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Bullying

Bullying is a problem that threatens the well-being of children and adolescents across the world; estimates are that up to 50% of children are perpetrators or victims. Numerous school shootings recently have been linked to bullying. Bullying has been defined in many ways, and there is some disagreement about what behaviors constitute bullying. The most widely used definition, provided by Olweus, a leading researcher, states that people are bullied when they are repeatedly exposed to negative actions from others. Olweus proposed three key components of bullying: intent to harm another person, behavior repeated over time, and imbalance in power between the bully and victim. This definition includes behaviors as diverse as physical abuse, threats of harm, teasing, social exclusion, spreading rumors, damage of property, and theft. Some believe that an imbalance of power need not be present. However, others suggest physical, psychological, or social power differences must exist to constitute bullying. Other definitions state that bullying may be conducted for the purpose of displaying dominance.

Historically, most attention has been focused on direct forms of bullying, including overt physical and verbal aggression. Direct physical bullying includes behaviors like hitting, kicking, and pushing and sexual aggression such as touching, pinching, and groping. Direct verbal bullying includes behaviors such as name calling, teasing, and threats of harm. Additional forms of bullying have been identified, including the use of intimidation; bullying based on one's race, ethnicity, culture, appearance, or ability; and sexual harassment or using sexual references to make someone uncomfortable. Often, children are both victims and perpetrators of bullying.

Recently, much attention has been given to indirect forms of bullying, which are sometimes referred to as social or relational bullying. This type of bullying is more covert in nature and often has the goal of damaging the victim's social relationships or reputation. Relational bullying includes behaviors such as spreading rumors, social exclusion, friendship manipulation, and gossiping.

Gender Differences

Differences have been found between the ways boys and girls use and respond to bullying. Traditionally, bullying was thought to be more of a male phenomenon and that bullying was more prevalent among males. This bullying was direct in nature; it included physical assault or threat of assault. More recently, researchers have found girls to be equally involved in bullying, but they have the tendency to use more indirect means of aggression such as relational bullying. This has led to the terms boy bullying (referring to direct aggression) and girl bullying (indirect aggression). However, it appears that the distinction between gendered forms of bullying is more complex than previously thought. While research supports the concept that boys are involved in more direct forms of bullying than girls, recent research has found that boys and girls show equal involvement in indirect bullying, but they respond to it differently. More specifically, some researchers believe that indirect forms of bullying appear more harmful to girls than to boys.

Prevalence

There appears to be a high prevalence of bullying worldwide, with general prevalence rates ranging from 11% to 50% of school children. Bullying has been assessed in numerous countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. Most countries report prevalence estimates of 10% to 20% of students being involved with bullying. The prevalence of bullying in the United States is one of the highest in the world; most estimates are that between 20% and 30% of all U.S. school children are involved. However, these rates are likely underestimates of the actual prevalence of bullying due to underreporting by students, exclusion of relational bullying, and unawareness of the extent of bullying in schools by teachers and parents. There may be prevalence differences between urban and rural areas. Recent research on bullying in small or rural schools reported much higher rates of bullying, with upwards of 80% of students reporting involvement in bullying. Bullying has been shown to begin as early as the toddler years, and it increases through middle school. Bullying behavior tends to peak during junior high and then slowly decline throughout high school.

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