This document summarizes information about bullying prevention presented by Amanda Nickerson, Ph.D. It begins by defining bullying and describing its types. It then discusses factors that contribute to bullying and warning signs in bullies and targets. The short and long-term consequences of bullying are outlined. The presentation emphasizes using a whole-school approach to prevention, including collecting data, implementing policy, teaching social skills, increasing supervision, responding appropriately, and involving parents. It also discusses the importance of bystander intervention in stopping bullying.

1. 
Amanda Nickerson, Ph.D.
Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention | University at Buffalo
nickersa@buffalo.edu
gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter
Southeastern PsychologicalAssociation
March 6, 2014
Bullying: Preventing, Spotting, & Stopping It

2. Unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by
another youth or group of youths that
involves an observed or perceived
power imbalance and is repeated
multiple times (or is highly likely to be
repeated)
Bullying may inflict harm or distress on
the targeted youth including physical,
psychological, social, or educational
harm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014)
What is Bullying?

3. Hinduja & Patchin (2009)
Types of Bullying
Physical
• punching, hitting, spitting
Verbal
• name calling, making offensive remarks
Indirect
• spreading rumors, excluding, ganging up
Cyber
• willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of
computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices

4. Fun Teasing:
Fun, good-natured, “give &
take” between friends to get
both parties to laugh; mean
teasing is one-sided and
negative
Conflict: Struggle, dispute,
misunderstanding
Not Everything is Bullying!
Being rude:
Inadvertently saying
or doing something
that hurts someone
else

5. Quick Facts About Bullying
Cowie (2000); Nansel et al. (2001); Perry, Kusel, & Perry (1988); Skiba & Fontanini (2000)
Estimates vary WIDELY, but about 1 in 3 children and adolescents are
involved as bully, target, or both
Bullying occurs throughout lifespan; peaks grades 4-7 and in transition
to new school (middle, high); cyberbullying increases in adolescence
Bullying is more likely to occur in less closely supervised areas
(bathrooms, hallways, playground, lunch, bus, online)
Adults are often unaware of or do not see the problem
Students usually do NOT tell it is happening

6. Contributors to Bullying
Bullying
Bully & Target
• Bully: power/control,
aggressive attitude,
lack of empathy
• Target: lack of
assertiveness, position
of weakness
Family
• Unclear rules and
expectations
• Hostility, violence
• Under- or over-
involvement
School (Staff & Peers)
• School staff may be
unaware or not take
seriously
• Peers are more likely to
join in than stand up
• School climate and
norms
Community &
Culture
• Exposure to violent TV
and video games
• Violence in community
• Norms of competition,
superiority, and
intolerance

7. Warning Signs Child May Be Bullying Others
Refer to others
negatively
(wimp, loser)
Lack empathy
Strong need to
get
own way
Hostile/defiant
attitude
Anger easily
Deny
involvement or
blame others

8. Warning Signs Child May Be
Bullied or Harassed by Others
Chiodo et al., 2009; Gruber & Fineran, 2007; Hand & Sanchez, 2000; stopbullying.gov
Unexplained
illnesses,
cuts/bruises (nurse’s
office visits)
Not wanting to go to
school or be in social
situations
Any change in behavior
-Not interested in doing things that he/she used to like
-Withdrawn or isolated
-Change in friend group
-Loss of appetite

9.  Students who Bully
 More likely to experience legal or criminal troubles as adults
 Poor ability to develop and maintain positive relationships in
later life
 Students who are Bullied
 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)
Andershed, Kerr, & Stattin (2001); Boivin, Hymel, & Bukowski (1995); Farrington (2009); Farrington, & Ttofi (2009, 2011); Nickeson
& Slater (2009); Oliver, Hoover, & Hazler (1994); Olweus (1993); Ttofi & Farrington (2008)
Short- and Long-Term Consequences

10. Alberti Center Slideshow: Bullying

11. Hazler & Carney (2012); Rigby (2000); Ttofi & Farrington (2011); Swearer, Espelage, & Napolitan (2009)
Bullying
Prevention
in Schools
Collect and
Use Data
Whole-
School Anti-
Bullying
Policy
Teach Social,
Emotional, &
Behavioral
Skills
Increase
Awareness &
Supervision
Respond
Along
Continuum
Include
Parents

12. Collect and Use Data
 Bullying happens in larger school context
 Examine issues, strengths, & needs in your setting
 Use data to inform and continually improve
 Resource: CDC Measures of Bullying Victimization,
Perpetration and Bystander Experiences
 http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/measu
ring_bullying.html

13. Develop & ImplementAnti-Bullying Policy
 Definition of bullying
 Statement about expected behaviors and prohibitions
 Reporting procedure (consider anonymous procedures)
 Investigation and disciplinary actions
 Continuum of logical consequences and interventions
 Training and prevention procedures
 Assistance and support for target
 Resource: Maryland’s model policy to address bullying, harassment, and
intimidation:http://www.msde.maryland.gov/NR/rdonlyres/0700B064-C2B3-41FC-A6CF-
D3DAE4969707/19401/ModelBullyingPolicyDRAFT102108.pdf

14. Teach & Reinforce Social, Emotional,
and Behavioral Skills
 Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
 www.pbis.org
 Social-Emotional Learning
 CASEL Guide to Preschool & Elementary School Programs
 http://casel.org/guide/

15. Increase Awareness and Supervision
 Learn facts and strategies about bullying
 Resources:
Education.com
www.education.com/topic/school-bullying-teasing/
Stop Bullying.gov
www.stopbullying.gov
Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention
www.gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter
Cyberbullying Research Center
http://www.cyberbullying.us/

16. RespondAlong Continuum
 Name the specific behavior and why it is not acceptable
 Make teachable moment (include bystanders)
 Apply consequences then and there if clear violation (be
sensitive to humiliation and possible retaliation)
 Conduct investigation to gather facts (if necessary) and document
 Focus on positive and constructive change
 Progressive discipline (reparation, loss of privilege, increased
supervision, parent contact, counseling)
 Intervention plan based on function of behavior (Swearer Target
Bullying Intervention) for repeated instances
 Follow-up privately with target to provide support

17.  Be timely and proactive 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
Include Parents

18. The Bystander
 Bystanders witness 80% of bullying episodes, but intervene less
than 20% of the time
 Most are disgusted by the bullying, but don’t help. Why?
 Diffusion of responsibility (“No one else is doing anything”)
 Pluralistic ignorance (“Everyone else must think it’s OK”)
 Power of bullies/fear of retaliation (“It will just get turned on me”)
 Attitudes toward the victims of bullying (“He got what was coming”)
Atlas & Pepler (1998); Boulton, Trueman, & Flemington (2002); Lodge & Frydenberg (2005);
O’Connell et al. (1999); Pepler & Craig (2001); Rigby & Johnson (2006)

19. 5 Step Model for Bystander Intervention
Latané & Darley (1970); Nickerson, Aloe, Livingston, & Feeley (in press)

20. Step 1: Notice the Event
 Vivid, specific events with identifiable victim(s) draw attention
 Perceptions of an event’s occurrence predict intervention
(directly and indirectly)
 Barriers to noticing
 Common occurrence
 May not recognize cues
 Not viewed as vivid

21. Step 2: Interpret Event as Emergency
 Factors that impact interpretation of an event
 Social cues (victims may hide their suffering)
 Ambiguity of situation
 Is this bullying?
 Is help needed?
 Harm is psychological and easy to construe as joking
 Perceived severity (low or high)
 Negative bias for victims (“that kid deserves it”)
 Emotional reactivity (high negative emotion and high heart rate
motivates students to intervene)
Barhight, Hubbard, & Hyde (2013); Cappadocia, Pepler, Cummings, & Craig (2012); Salmivalli (2010)

22. Step 3: Assume Responsibility
 Factors that impact acceptance of responsibility
 Attitudes and norms of acceptance of bullying
 Moral disengagement
 Cognitive restructuring
 Minimizing one’s role
 Disregarding/distorting consequences
 Blaming/dehumanizing victim
Almeida, Correia, & Marinho (2010); Burn (2009); Cappadocia, Pepler, Cummings, & Craig (2012);
Caravita, Gini, & Pozzoli (2012); Gini et al. (2011); Monks et al. (2002); Obermann (2011);
Pöyhönen & Salmivalli (2008); Rigby & Johnson (2005); Salmivalli & Voeten (2004)

23. Step 4: Know How to Help
 Factors that impact knowing how to help
 Lack of knowledge of options for providing help
 Individual and collective self-efficacy (belief that students and/or
teachers can intervene effectively to stop bullying)
 Self-efficacy only related to
defending when student is
perceived as popular
Barchia & Bussey (2011); Burn (2009); Gini, Albiero, Benelli, & Altoe (2008); Poyhonen et al. (2010)

24. Step 5: Provide Help
 Factors that influence providing help
 Low self-efficacy (belief that interventions in a bullying
situation will not be effective)
 Perceived costs to the individual (e.g., time, danger)
 Fear of retaliation from the perpetrator or other peers
Anker & Feeley (2011); Banyard (2008); Batson (1995); Lodge & Frydenberg (2005);
Piliavin et al. (1975); Rigby & Johnson (2005)

25. What doYouth Say About what is Helpful
for Other Students to do? (Davis & Nixon)
Made it better sometimes, worse others:
• Kindly told the person to stop
• Angrily told the person to stop
Made it worse:
• Made fun of me
• Blamed me
• Ignored the situation
Made it better:
• Spent time with me/talked to
me at school
• Helped me get away from the
situation or made a distraction
• Told or helped me tell an adult
• Gave advice
• Called me at home to
encourage me
•

26. Make a Difference
Stopbullying.gov

27. Importance and Impact of Bystander
Intervention
 Bystander intervention
 Abates victimization 50% of the time
 Decreases frequency of bullying in classroom
 Associated with higher sense of safety
 Makes targets feel less depressed and anxious
 School-based bullying prevention programs successful in
increasing bystander intervention (Polanin, Espelage, & Pigott, 2012)
 Effect size of .43 for high school and .14 for elementary school)
Craig, Pepler & Atlas (2000); Gini, Pozzoli, Borghi, & Franzoni (2008); O’Connell, Hawkins et al. (2001);
Pepler, & Craig (1999); Salmivalli, Voeten, & Poskiparta (2011)

28. Margaret Mead
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