Bullying is defined as repeated negative acts involving an imbalance of power. It can include verbal, physical, or relational aggression. Around 17-30% of students report being bullied. Bullies, victims, and bully-victims face poor mental and physical health outcomes. Evidence for effective anti-bullying programs is limited due to lack of standardized criteria and theoretical basis. However, programs engaging bystanders, like Finland's KiVa program, show promise by changing norms to discourage bullying.

1. Bullying:
What is it & What to do about it?
Christopher Henrich, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology &
Center for Research on School Safety
Georgia State University

2. Bullying
Defined as repeated exposure to negative events
(Olweus, 1994)
– Imbalanced power relationship
– Verbal, physical or relational
– Social isolation or exclusion

3. Bullying
Bullying involves:
• Situations in which the aggressor is perceived
to have more physical or psychological power
over the victim &
• Abuses this imbalanced relationship by
repeatedly and systematically disturbing the less
powerful individual (Nansel et al., 2001)

4. Bullying Behavior
• Bullying behavior can include:
– Repeated physical violence, such as hitting and kicking
– Verbal abuse, such as name calling or taunting
– Indirect, or relational aggression, involving spreading of
rumors, social isolation, or exclusion (Beale & Scott, 2001; MeyerAdams & Connor, 2008; Smokowski & Kopasz, 2005)
– Bullying behavior can also involve the use of
technology, like computers, cell phones, and social
networking sites

5. What is not Bullying Behavior…
• Bullying behavior does not include:
– Teasing
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Can be playful, but can also be hurtful
More gentle than bullying, though it can be persistent
Less systematic and does not always involve an imbalance in power
Rarely intended to cause physical harm, frighten, or humiliate the victim
– Fighting
• Can involves physical aggression, verbal abuse, and arguing
• Does not have to involve an imbalance of power
• Not necessarily repeated over time in a systematic manner
– Joking Around/ “Horse Play”
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Intended to be light and playful
An attempt to be funny and make others laugh
The target typically does not find the joking hurtful, though this is not always the case
There may not be a target or “victim”

6. Prevalence
• According to national estimates, between 17%
and 30% of students report being bullied (Limber
et al., 2013; Nansel et al., 2001; NCES, 2011; Wang et al., 2009)
• Similar rates for boys and girls (Limber et al., 2013;
Varjas et al., 2009)
• Students self-report being bullies less
frequently (≈10%)
• Bullying occurs in all grades; probably peaks in
6th grade (NCES, 2011)

7. Cyberbullying
• The use of electronic methods of
communication, such as the internet or a cell
phone, to repeatedly cause intentional harm or
emotional distress (Kowalski & Limber, 2007)
• Rates of cyberbullying are lower
– Less than 10% of our middle school sample reported
involvement in cyber-bullying (compared to 30% for other
forms)
– Other studies have found higher rates (20%, Wang et
al., 2009; 16% Eaton et al., 2012)

8. Consequences of Bullying
• Loss of instructional time (Bosacki, Marini, & Dane, 2006)
• Poor health, mental health, and academic
outcomes for bullies and victims
(Beaty & Akexeyev, 2008)
• Mental health outcomes particularly poor for
bully/victims, and can last into young
adulthood
(Copeland, Wolke, Angold & Costello, 2013)

9. Outcomes for Bullies
• Poor academic achievement – lower
graduation rate
• Mental health concerns: depression, anxiety
disorders, substance abuse
• Antisocial personality disorder; Engagement in
criminal behavior (Copeland et al., 2013; Sourander et
al., 2007)

10. Outcomes for Bully-Victims
• Depression, suicide ideation
• Higher risk of referrals for psychiatric
assessment than bullies and victims
• Somatic complaints
(Copeland et al., 2013; Nansel et al., 2001; Swearer, Song, Cary, Eagle, &
Mickelson, 2001)

11. Outcomes for Victims
• Reduced self-esteem and increased psychosocial
stressors such as loneliness and peer rejection
• Depression
– Maybe particularly in frequent cyberbullying (Wang et al., 2011)
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Anxiety
Helplessness
Suicide ideation
Poor school attendance + elevated drop-out rates =
potential for significant negative impact on academic
achievement

12. Evidence-based practice to
address bullying
• Limited experimental or quasi-experimental research on
preventive interventions addressing bullying. This is true for:
– universal interventions targeting all school children
(Hahn, Fuqua-Whitley, et al., 2007; Wilson & Lipsey, 2007),
– selective interventions for victims of bullying (Leff, 2007;
Varjas, Meyers, Henrich et al., 2006),
– individual interventions for bullies (Huddleston et al., 2011).
• Prevention programs /research designed specifically for the local
cultural setting, including input from stakeholders
(e.g., Meyers, Dowdy, & Paterson, 2000; Meyers & Meyers, 2003;
Meyers, Truscott, Meyers, Varjas, & Collins, 2007; Nastasi et
al., 2004; Varjas, Meyers, Henrich et al., 2006).

13. Research on
Intervention Effectiveness
• Mixed results
• Small effects
Why?
– No standardized criteria for
design, implementation and evaluation of
intervention programs (Ryan & Smith, 2009; Tofti &
Farrington, 2011).
– No sound theoretical basis for most intervention
programs (Baldry & Farington, 2007; Espelage, 2009;
Fox, Ttofi & Farrington, 2012; Stevens et al., 2001; Ttofi &
Farrington, 2009; 2011).

14. Bystanders
• 3 ways bystanders behave (Sanders & Phye, 2004)
Positive
Befriending the
victim, intervening
in favor of the
victim, telling an
adult
Negative
Neutral
Cheering, laughing, Ignoring bullying,
preventing adult
not reporting
intervention
bullying to an adult,
not intervening

15. The Role of Bystanders
• KiVa – A anti-bullying program that successfully reduced bullying in
Finland. Is being piloted in Kansas.
• Components
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Teacher training in disciplinary techniques
Playground supervision
Classroom rules, cooperative group work
School-wide anti-bully policy
Conferences and information for parents
• Views bullying as a group phenomenon; how bystanders react to bullying
situations determines whether the behavior is rewarding to the bully.
• Program effects assumed to be due to (a) bystanders supporting
victimized peers, (b) clear messages that bullying is not tolerated, (c)
increased parent efficacy.
(Karna et al., 2011)

16. Concluding Thoughts
• Bullying is a common phenomenon in school and online.
• Adverse effects of bullying can be potent and longterm
• Bullying is distinct from other aggressive behaviors in
that it is chronic and involves a power imbalance
• The majority of schools employ bullying programs
(HBSC, 2001), the effectiveness of which is questionable
• Promising recent studies demonstrate the potential of
intervening to change bystander behavior