Youth more likely to be bullied at schools with anti-bullying programs, researcher finds

Youth more likely to be bullied at schools with anti-bullying programs, researcher findsJavascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.23 hours ago

Anti-bullying initiatives have become standard at schools across the country, but a new UT Arlington study finds that students attending those schools may be more likely to be a victim of bullying than children at schools without such programs.

The findings run counter to the common perception that bullyingprevention programs can help protect kids from repeated harassment or physical and emotional attacks.

"One possible reason for this is that the students who are victimizing their peers have learned the language from these anti-bullying campaigns and programs," said Seokjin Jeong, an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at UT Arlington and lead author of the study, which was published in the Journal of Criminology.

"The schools with interventions say, 'You shouldn't do this,' or 'you shouldn't do that.' But through the programs, the students become highly exposed to what a bully is and they know what to do or say when questioned by parents or teachers," Jeong said.

The study suggested that future direction should focus on more sophisticated strategies rather than just implementation of bullying prevention programs along with school security measures such as guards, bag and locker searches or metal detectors. Furthermore, given that bullying is a relationship problem, researchers need to better identify the bully-victim dynamics in order to develop prevention policies accordingly, Jeong said.

Communities across various race, ethnicity, religion and socio-economic classes can benefit from such important, relevant Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice research, said Beth Wright, dean of the UT Arlington College of Liberal Arts.

"This important discovery will result in improvements in health, in learning, and in relationships, with unlimited positive impact," Wright said.

A growing body of research shows that students who are exposed to physical or emotional bullying experience a significantly increased risk of anxiety, depression, confusion, lowered self-esteem and suicide. In addition to school environmental factors, researchers wanted to know what individual-level factors played a key role in students who are bullied by peers in school.

For their study, Jeong and his co-author, Byung Hyun Lee, a doctoral student in criminology at Michigan State University, analyzed data from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children 2005-2006 U.S. study. The HBSC study has been conducted every four years since 1985 and is sponsored by the World Health Organization. The sample consisted of 7,001 students, ages 12 to 18, from 195 different schools.

The data preceded the highly publicized, 2010 "It Gets Better" campaign founded by syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage and popularized by YouTube videos featuring anti-bullying testimonials from prominent advocates.

The UT Arlington team found that older students were less likely to be victims of bullying than younger students, with serious problems of bullying occurring among sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. The most pervasive bullying occurred at the high school level.

Boys were more likely than girls to be victims of physical bullying, but girls were more likely to be victims of emotional bullying. A lack of involvement and support from parents and teachers was likely to increase the risk of bullying victimization. These findings are all consistent with prior studies.

Notably, researchers found that race or ethnicity was not a factor in whether students were bullied.

Explore further:New report gives insight into bullying in New Zealand

More information:www.hindawi.com/journals/jcrim/2013/735397/

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User comments : 3

Adjust slider to filter visible comments by rank

Display comments: newest first

orti

1.8 / 5 (5)22 hours ago

Sounds similar to the results for sex education. Amazing how leftist ideology works in practice.

Kiwini

1 / 5 (3)18 hours ago

Sounds similar to the results for sex education. Amazing how leftist ideology works in practice.

Yup... the same concept also applies to so-called "gun-free zones".Ferky

not rated yet17 hours ago

I guess now we need an anti-(anti-bullying program-induced bullying) program.

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Youth more likely to be bullied at schools with anti-bullying programs, researcher findsJavascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.23 hours ago

Anti-bullying initiatives have become standard at schools across the country, but a new UT Arlington study finds that students attending those schools may be more likely to be a victim of bullying than children at schools without such programs.

The findings run counter to the common perception that bullyingprevention programs can help protect kids from repeated harassment or physical and emotional attacks.

"One possible reason for this is that the students who are victimizing their peers have learned the language from these anti-bullying campaigns and programs," said Seokjin Jeong, an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at UT Arlington and lead author of the study, which was published in the Journal of Criminology.

"The schools with interventions say, 'You shouldn't do this,' or 'you shouldn't do that.' But through the programs, the students become highly exposed to what a bully is and they know what to do or say when questioned by parents or teachers," Jeong said.

The study suggested that future direction should focus on more sophisticated strategies rather than just implementation of bullying prevention programs along with school security measures such as guards, bag and locker searches or metal detectors. Furthermore, given that bullying is a relationship problem, researchers need to better identify the bully-victim dynamics in order to develop prevention policies accordingly, Jeong said.

Communities across various race, ethnicity, religion and socio-economic classes can benefit from such important, relevant Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice research, said Beth Wright, dean of the UT Arlington College of Liberal Arts.

"This important discovery will result in improvements in health, in learning, and in relationships, with unlimited positive impact," Wright said.

A growing body of research shows that students who are exposed to physical or emotional bullying experience a significantly increased risk of anxiety, depression, confusion, lowered self-esteem and suicide. In addition to school environmental factors, researchers wanted to know what individual-level factors played a key role in students who are bullied by peers in school.

For their study, Jeong and his co-author, Byung Hyun Lee, a doctoral student in criminology at Michigan State University, analyzed data from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children 2005-2006 U.S. study. The HBSC study has been conducted every four years since 1985 and is sponsored by the World Health Organization. The sample consisted of 7,001 students, ages 12 to 18, from 195 different schools.

The data preceded the highly publicized, 2010 "It Gets Better" campaign founded by syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage and popularized by YouTube videos featuring anti-bullying testimonials from prominent advocates.

The UT Arlington team found that older students were less likely to be victims of bullying than younger students, with serious problems of bullying occurring among sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. The most pervasive bullying occurred at the high school level.

Boys were more likely than girls to be victims of physical bullying, but girls were more likely to be victims of emotional bullying. A lack of involvement and support from parents and teachers was likely to increase the risk of bullying victimization. These findings are all consistent with prior studies.

Notably, researchers found that race or ethnicity was not a factor in whether students were bullied.

Explore further:New report gives insight into bullying in New Zealand

More information:www.hindawi.com/journals/jcrim/2013/735397/

More from Physics Forums - Social Sciences

Related Stories

New report gives insight into bullying in New Zealand

10 hours ago

In the first New Zealand study of its kind, a Victoria University researcher has found that 94 per cent of the school staff she surveyed have seen bullying in their school.

Research throws new light on why children with autism are often bullied

Aug 07, 2013

(Medical Xpress)—A study of hundreds of teachers and parents of children on the autistic spectrum has revealed factors why they are more or less likely to be bullied.

Far from being harmless, the effects of bullying last long into adulthood

Aug 19, 2013

A new study shows that serious illness, struggling to hold down a regular job, and poor social relationships are just some of the adverse outcomes in adulthood faced by those exposed to bullying in childhood.

Poor parenting—including overprotection—increases bullying risk

Apr 25, 2013

Children who are exposed to negative parenting – including abuse, neglect but also overprotection – are more likely to experience childhood bullying by their peers, according to a meta-analysis of 70 studies of more than ...

Study links adolescent bullies to criminal behavior later

May 09, 2013

(Medical Xpress)—Adults who say they bullied others when they were adolescents may have a higher likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior later in life, according to new research from UT Dallas.

Researchers identify risk and protective factors for youth involved in bullying

Jun 19, 2013

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User comments : 3

Adjust slider to filter visible comments by rank

Display comments: newest first

orti

1.8 / 5 (5)22 hours ago

Sounds similar to the results for sex education. Amazing how leftist ideology works in practice.

Kiwini

1 / 5 (3)18 hours ago

Sounds similar to the results for sex education. Amazing how leftist ideology works in practice.

Yup... the same concept also applies to so-called "gun-free zones".

Ferky

not rated yet17 hours ago

I guess now we need an anti-(anti-bullying program-induced bullying) program.

More news stories

Novelty of eco-friendly bamboo garments lures consumers—if the price is right, study shows

Consumers who plan to buy eco-friendly bamboo apparel are attracted if the price is right, but their next consideration is the novelty of the product, according to a new study by Baylor University researchers.

Women who see themselves as warm, supportive tend to compete less in workplace, study finds

A new study reveals that women can face an internal identity conflict – ambitious professional versus nurturing caregiver—when it comes to competing with co-workers. As a result, those who see themselves as more caring ...

CEOs who misbehave more likely part of unethical corporate culture

Chief executive officers who engage in unethical conduct for their own personal benefit tend to be part of firms that participate in other forms of corporate misbehavior, according to a new study from UT.

Church faces 'difficult decision' to engage liberal christian students

Religious leaders face a fresh challenge in engaging young Christians, after new research revealed many university students are affirming their faith in private but staying away from church on Sundays.

Young people choose education based on parents' background

Even though Danish students have equal access to education, their choice of studies is still influenced by social class. Young people from working class backgrounds are motivated by studies with a clear job profile and high ...

Researchers capture speedy chemical reaction in mid-stride

In synthetic chemistry, making the best possible use of the needed ingredients is key to optimizing high-quality production at the lowest possible cost.

CPAP therapy provides beauty sleep for people with sleep apnea

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Pinpointing molecular path that makes antidepressants act quicker in mouse model

The reasons behind why it often takes people several weeks to feel the effect of newly prescribed antidepressants remains somewhat of a mystery – and likely, a frustration to both patients and physicians.

FDA OKs implant for enlarged prostate symptoms

(AP)—Federal health regulators have approved the first permanent implant to treat men's urinary problems caused by an enlarged prostate.

Defects in 2D semiconductors could lead to multi-colored light-emitting devices

When scientists remove individual atoms in a semiconductor material, the resulting vacancies become point defects. Contrary to what their name implies, these defects can have beneficial effects on the semiconductor's ...

© Phys.org™ 2003-2013

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