NCJ Number
202208
Date Published
2003
Length
24 pages
Annotation
After defining "bullying" and considering its prevalence, this report addresses bullying's contribution to crime and violence and describes various prevention programs and their cost-effectiveness.
Abstract
There is a growing consensus among behavioral scientists that bullying has three components: it is aggressive behavior or intentional harm perpetrated by one person or a group; it is done repeatedly and over time; and it targets someone less powerful. Bullying includes verbal aggression, such as insulting someone or making threats, and it can be psychological or physical. Studies indicate that of children in the 6th through the 10th grades, more than 3.2 million (nearly 1 in 6) are victims of bullying each year, and 3.7 million bully other children. Studies of the victims of bullying have found that compared to their peers, kids who are bullied are five times more likely to be depressed; bullied boys are four times more likely to be suicidal; and bullied girls are eight times more likely to be suicidal. Of boys in grades six through nine classified as bullies by researchers, nearly 60 percent were convicted of at least one crime by the age of 24; 40 percent of them had three or more convictions by age 24. Research has found that a significant amount of bullying can be prevented, with the youth having the most serious behavioral problems benefiting the most from effective prevention programs. Thus far, three models of bullying prevention have been rigorously tested and proven to be highly effective. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, first developed in Norway, involves educational campaigns to increase awareness of bullying, school rules against bullying, class meetings on bullying, rewards for those who help prevent bullying, negative consequences for those who bully, and intensive adult supervision in areas where bullying is likely to occur. The LIFT program (Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers) is an anti-aggression program that produces long-term results. It is a 10-week intervention that includes classroom-based training in social and problem-solving skills for aggressive students and training for their parents to reinforce these skills at home. Testing on the playground includes rewards for positive behaviors and consequences for negative behaviors. The program entitled "The Incredible Years" trains parents and children in problem-solving and other non-aggressive social skills; it has been effective in stopping the cycle of aggression for approximately two-thirds of the families that have participated in it. Bullying programs have proven to be relatively inexpensive for the results they deliver and the costly behaviors they prevent. 56 notes