1. Our kids...the best that they can be.
Be a Duck LLC
Our kids...the best that they can be.

2. What you should know about BULLYING.

3. Three Critical components:
“A person is being bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons.” Olweus, 1991
Three Critical components:
Intentional
Repetition
Power Differential
Telling children to Stand Up to Bullies, could be very dangerous! They need an adults help!

4. Bullying is about Power… (Vaillancourt, Hymel & McDougall, 2003)
Power comes in many forms…
Physical (larger, older)
Numbers (mobbing, scapegoating)
Social (more popular, more competent)
Over time, the power imbalance between the bully and victim becomes established
Children who are victimized are powerless to stop the bullying on their own.
It was once thought that it was children with low self-esteem who bullied, but on the contrary, most bullies are reported to have a high level of social intelligence and use bullying as a strategy to maintain their status and power!

5. Involvement in Bully – Victim Incidents
8-10% - Victims
8-12% - Bullies
1-5% - Bully-victims
70-80% - Witnesses
Studies show that even the witnesses are at risk for depression and other emotional upset due to witnessing violent acts.

6. Bullying Takes Many Forms
Physical Bullying – Pushing, Spitting, shoving, hitting, kicking, threatening with a weapon, defacing property, stealing.
Verbal Bullying – Mocking, teasing, name calling, dirty looks, intimidation phone calls, racist, sexist, homophobic taunts, verbal threats, coercion, extortion.
Social Bullying – Gossiping, setting up for embarrassment, spreading rumors, exclusion from group, inciting hatred, racist, sexist, homophobic alienation, setting other up to take the blame, public humiliation
Cyber Bullying – Using , internet or text

7. Bullying as an underground activity Over 400 episodes of bullying
Craig and Pepler:
Bullying as an underground activity
52 hours of videotape from 2 schools
Over 400 episodes of bullying
On average, once every 7 minutes on playground
Once every minutes in classroom
Average bullying episode=37 seconds, but one lasted 37 minutes
Teachers intervened once in every 25 incidents (4 % of the time)
Peers were present about 80-85% of the episodes, but intervened on behalf of the victim only 11% of the time.

8. Long Term Consequences
Victimization
Academic Difficulties
School truancy/avoidance
Increased absenteeism
Somatic complaints (e.g., headaches, stomachaches)
Stress-related illness, physical health problems
Low self-esteem
Depression
Social withdrawal/isolation
Social anxiety, loneliness
Suicide
Aggressive behaviour

9. Long Term Consequences cont.
Bullying
Externalizing problems
Antisocial problem behavior
Mental health problems
Dating aggression
Sexual harassment
Arrests for child/spousal abuse
Depression
Anxiety
Suicide
Delinquency and criminality
Moral disengagement

10. WHY? Three possibilities Psychopathology Part of growing up
Human nature

11. Characteristics of Bullies and Victims
(up) externalizing problems & hyperactivity (e.g., Khatri et al., Kumpulainen et al. 1999)
(up )antisocial & phsically aggressive behavior (e.g., Craig, 1998)
(down) empathy (e.g., Espelage & Mebane in press; Funke 2003; Roberts & Morotti, 2000; Olweus 1993, 1997)
(down) anxiety (e.g., Craig, 1998; Owleus, 1993)
Victims
(up) depression & anxiety (e.g., Boivin et al., 2001, Craig, 1998; Olweus, 1993,1997; Sourander et al., 2000)

12. Psychosocial adjustment and Bullying
Generally, the psychosocial adjustment of bullies, victims and bully-victims tends to be poorer than those not involved in bullying (Nansel et al., 2001)
Bullying has been associated with
Lower extraversion scores, higher neuroticism and psychoticism scores (Mynard & Joseph, 1997)
Parent ratings of conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attentions-deficit disorder and depressive disorder for about half of the bullies (Coolidge, DenBoar & Segal, 2004)

13. Why do people bully? Child psychopathy
The gradual social development of our children
The Nature of human beings

14. Moral Disengagement

15. Student Attitudes and Beliefs
Perceptions of Victims
Some kids get bullied because the deserve it.
Most students who get bullied bring it on themselves
If certain kids didn’t whine or give in so easily, they
wouldn’t get bullied so much.
Victims should fight back.
If you refuse to fight, other kids will think you’re a loser.
Justifying Bullying
Sometimes it’s okay to bully other people.
Bullying gets grudges out in the open.
Getting bullied helps make people tougher.
Some kids need to be picked on just to teach them a lesson.
40-71% yes
37-58% yes
58-72% yes
66-70% yes
55-63% yes
16-31% yes
65-72% yes
29-44% yes
36-51% yes

16. Causes and Contributing Factors to Bullying
Child Characteristics
Family Characteristics
School Policies & Practices
Media (TV & Video Games)
Peer Group Contributions
Societal and Cultural Norms

17. WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?

18. The Role of PARENTS
If you suspect that your child is a bully or a victim….
SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY AND SO SOMETHING
If you see children harassing one another inappropriately…
DO SOMETHING
NONINTERVENTION (Doing nothing) is viewed by children as condoning behaviour!

19. And don’t ever let me catch you bullying again you stupid idiot!
The Role of Parents
And don’t ever let me catch you bullying again you stupid idiot!
Bullying is wrong!!!
Serious
Self-reflection
Do we model bullying for our children?

20. What parents can do for children who bully
Do NOT call your child a bully
(if they believe they are a bully, they’ll act like one) but acknowledge when their behavior is considered bullying.
Remember that your child is learning about social behavior and how to get along with others from you as well as form others.
Consider bullying as a teaching moment rather than just a discipline problem and use teaching opportunities effectively.
If your child is accused of bullying at school, consider the possibility seriously before becoming defensive (Could it be true?)
Try to work with school staff to address the issue collaboratively, with consistent messages from both sides. Find alternatives to detentions/suspensions (Works the first time or not at all.)

21. What parents can do for children who bully
Direct and immediate, formative consequences are necessary, but what kind?
Provide clear message that what they are doing is bullying and is unacceptable
Quick, immediate, no-nonsense talks work better than long
lectures
Build awareness skills, empathy, and insights
Inductive, other-centered discipline to increase empathy
Provide youth with alternatives to bullying
Teach your child appropriate (non aggressive) ways to get what
he/she wants
Re-channel bulling behavior into socially appropriate
Leadership and responsibility
Make students responsible and accountable for their behavior
Community service
Restituation self-discipline
Restorative justice practices

22. If the problem persists… despite socialization efforts…
Consider the possibility that the bullying may be part of a larger problem with conduct, antisocial behavior and/or ADHD, even depression…
Get professional help – the earlier the better.

23. Do you suspect that your child is being victimized?
They may not tell you directly. Possible warning signs:
Avoids recess/playground before, during and/or after school
Arrives to school late or just at starting bell
Appears to be alone most of the time at school
Frequent injuries or frequent damage to clothes or property
Numerous lost belongings
Sleeping all the time (or not at all)
Somatic complaints (headaches, stomach aches, etc.)

24. What parents can do for children who are victimized
Support your child and validate his/her feelings (victimized children often blame themselves for their treatment)
Plan regular communication with your child to monitor events on an ongoing basis
Teach/Model assertiveness (not aggression) example:Safeteen (
Consider the possibility that your child is a “Provocative victim” and teach alternative behaviors
Document incidents, try to get the whole story
If possible, work with the school (talk to teachers, counselors, youth workers, administrators)
Identify an adult at school who can support your child and who the child can trust
Provide a “safe haven” for your child during recess/lunch periods and bus trips

25. What parents can do for children who are victimized
If you don’t get results at the school level, don’t give up, contact the assistant superintendent, the superintendent, the school board
If talking directly with parents of perpetrators, be objective and try to consider the whole picture
Contact your parent association/access community support
If child was physically attacked, contact police/school liaison officer
If school interventions fail, consider switching schools.

26. Be Prepared
Your child may not want your help
A child who has been victimized may still seek affiliation with perpetrators despite their treatment of him/her

27. Useful Websites
Collaborative for Academic and Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network (PREVNet)
Blueprints
Centre for Social and Emotional Education
Developmental Studies Center (Caring School Communities Project)
Teach Safe Schools
Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR)

28. In conclusion, there is no conclusion to what children who are bullied live with. They take it home with them at night. It lives inside them and eats away at them. It never ends. So neither should our struggle to end it.
Sarah, age 17

29. Information provided by: Shelley Hymel Faculty of Education University of British Columbia