Factors Associated with Perceptions and Responses to Bullying Situations by Children, Parents, Teachers, and Principals

• NCJ Number: 216352
• Journal: Victims & Offenders Volume: 1 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 255-288
• Author(s): Faye Mishna; Debra Pepler; Judith Wiener
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 34 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study assessed bullying based on the perceptions of victimized children and their parents, teachers, and school administrators.

Abstract

Analyses revealed that children and adults generally understood what constituted bullying. They considered bullying as harmful. Repetition is thought to underlie the bullying dynamic, which becomes reinforced over time. Although the respondents included indirect bullying in their definitions they often considered this form of bullying as less serious. Another form of bullying consists of sexual comments and gestures, found to be pervasive from kindergarten through high school. Boys tend to be victimized through direct aggression, while girls are more likely to be victimized through indirect or relational aggression. Many teachers and parents were found to be unaware that children were being bullied. In addition, educators were found to have not received training on bullying. Empathy emerged as a factor that influenced how adults responded to the children who identified as bullied. The factors identified as influencing individuals’ perceptions and response to particular bullying incidents included whether the incident matched an individual’s definition, whether the child fit expectations about how victimized children behaved and presented themselves and developmental features of bullying, and what is considered normal. The bullying dynamic demands a perspective that takes into account the inherent complexities involved- the individual, and the social and environmental context. The adult-child relationship in particular affects children’s ability to manage in many areas, especially in bullying situation. This study identified factors that influenced the ways in which children reported being victimized and how the significant adults in their lives perceived and responded to bullying. Determining such factors is critical in order to increase the understanding of how the victimized children, their parents, teachers and school administrators view and react to bullying situations and how the adults interact with the children who report being victimized. References and appendix