U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

June 2001 #27

Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying by Nels Ericson Bullying, a form of violence among children, is common on What Is Bullying? school playgrounds, in neighborhoods, and in homes throughout Bullying among children encompasses a variety of negative acts the United States and around the world. Often occurring out of carried out repeatedly over time. It involves a real or perceived the presence of adults or in front of adults who fail to intercede, imbalance of power, with the more powerful child or group at- bullying has long been considered an inevitable and, in some tacking those who are less powerful. Bullying can take three ways, uncontrollable part of growing up. School bullying has forms: physical (hitting, kicking, spitting, pushing, taking person- come under intense public and media scrutiny recently amid al belongings); verbal (taunting, malicious teasing, name calling, reports that it may have been a contributing factor in shootings at making threats); and psychological (spreading rumors, manipulat- Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, in 1999 and Santana ing social relationships, or engaging in social exclusion, extortion, High School in Santee, CA, in early 2001 and in other acts of or intimidation). juvenile violence including suicide. Bullying can affect the social environment of a school, creating a climate of fear among stu- The NICHD survey found that males tend to bully and be bullied dents, inhibiting their ability to learn, and leading to other anti- more frequently than females. For males, experiencing physical social behavior. Nevertheless, through research and evaluation, and verbal bullying is most common; for females, verbal bullying successful programs to recognize, prevent, and effectively inter- (both taunting and insults of a sexual nature) and spreading ru- vene in bullying behavior have been developed and replicated in mors are most common. Bullying generally begins in the elemen- schools across the country. These schools send the message that tary grades, peaks in the sixth through eighth grades, and persists bullying behavior is not tolerated and, as a result, have improved into high school. safety and created a more inclusive learning environment. A recently published report by the National Institute of Child The Effects of Bullying Health and Human Development (NICHD) on the U.S. contribu- The NICHD study found that bullying has long-term and short- tion to the World Health Organization’s Health Behavior in term psychological effects on both those who bully and those who School-Aged Children survey found that 17 percent of the re- are bullied. Victims experienced loneliness and reported having spondents had been bullied “sometimes” or “weekly,” 19 percent trouble making social and emotional adjustments, difficulty mak- had bullied others sometimes or weekly, and 6 percent had both ing friends, and poor relationships with classmates. Victims of bullied others and been bullied. The researchers estimated that bullying often suffer humiliation, insecurity, and a loss of self- 1.6 million children in grades 6 through 10 in the United States esteem, and they may develop a fear of going to school. The im- are bullied at least once a week and 1.7 million children bully pact of frequent bullying often accompanies these victims into others as frequently. The survey, the first nationwide research on adulthood; they are at greater risk of suffering from depression the problem in this country, questioned 15,686 public and private and other mental health problems, including schizophrenia. In school students, grades 6 through 10, on their experiences with rare cases, they may commit suicide. bullying. In a study of 6,500 middle school students in rural Bullying behavior has been linked to other forms of antisocial South Carolina, 23 percent said they had been bullied regularly behavior, such as vandalism, shoplifting, skipping and dropping during the previous 3 months and 20 percent admitted bullying out of school, fighting, and the use of drugs and alcohol. Pioneer- another child regularly during that time (Olweus and Limber, ing research by Professor Dan Olweus in Norway and Sweden 1999). suggests that bullying can lead to criminal behavior later in life: 60 percent of males who were bullies in grades 6 through 9 were U.S. Department of Justice PRESORTED STANDARD Office of Justice Programs POSTAGE & FEES PAID Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention DOJ/OJJDP PERMIT NO. G–91 Washington, DC 20531 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300

Fact Sheet FS–200127

Bullying dropped by 50 percent or more during the program’s the during more or percent 50 by dropped Bullying

FS–200127

among students in elementary, middle, and junior high schools: high junior and middle, elementary, in students among

The Bergen research showed that the program was highly effective highly was program the that showed research Bergen The

and the Office for Victims of Crime. of Victims for Office the and

Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, of Institute National the Statistics, Justice of Bureau the Assistance, parents to ensure that the bullying stops. stops. bullying the that ensure to parents

of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice of Bureau the includes also which Programs, Justice of Office the of

Staff intervene with bullies, victims, and their and victims, bullies, with intervene Staff Individual:

◆

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component component a is Prevention Delinquency and Justice Juvenile of Office The

meet with parents to encourage their participation. their encourage to parents with meet

and Delinquency Prevention. Delinquency and lsro etnswt tdnst ics ulig and bullying, discuss to students with meetings classroom

Nels Ericson is a Senior Writer-Editor with the Office of Juvenile Justice Juvenile of Office the with Writer-Editor Senior a is Ericson Nels and enforce classroom rules against bullying, hold regular hold bullying, against rules classroom enforce and

Teachers and/or other school personnel introduce personnel school other and/or Teachers Classroom: ◆

Science, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. of Prevention and Study the for Center Science,

receive inservice training on how to implement the program. the implement to how on training inservice receive

University of Colorado at Boulder, Institute of Behavioral of Institute Boulder, at Colorado of University

conduct schoolwide assemblies to discuss the issue. Teachers issue. the discuss to assemblies schoolwide conduct

ole,CO: Boulder, Nine). (Book Program Prevention Bullying vention:

rbe,ices uevso fsuet uigbek,and breaks, during students of supervision increase problem,

Blueprints for Violence Pre- Violence for Blueprints 1999. S. Limber, and D., Olweus,

determine the nature and prevalence of the school’s bullying school’s the of prevalence and nature the determine

Reference

Faculty and staff survey students anonymously to anonymously students survey staff and Faculty School: ◆

program intervenes on three levels: three on intervenes program

Delinquency Prevention (www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org). Prevention Delinquency

against bullying behavior, and support and protect victims. The victims. protect and support and behavior, bullying against

ratory (www.nwrel.org), and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Justice Juvenile of Office the and (www.nwrel.org), ratory

peer relations, intervene to stop intimidation, develop clear rules clear develop intimidation, stop to intervene relations, peer

tion (www.nccre.org), the Northwest Regional Educational Labo- Educational Regional Northwest the (www.nccre.org), tion

n aet nefrst as wrns bu ulig improve bullying, about awareness raise to efforts in parents and

cisnet.org), the National Center for Conflict Resolution Educa- Resolution Conflict for Center National the cisnet.org),

taeybhn h rga st nov colsaf students, staff, school involve to is program the behind strategy

visit the following Web sites: Communities In Schools (www. Schools In Communities sites: Web following the visit

and junior high school children (Olweus and Limber, 1999). The 1999). Limber, and (Olweus children school high junior and

For additional information on bullying and conflict resolution, conflict and bullying on information additional For

itv eindt eueblyn mn lmnay middle, elementary, among bullying reduce to designed tiative

ated in Bergen, Norway, in the mid-1980s, is the best-known ini- best-known the is mid-1980s, the in Norway, Bergen, in ated www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/index.html.

Prevention Program, developed, refined, and systematically evalu- systematically and refined, developed, Program, Prevention 80309–0439; 303–492–8465; 303–443–3297 (fax); (fax); 303–443–3297 303–492–8465; 80309–0439;

nities and rewards for bullying behavior. The Olweus Bullying Olweus The behavior. bullying for rewards and nities est fClrd tBudr apsBx49 ole,CO Boulder, 439, Box Campus Boulder, at Colorado of versity

Programs to address the problem, therefore, must reduce opportu- reduce must therefore, problem, the address to Programs n rvnino ilne nttt fBhvoa cec,Uni- Science, Behavioral of Institute Violence, of Prevention and

rule-breaking behavior pattern that can extend into adulthood. into extend can that pattern behavior rule-breaking contact Delbert S. Elliot, Ph.D., Director, Center for the Study the for Center Director, Ph.D., Elliot, S. Delbert contact

Rather, it may indicate the beginning of a generally antisocial and antisocial generally a of beginning the indicate may it Rather, For information on the Blueprints for Violence Prevention series, Prevention Violence for Blueprints the on information For

A perpetrator’s bullying behavior does not exist in isolation. in exist not does behavior bullying perpetrator’s A

http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/ifnl/index.htm.

Addressing the Problem the Addressing

son, SC 29634–5205; 864–656–6271; 864–656–6281 (fax); (fax); 864–656–6281 864–656–6271; 29634–5205; SC son,

ie lmo nvriy 5 ol giutrlCne,Clem- Center, Agricultural Poole 158 University, Clemson Life,

volvement in problem behaviors such as smoking and drinking. and smoking as such behaviors problem in volvement Susan P. Limber, Ph.D., Institute on Family and Neighborhood and Family on Institute Ph.D., Limber, P. Susan

liness, trouble making friends, lack of success in school, and in- and school, in success of lack friends, making trouble liness, o oeifraino h uligPeeto rga,contact Program, Prevention Bullying the on information more For

pert ea raetrs feprecn h olwn:lone- following: the experiencing of risk greatest at be to appear For Further Information Further For

The NICHD study found that those who bully and are bullied are and bully who those that found study NICHD The

10 percent of those who did not bully. not did who those of percent 10 declined during the 2-year period. 2-year the during declined

bullies had three or more convictions by age 24, compared with compared 24, age by convictions more or three had bullies of antisocial behavior, such as theft, vandalism, and truancy, and vandalism, theft, as such behavior, antisocial of

cent of males who did not bully; 35 to 40 percent of these former these of percent 40 to 35 bully; not did who males of cent program was in effect. The school climate improved, and the rate the and improved, climate school The effect. in was program

convicted of at least one crime as adults, compared with 23 per- 23 with compared adults, as crime one least at of convicted 2 years. Behavioral changes were more pronounced the longer the longer the pronounced more were changes Behavioral years. 2