The reactions of victims in bullying cases in Belgrade secondary schools
Keywords:
bullying, bullying in secondary schools, bullying victimization, roles of students in bullying, studentsʼ reactions to bullying
Abstract
The paper presents the research findings on the reactions of victims in bullying cases and the correlations between the reactions and the sex and age of the victims. The research was conducted in the 2020/2021 school year based on a survey of 1,506 students in grades II to IV at 19 secondary schools in the Belgrade District School Authority area. The main findings indicate that the most common reactions of victims are to avoid the bully or hit back, and that most victims do not seek protection. Significant similarities, but also differences, were found in relation to previous findings on reactions of victims in primary school in Serbia. There are two similarities: 1) avoiding the bully is at the top of the list of the most common reactions; and 2) in cases where victims seek protection, they seek it more often from adults than from peers and more often from teachers than from parents. On the other hand, two differences were found: 1) the order of the other reactions on the list differed, with suffering violence being more common among victims from primary school and hitting back being more common among victims from secondary schools; and 2) correlations were found between the reactions of victims and their sex and age in primary school, while they were not found in secondary schools. In relation to schools abroad, the findings are consistent with the fact that most victims do not seek protection, but there are differences in the case of victims seeking protection – in schools abroad they seek it more often from peers than from adults and more often from parents than from teachers, while the opposite is the case in Belgrade schools.
References
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Compas, B. E., Connor-Smith, J. K., Saltzman, H., Thomsen, A. H., & Wadsworth, M. (2001). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence: Progress, problems, and potential. Psychological Bulletin, 127(1), 87–127. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.1.87.
Cornell, D., Klein, J., Konold, T., & Huang, F. (2012). Effects of validity screening items on adolescent survey data. Psycholological Assessment, 24(1), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024 824.
Cortes, K. I., & Kochenderfer-Ladd, B. (2014). To tell or not to tell: What influences children’s decisions to report bullying to their teachers? School Psychology Quarterly, 29(3), 336–348. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000078.
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Fekkes, M. F., Pijpers, I. M. & Verloove-Vanhorick, S. P. (2005). Bullying: Who does what, when and where? Involvement of children, teachers and parents in bullying behavior. Health Education Research, 20(1), 81–91.
Gini, G., & Pozzoli, T. (2009). Association between bullying and psychosomatic problems: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 123(3), 1059–1065.
Hunter, S. C., Boyle, J. M. E. & Warden, D. (2004). Help seeking amongst child and adolescent victims of peer-aggression and bullying: The influence of school-stage, gender, victimization, appraisal, and emotion. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 74(3), 375–390.
Kochenderfer-Ladd, B. J., & Pelletier, M. E. (2008). Teachers' views and beliefs about bullying: Influences on classroom management strategies and students' coping with peer victimization. Journal of School Psychology, 46(4), 431-453. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.07.005-
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Matuschka, L. K., Scott, J. G., Campbell, M. A., Lawrence, D., Zubrick, S. R., Bartlett, J., & Thomas, H. J. (2021). Correlates of Help-Seeking Behaviour in Adolescents Who Experience Bullying Victimisation. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 4(8), 1–16. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s42380-021-00090-x.
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Mishna, F., & Alaggia, R. (2005). Weighing the Risks: A Child’s Decision to Disclose Peer Victimization. Children and Schools, 27(4), 217–226.
Naylor, P., & Cowie, H. (1999). The effectiveness of peer support systems in challenging school bullying: The perspectives and experiences of teachers and pupils. Journal of Adolescence, 22(4), 467–479. https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.1999.0241.
Newman, R. S., & Murray, B. J. (2005). How students and teachers view the seriousness of peer harassment: When is it appropriate to seek help? Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(3), 347–365.
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
Parris, L., Varjas, K., Meyers, J., Henrich, C., & Brack, J. (2019). Coping with bullying: The moderating effects of self-reliance. Journal of School Violence, 18(1), 62–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2017.1387131.
Potard, C., Kubiszewski, V., & Combes, C. (2022). How Adolescents Cope with Bullying at School: Exploring Differences Between Pure Victim and Bully-Victim Roles. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 4(10), 144–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-021-00095-6.
Roth, S., & Cohen, L. J. (1986). Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. American Psychologist, 41, 813–819.
Saarento, S., Karna, A., Hodges, E. V. E., & Salmivalli, C. (2013). Student-, classroom-, and school-level risk factors for victimization. Journal of School Psychology, 51(3), 421–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2013.02.002.
Sitnik-Warchulska, K., Wajda, Z., Wojciechowski, B., & Izydorczyk B. (2021). The Risk of Bullying and Probability of Help-Seeking Behaviors in School Children: A Bayesian Network Analysis. Front Psychiatry, 12:640927. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.640927.
Smith, P. K. & Shu, S. (2000). What good schools can do about bullying: Findings from a decade of research and action. Childhood, 7, 193–212.
Sulkowski, M. L., Bauman, S. A., Dinner, S., Nixon, C., & Davis, S. (2014). An investigation into how students respond to being victimized by peer aggression. Journal of School Violence, 13(4), 339–358. https ://doi.org/10.1080/15388 220.2013.85734 4.
Thomas, H. J., Connor, J. P., Lawrence, D. M., Hafekost, J. M., Zubrick, S. R., & Scott, J. G. (2017). Prevalence and correlates of bullying victimisation and perpetration in a nationally representative sample of Australian youth. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 51(9), 909–920. https ://doi.org/10.1177/00048 67417 70781 9.
Undheim, A. M., Wallander, J., & Sund, A. M. (2016). Coping strategies and associations with depression among 12- to 15-year-old Norwegian adolescents involved in bullying. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 204(4), 274–279. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000474.
Unnever, J. D. & Cornell, D. G. (2004). Middle school victims of bullying: Who reports being bullied? Aggressive Behavior, 30, 373–388.
Xie, S., Xu, J., & Gao, Y. (2020). Bullying Victimization, Coping Strategies, and Depression of Children of China. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(1-2), 195–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520907361.
Попадић, Д., Плут, Д., и Павловић, З. (2014). Насиље у школама Србије: анализа стања од 2006. године до 2013. године. Београд: Институт за психологију.
Aceves, M. J., Hinshaw, S. P., Mendoza-Denton, R., & Page-Gould, E. (2010). Seek help from teachers or fight back? Student perceptions of teachers’ actions during conflicts and responses to peer victimization. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(6), 658–669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9441-9.
Bjereld, Y. (2018). The challenging process of disclosing bullying victimization: A grounded theory study from the victim’s point of view. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(8), 1110–1118. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591 05316 64497 3.
Blomqvist, K., Saarento-Zaprudin, S., & Salmivalli, C. (2019). Telling adults about one's plight as a victim of bullying: Student- and context-related factors predicting disclosure. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 61(1), 151–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12521.
Boulton, M.J., Boulton, L., Down, J., Sanders, J., & Craddock, H. (2017). Perceived barriers that prevent high school students seeking help from teachers for bullying and their effects on disclosure intentions. Journal of Adolescence, 56, 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.11.009.
Causey, D. L., & Dubow, E. F. (1992). Development of a self-report coping measure for elementary school children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 21(1), 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp2101_8.
Compas, B. E., Connor-Smith, J. K., Saltzman, H., Thomsen, A. H., & Wadsworth, M. (2001). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence: Progress, problems, and potential. Psychological Bulletin, 127(1), 87–127. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.1.87.
Cornell, D., Klein, J., Konold, T., & Huang, F. (2012). Effects of validity screening items on adolescent survey data. Psycholological Assessment, 24(1), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024 824.
Cortes, K. I., & Kochenderfer-Ladd, B. (2014). To tell or not to tell: What influences children’s decisions to report bullying to their teachers? School Psychology Quarterly, 29(3), 336–348. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000078.
DeLara, E.W. (2012) Why Adolescents Don't Disclose Incidents of Bullying and Harassment, Journal of School Violence, 11(4), 288–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2012.705931.
Fekkes, M. F., Pijpers, I. M. & Verloove-Vanhorick, S. P. (2005). Bullying: Who does what, when and where? Involvement of children, teachers and parents in bullying behavior. Health Education Research, 20(1), 81–91.
Gini, G., & Pozzoli, T. (2009). Association between bullying and psychosomatic problems: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 123(3), 1059–1065.
Hunter, S. C., Boyle, J. M. E. & Warden, D. (2004). Help seeking amongst child and adolescent victims of peer-aggression and bullying: The influence of school-stage, gender, victimization, appraisal, and emotion. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 74(3), 375–390.
Kochenderfer-Ladd, B. J., & Pelletier, M. E. (2008). Teachers' views and beliefs about bullying: Influences on classroom management strategies and students' coping with peer victimization. Journal of School Psychology, 46(4), 431-453. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.07.005-
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping. New York, NY: Springer–Verlag.
Matuschka, L. K., Scott, J. G., Campbell, M. A., Lawrence, D., Zubrick, S. R., Bartlett, J., & Thomas, H. J. (2021). Correlates of Help-Seeking Behaviour in Adolescents Who Experience Bullying Victimisation. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 4(8), 1–16. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s42380-021-00090-x.
Migliaccio, Т., Raskauskas, Ј., & Schmidtlein, М. (2017). Mapping the landscapes of bullying. Learning Environments Resеаrch, 20(3), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-017-9229-x.
Mishna, F., & Alaggia, R. (2005). Weighing the Risks: A Child’s Decision to Disclose Peer Victimization. Children and Schools, 27(4), 217–226.
Naylor, P., & Cowie, H. (1999). The effectiveness of peer support systems in challenging school bullying: The perspectives and experiences of teachers and pupils. Journal of Adolescence, 22(4), 467–479. https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.1999.0241.
Newman, R. S., & Murray, B. J. (2005). How students and teachers view the seriousness of peer harassment: When is it appropriate to seek help? Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(3), 347–365.
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
Parris, L., Varjas, K., Meyers, J., Henrich, C., & Brack, J. (2019). Coping with bullying: The moderating effects of self-reliance. Journal of School Violence, 18(1), 62–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2017.1387131.
Potard, C., Kubiszewski, V., & Combes, C. (2022). How Adolescents Cope with Bullying at School: Exploring Differences Between Pure Victim and Bully-Victim Roles. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 4(10), 144–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-021-00095-6.
Roth, S., & Cohen, L. J. (1986). Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. American Psychologist, 41, 813–819.
Saarento, S., Karna, A., Hodges, E. V. E., & Salmivalli, C. (2013). Student-, classroom-, and school-level risk factors for victimization. Journal of School Psychology, 51(3), 421–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2013.02.002.
Sitnik-Warchulska, K., Wajda, Z., Wojciechowski, B., & Izydorczyk B. (2021). The Risk of Bullying and Probability of Help-Seeking Behaviors in School Children: A Bayesian Network Analysis. Front Psychiatry, 12:640927. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.640927.
Smith, P. K. & Shu, S. (2000). What good schools can do about bullying: Findings from a decade of research and action. Childhood, 7, 193–212.
Sulkowski, M. L., Bauman, S. A., Dinner, S., Nixon, C., & Davis, S. (2014). An investigation into how students respond to being victimized by peer aggression. Journal of School Violence, 13(4), 339–358. https ://doi.org/10.1080/15388 220.2013.85734 4.
Thomas, H. J., Connor, J. P., Lawrence, D. M., Hafekost, J. M., Zubrick, S. R., & Scott, J. G. (2017). Prevalence and correlates of bullying victimisation and perpetration in a nationally representative sample of Australian youth. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 51(9), 909–920. https ://doi.org/10.1177/00048 67417 70781 9.
Undheim, A. M., Wallander, J., & Sund, A. M. (2016). Coping strategies and associations with depression among 12- to 15-year-old Norwegian adolescents involved in bullying. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 204(4), 274–279. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000474.
Unnever, J. D. & Cornell, D. G. (2004). Middle school victims of bullying: Who reports being bullied? Aggressive Behavior, 30, 373–388.
Xie, S., Xu, J., & Gao, Y. (2020). Bullying Victimization, Coping Strategies, and Depression of Children of China. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(1-2), 195–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520907361.
Published
2023/12/26
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Original scientific article
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