The Effect of Assertiveness Skills Training on Reduction of Verbal Victimization of High School Students
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Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND August 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 The effect of assertiveness skills training on reduction of verbal victimization of high school students Elham Gahanger Boket1, Mansoureh Bahrami 2, Lila Kolyaie 3, Seyed Adnan Hosseini4 1Counseling(MA), Azazd University, Roudehen Brench, Iran. 2Phd student of Educational Psychology, Tabriz University, Iran. 3Phd student of Educational Psychology, Tabriz University, Iran. 4Phd student of Educational Psychology, Tabriz University, Iran. Invited Professor in Farhangian University of Sanandaj. (Corresponding Author). [email protected]. Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of assertiveness skills(AS) training on reduction of verbal victimization of Tabriz high school female students in iran (Academic year of 2015-16). Thus, 50 students (25 experimental, 25 control) were selected using random clustering sampling. This study was a quasi-experimental design with pretest, posttest and control group. Data was collected using Iranian form of bullying victimization scale. In an AS training program, experimental group attended at eight 90-min sessions (one session per week), but control group never attended at any session. Data was examined using ANCOVA in SPSS. The results showed that there was a significant differences between pretest and posttest in experimental group. The findings were suggested that an AS training program decreased students’ verbal victimization as an effective intervention. Keywords: assertiveness skills training, bullying, verbal victimization. http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 690 Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND August 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 Introduction Schools are a place of learning and growth for most youth. However, they may also be a place for victimization from school violence and bullying (0lsen et al.,2014) .School bullying and peer victimization are major social problems affecting children and adolescents in all parts of the world. The serious consequences of bullying and peer victimization have generated considerable amount of attention from the public, as well as educators, school officials, and researchers in recent years (Phillips, 2007). Olweus (1993) has defined bullying in general sense as an aggression action that occurs many a time and includes an unequal physical power between bully and victim (Kowalski & Limber, 2013). Also Peer victimization has been defined as single or repeated episodes of peer-perpetrated aggression that results in real or perceived harm to others(Finkelhor, D., Turner, H. A., & Hamby, S. (2012). According to bullying definitions, bulling behavior has five important characteristics: 1. It is an aggressive action; 2.It isn’t generally pre-motivated; 3. It takes many a time place; 4. It includes an unequal power between bully and victim; 5. It happens in small social groups that their members are familiar with each other(Hulsey, 2008). bullying behavior includes wide expanse destructive behaviors that systematically cause to be in different shapes victimized individuals in a wide time that verbal victimization (VV) is one of the most important forms of that. VV is the most common shapes of victimization and as a result of verbal attacks by bully using to insult, despise, scare, threatening to cause harm, name-calling victim (Eliot et al., 2010). the main purpose of bullies for verbal bullying (VB) is to damage at peers’ self-esteem. VV is observed through its outcomes as one of the direct bullying ways. Research (Rigby, 2007; Card et al., 2008) have shown that boys in comparison with girls are more involved in direct forms of bullying especially VB, and this indicates the vitality of investigation of VV in male students in schools. In Iran, also Mohammadkhani (2002, cited by Cheraghi & Pishkan, 2011) have reported that boys are often bully and victimized physically and verbally. Victims are individuals who are repetitiously victimized by others, and they are known through characteristics, such as introversion, weakness, emotionality, shame, caution, unsafety, and higher level of anxiety (Felipe et al., 2011; Spelage & Holt, 2013). Majority of victims are physically weaker than bully, and have less power in order to defend and take care of themselves physically and verbally. Hence, They are often aimed at bullies’ aggression with no reason (Turner, Fenkelhor & Emrood, 2010). Victims have typically a negative and defective insight about themselves, weak social skills, less power than their peers and failure in emotional expression. They have negative attitude toward themselves and their status. They are loneliness, aren’t a member of social networks, or have restricted relations with others. In addition, they have supporting parents. This parenting style have likely a role in victimization, because parents haven’t already been trained them how to encounter difficulties and tolerances (Felipe et al., 2011). These defects probably augment victims exposed to bully, and exacerbate their difficulties. Victims may become isolated and distressed. They have low self-esteem and self-confidence (Dukes, Stein & Zane, 2009), more negative self-efficacy and attitude, and miss their braveness and power defense. If victim students aren’t supported and treated for a long time, they’ll have in physical health problems, such as neurological and digestive diseases, sleep disorders, headaches and muscle tension, educational and academic difficulties, such as escaping and refusing to go to school(Kowalski & Limber, 2013), psychological difficulties, like severe depression (Roth, Coles & Heimberg, 2002), mental health disorder (Trofi & Farrington, 2008), and spread of http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 691 Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND August 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 suicide thoughts and even the possibility of suicide attempts (Espelage & Holt, 2013). Due to the such undesirable outcomes of victimization, it is necessary to apply and implement the appropriate instructional and interceptive programs in order to help victims strengthening their power facing the bullying behaviors, and diminishing victimization. One of these effective programs might be Assertiveness skills training because as mentioned the victims mostly suffer from low self-efficacy and self-esteem, the feelings of helplessness and inability and this causes them to have little or no courage and Assertiveness to defend themselves in interpersonal encounters. While the instructional program of AS training can improve victims’ knowledge, beliefs, self-esteem, self-efficacy and assertiveness in a way that they are able to change their negative attitudes and make more dignified interpersonal relationships (Landazabal, 2001). In fact, assertiveness is a skill and power in IC. It means the defense of rights, the expression of thoughts and feelings directly and truly (Kisak, Wisely and Park, 1999; cited by Kupran et al., 2009), and the focus on how to face IC difficulties in routine life (Lane et al, 2004). Wolpe (1969) suggested AS training programs as a treatment approach devoted to individuals who suffer from IC and are tired of problems arising from these situations. AS training programs are conducted to improve assertive beliefs and behaviors so that they have better self-image, make self-confidence, and express their feelings and thoughts and at last, they don’t let others violate their privacy and misuse them(Harji, Sanders & Dixon, 2004). On the contrary, the absence of assertiveness and decisiveness in IC makes victims mainly show neutral and passive behaviors, tolerate more concerning and anxiety and gradual lygets to this idea that they cannot defend themselves facing others’ misuse (Elkhchi et at., 2011), and may eventually become the victim in these situations (Deltsidou, 2009). So it seems that in bullying which is an interpersonal social situation if a victims reaches the sufficient level of courage and Assertiveness and his belief in competence and self-esteem improve, he will have an improved power to deal with bullies behaviors . In supporting this notion, Folotun (1997) has stated that assertiveness is a means to promote an individual’s power in stressful social situations, such as bullying. AS training program have an appropriate experimental support in promoting mental health, improving interpersonal skills, and many studies have reported the effect of AS training programs, including the increase of social adjustment and skills (Barton-Arwood et al., 2005), social support, adolescents’ competence in conflict situations with peers (Korem et al., 2012), desirable social relations and expansion of satisfactory in social communication (Korsgaard, Robinson & Reimor, 1998), happiness and achievement (Paeezi et al., 2007). However, so far in Iran, little research has been done on the effects of different interventions including AS training on students who have been victims of bullying. Only Moghtadaei et al., (2011) showed that programs based on social skills training have a positive effect on improving students’ behavior who were victims of bullying. On the other hand, According to the the highly destructive effects of bullying behaviors on the victim students, it is very important that we effectively intervene in this process of victimization through conducting measurable and applicable studies among groups involved in bullying, specially the group of victims and carefully assess the outcomes associated