (Olweus, 1993). Indirect bullying can be more difficult to recognize because the person being bullied may not be present when the bullying occurs. Examples of indirect bullying include spreading rumors, writing mean graffiti about a child, and encouraging others to leave a ...