15–16 years
45 girls, 50 boys
Evaluating and interpreting quality of primary sources in an integrative review can be challenging, as noted by Whittemore and Knafl (2005) . Because qualitative methods were used for the studies included, a quality instrument that specifically assesses qualitative methods was used: the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme ( CASP; 2014 ; Lee, 2006 ). The CASP (2014) qualitative checklist was designed by a group of experts to be used, when reading qualitative literature to think about the quality of qualitative methods in a systematic way. This instrument was used to judge whether the article explicitly identified an aim, method, research design, recruitment strategy, data collection method, ethical issues, data analysis techniques, findings, added value to the literature, and whether the relationship between the researcher and participants was adequately considered. Based on the criteria from the CASP instrument, no articles were excluded due to quality issues. In general, the quality of the studies was determined to be sufficient. All studies had an appropriate methodology, reported their findings, and added value to the literature. The largest area of concern was the relationship between the researcher and participants; five of the studies did not address this issue ( Athanasiades & Deliyanni-Kouimtzis, 2010 ; Bell et al., 2014 ; Kulig, Hall, & Kalischuk, 2008 ; Lindsay & McPherson, 2012 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ). This is an important area to address because bias can be introduced if the researcher does not examine her or his role and influence in the qualitative data collection process.
Across the 14 studies, different types of qualitative methods were used. Phenomenological methods were most commonly used ( n = 5), including the subtypes of interpretative phenomenological analysis ( Athanasiades & Deliyanni-Kouimtzis, 2010 ), the phenomenological hermeneutic mode of understanding ( Kvarme, Helseth, Sæteren, & Natvig, 2010 ), transcendental phenomenology ( Brown Hajdukova, Hornby, & Cushman, 2016 ), the descriptive phenomenological method ( Willis & Griffith, 2010 ), and general phenomenology ( Pister, 2014 ). Grounded theory methods were also used in three of the studies ( Pister, 2014 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ; Tenenbaum, Varjas, Meyers, & Parris, 2011 ). Two studies cited thematic semantic analysis as their method ( Berne, Frisén, & Kling, 2014 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ). One study used qualitative description ( Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ), and another cited basic qualitative methodology ( Mishna, Wiener, & Pepler, 2008 ). Three studies did not mention a specific qualitative method that guided their work ( Bell et al., 2014 ; Kulig et al., 2008 ; Lindsay & McPherson, 2012 ).
Although the focus of this review was qualitative method studies, it is important to mention that four of the studies also included quantitative components, namely, self-report Likert-type scale surveys; therefore, they are classified as mixed methods ( Bell et al., 2014 ; Kulig et al., 2008 ; Mishna et al., 2008 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ). Another important consideration is that studies included different types of interview methods: five of the studies used focus groups ( Athanasiades & Deliyanni-Kouimtzis, 2010 ; Bell et al., 2014 ; Berne et al., 2014 ; Kvarme et al., 2010 ; Tenenbaum et al., 2011 ), five used individual interviews ( Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ; Mishna et al., 2008 ; Pister, 2014 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ; Willis & Griffith, 2010 ), and four used both focus groups and individual interviews ( Brown Hajdukova et al., 2016 ; Kulig et al., 2008 ; Lindsay & McPherson, 2012 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ).
Data collected and analyzed for this integrative review were explicitly identified prior to beginning the data collection process, as proposed by Whittemore and Knafl (2005) . Data for each article were extracted, including the terms used to describe the emotional experience of bullying victimization, sample size and characteristics, any special populations recruited, the country in which the research took place, the setting of the research, and strengths and limitations. Data regarding the emotional experience were taken from both the write-up in the article and the quotations from participants in the studies. Once extracted, the data from all primary sources were displayed in a chart and were compared iteratively.
Articles were published between 2003 and 2016. The sample size in the studies ranged from 4 to 102 participants. Participants were between the ages of 8 and 19 years. Studies were conducted in Canada, Greece, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Most of the research was conducted in the school setting ( Athanasiades & Deliyanni-Kouimtzis, 2010 ; Berne et al., 2014 ; Brown Hajdukova et al., 2016 ; Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ; Kulig et al., 2008 ; Kvarme et al., 2010 ; Mishna et al., 2008 ; Pister, 2014 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ; Tenenbaum et al., 2011 ; Willis & Griffith, 2010 ), two were performed in the community or home setting ( Bell et al., 2014 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ), and one in a pediatric rehabilitation center ( Lindsay & McPherson, 2012 ).
Some of the studies recruited specialty populations to describe their specific bullying experience. Certain studies selected participants with a specific diagnosis, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( Shea & Wiener, 2003 ) or cerebral palsy ( Lindsay & McPherson, 2012 ), while one included participants based on the general diagnosis of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties ( Brown Hajdukova et al., 2016 ). Others recruited based on inclusion in an ethnic or cultural group, such as Lumbee youth ( Bell et al., 2014 ), Canadian Aboriginal youth ( Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ), or rural youth ( Kulig et al., 2008 ). A few of the studies aimed to look at specific gendered experiences related to bullying; thus, they only recruited males ( Brown Hajdukova et al., 2016 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ; Willis & Griffith, 2010 ) or females ( Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ).
There was a range of emotional experiences related to being a victim of bullying discussed in the articles ( Table 2 ). One of the most commonly mentioned emotions was sadness or depression; this response was found in 10 of the articles ( Bell et al., 2014 ; Berne et al., 2014 ; Brown Hajdukova et al., 2016 ; Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ; Kvarme et al., 2010 ; Mishna et al., 2008 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ; Tenenbaum et al., 2011 ; Willis & Griffith, 2010 ). The youths reported words such as sad, sadness, or “feel down” ( Kentel & McHugh, 2015 , p. 370). Self-esteem issues were also often mentioned, reported in seven of the articles ( Athanasiades & Deliyanni-Kouimtzis, 2010 ; Bell et al., 2014 ; Berne et al., 2014 ; Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ; Kulig et al., 2008 ; Kvarme et al., 2010 ; Willis & Griffith, 2010 ). In particular, the youths described feeling “not as good as the others” ( Kvarme et al., 2010 , p. 795). Another emotional reaction mentioned in seven of the articles was embarrassment or shame ( Berne et al., 2014 ; Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ; Kulig et al., 2008 ; Lindsay & McPherson, 2012 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ; Tenenbaum et al., 2011 ). In one article, a participant reported that the experience was “humiliating” ( Side & Johnson, 2014 , p. 225).
Emotions Experienced.
Emotion | Reference | Example |
---|---|---|
Sadness/depression | , , , ; , , , , , and | “If I get a comment, I feel like really bad, and I can be, you know, I can feel terrible for, like, years, like, over one single comment” ( , p. 531) “feel down” ( , p. 370) |
Self-esteem issues | , , , , , , and | “You feel out of place and feel that you are not as good as the other” ( , p. 795) “It [bullying] makes me feel like a pile of garbage, that people can just throw around!” ( , p. 7) |
Embarrassed | , , , , , , and | “You feel very small when this is happening to you, you don’t really like to talk about it with anybody because it is kind of embarrassing, when you know somebody is picking on you and you don’t want to tell” ( , p. 276) “humiliating” ( , p. 225) |
Fear/anxiety | , , , , , and | “I was like scared to go into school” ( , p. 225) |
Suicidal ideation | , , , , , and | “bullying is dangerous, because you can think of committing suicide” ( , p. 795) |
Anger | , , , , and | “I got very, very angry. I was about to punch somebody” ( , p. 214) |
Hurt | , , , , and | “Picking on someone, like emotionally hurting them verbally” ( , p. 370) |
Excluded/loneliness | , , , , and | “I felt like I was alone … I did feel extremely alone” ( , p. 225) |
Helplessness | and | “I was helpless” ( , p. 225) |
Powerlessness | and | “It made me feel like some people have massive power over some people… they just have so much power” ( , p. 225) |
Confused | and | “Sometimes I feel confused, like I don’t know why they are doing it and I don’t really know why they chose me.” ( , p. 128) |
Other emotional reactions were mentioned in fewer studies, and exemplar quotes are provided in Table 2 . Six of the studies mentioned suicidal thinking ( Bell et al., 2014 ; Berne et al., 2014 ; Kulig et al., 2008 ; Kvarme et al., 2010 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ) and anxiety or fear ( Athanasiades & Deliyanni-Kouimtzis, 2010 ; Kvarme et al., 2010 ; Mishna et al., 2008 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ; Willis & Griffith, 2010 ). Five of the studies mentioned feeling hurt ( Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ; Kvarme et al., 2010 ; Mishna et al., 2008 ; Pister, 2014 ; Tenenbaum et al., 2011 ), anger ( Brown Hajdukova et al., 2016 ; Mishna et al., 2008 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ; Willis & Griffith, 2010 ), and feeling excluded or lonely ( Brown Hajdukova et al., 2016 ; Kvarme et al., 2010 ; Lindsay & McPherson, 2012 ; Mishna et al., 2008 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ). Lastly, two of the studies reported feelings of helpless and powerlessness ( Kvarme et al., 2010 ; Side & Johnson, 2014 ) and confusion ( Mishna et al., 2008 ; Willis & Griffith, 2010 ).
We analyzed the findings from qualitative research about the emotional experience of bullying victimization in youths. This is an important contribution to the literature because much of the previous work on the emotional consequences of bullying comes from quantitative research. This review of the qualitative literature found that youths who were victims of bullying used many emotional adjectives to describe their feelings: (in order of prevalence) sadness, decreased self-esteem, embarrassment, fear, suicidal thinking, anger, feeling hurt, loneliness, powerlessness, helplessness, and confusion.
Examining the findings from this review and placing them within the context of prior findings resulting from quantitative method studies may provide additional insight into the effect of bullying victimization. As bullying research has grown, multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been published documenting the quantitative method study findings, which is the strongest level of evidence ( Melnyk & Morrison-Beedy, 2012 ). A recent systematic review and meta-analysis were done examining bullying victimization and found statistically significant relationships between bullying victimization and depression, anxiety, nonsuicidal self-injury, and suicidal ideation. Odds ratios were calculated for the abovementioned emotional consequences. Highest odds ratios were found between frequent bullying victimization and (a) depression and (b) suicide attempts. A nearly fourfold increase in suicide attempts was found for youths who experience frequent (as opposed to “sometimes”) bullying victimization ( Moore et al., 2017 ). Similar results were found in a systematic review of cyberbullying and adolescent mental health. Findings from that study indicated that adolescents who were victims of cyberbullying were more likely to report symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation and behaviors ( Bottino et al., 2015 ). Another meta-analysis found moderate effect sizes for bullying victimization and suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior ( Holt et al., 2015 ). A meta-analysis was also performed looking at bullying victimization and self-esteem and found a significant negative correlation, meaning that as youths were more frequently bullied their self-esteem decreased ( Tsaousis, 2016 ).
The above mentioned systematic reviews and meta-analyses found results similar to this integrative review, in that the emotional reactions often mentioned included depression or sadness, anxiety or fear, suicidal ideation, and self-esteem issues. The current review reported herein additionally found that youths often report embarrassment as an emotional reaction to bullying, which has not previously been documented in quantitative research. Therefore, the new results found in this review point to a need to include measures on embarrassment or shame in future studies on bullying victimization. Importantly, many youths who are victims of bullying do not tell adults about the situation; therefore, feelings of embarrassment or shame should be explored in future studies as a potential reason for the lack of reporting.
Results of this review contribute to the growing field of literature on the consequences of bullying, in particular the emotional consequences. This review provides the first integrated review of the literature using qualitative methods to describe the emotional experience of bullying victimization of youths. Rigorous methodology as proposed by Whittemore and Knafl (2005) guided this review.
In the 14 qualitative studies included in this review, one strength was that most of the studies ( n = 11) explicitly stated the qualitative method used. It is important to be transparent in stating the qualitative methods used so that studies can be assessed for rigor, which has been a criticism of qualitative methods ( Anderson, 2010 ). Another strength of the research designs was that some of the studies used validation techniques recommended by Creswell (2013) . For example, Mishna, Wiener, and Pepler (2008) used triangulation with parents, teachers, vice principals, and principals to validate their findings. Shea and Wiener (2003) also used triangulation with teachers and parents. Kentel and McHugh (2015) used member checking to verify the results of their analysis with their participants. They also used prolonged engagement or spending extended time with the participants in their everyday world ( Creswell, 2013 ). Other researchers used constant comparison ( Berne et al., 2014 ; Kulig et al., 2008 ; Mishna et al., 2008 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ), as defined by Strauss and Corbin (1990) . The use of these validation methods is a strength of these particular studies; however, many authors did not explicitly discuss their validation methods, a major limitation of their research designs. Therefore, future qualitative work should consistently describe validation techniques to ensure the rigor of the research design.
Limitations among the studies included lack of design description in three of the studies ( Bell et al., 2014 ; Kulig et al., 2008 ; Lindsay & McPherson, 2012 ) and variance among the data collection techniques (focus groups, individual interviews, or both).
First, though bullying is the most common term used to describe this phenomenon in the English language, other terms are used, such as “cyber mobbing” or “peer victimization” ( Nocentini et al., 2010 ). Importantly, Nocentini and colleagues (2010) found that the term bullying arose consistently among youths when describing these behaviors, which is why only this term was included in the literature search. The broad term “qualitative” was also exclusively selected for the literature search because this would capture all research using qualitative methods, as opposed to limiting it to specific types of qualitative methods (i.e., grounded theory).
An important limitation of qualitative research is that authors may group content into themes, thus leaving out other terms the participants may have used to describe their emotional experience. Because this is the standard way to organize qualitative method studies, this is an inherent problem that could not be controlled for in this review. Many of the reviewed studies commented on this limitation and mentioned their use of constant comparison in grounded theory designs ( Strauss & Corbin, 1990 ) or open coding ( Kentel & McHugh, 2015 ; Pister, 2014 ; Shea & Wiener, 2003 ) to mitigate this limitation.
As one in five youths report being the victim of bullying on school property, bullying can be seen as a public health concern for youths in the school setting ( Kann et al., 2016 ). Consequently, school staff, especially school nurses, frequently encounter students who have been victims of bullying and suffer from adverse physical and emotional outcomes. The school setting is frequently where these students first present with concerns related to bullying; therefore, school nurses are often the first health-care provider to encounter, assess, and help treat these students. It is important for school nurses to be aware of the emotional experiences that were found in this review that may result from bullying victimization.
Based on this review, there are two main recommendations for school nurses when working with children who have been victims of bullying. First, it is important to note that youths often do not feel comfortable talking to an adult, including school staff, when they are experiencing bullying because they are worried about the adults overreacting to the situation or they are worried about being blamed for the situation ( Fenaughty & Harré, 2013 ). As was found by this review, feelings of embarrassment may also contribute to students’ reluctance to tell an adult when they are victims of bullying. Therefore, when school nurses encounter youths with the emotional symptoms found from this review (sadness, decreased self-esteem, embarrassment, fear, suicidal thinking, anger, feeling hurt, loneliness, powerlessness, helpless, and confusion), they should be suspect of bullying victimization and screen the student appropriately. This is in line with the position statement from the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) on Bullying Prevention in Schools , in that school nurses should be key players in identifying and responding to bullying in schools ( DeSisto & Smith, 2014 ). This recommendation from this review goes further to recommend that students with emotional symptoms frequently associated with bullying be screened for bullying rather than just unexplained somatic symptoms as recommended by the position statement ( DeSisto & Smith, 2014 ).
The second recommendation is that, when a student does present to the school nurse or other school staff with concerns related to bullying victimization, they should be screened for depression, anxiety, suicidal thinking, and decreased self-esteem (some of the most cited emotional consequences found from this review) and referred to the appropriate treatment services. This is an important recommendation because some students may not openly admit to the cause of adverse emotional experience unless directly asked. Again, this goes beyond the NASN position statement that school nurses should recognize and be knowledgeable about long-term consequences of bullying, but also that school nurses should screen students affected by bullying for emotional symptoms and refer to the appropriate treatment ( DeSisto & Smith, 2014 ).
Results generated from qualitative studies can provide valuable information documenting the emotional experience of youths who have been victims of bullying. Because most previous studies examining the negative consequences of bullying victimization have used quantitative methods, this review of qualitative method studies is an important addition to the literature. The results of this integrated review found that documented emotional experiences in youths who are victims of bullying include sadness, decreased self-esteem, embarrassment, fear, suicidal thinking, anger, feeling hurt, loneliness, powerlessness, helplessness, and confusion. An important distinction between previous quantitative studies documenting the consequences of bullying victimization and this review is that this review found embarrassment was the second most commonly mentioned emotional experience (along with decreased self-esteem). This finding points to a need to include measures on embarrassment in studies addressing bullying.
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Elizabeth Hutson , MS, RN, PMHNP-BC, is a doctoral student at Ohio State University.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand teens’ experiences with and views on bullying and harassment online. For this analysis, we surveyed 1,316 U.S. teens. The survey was conducted online by Ipsos from April 14 to May 4, 2022.
This research was reviewed and approved by an external institutional review board (IRB), Advarra, which is an independent committee of experts that specializes in helping to protect the rights of research participants.
Ipsos recruited the teens via their parents who were a part of its KnowledgePanel , a probability-based web panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses. The survey is weighted to be representative of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 who live with parents by age, gender, race, ethnicity, household income and other categories.
Here are the questions used for this report , along with responses, and its methodology .
While bullying existed long before the internet, the rise of smartphones and social media has brought a new and more public arena into play for this aggressive behavior.
Nearly half of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 (46%) report ever experiencing at least one of six cyberbullying behaviors asked about in a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 14-May 4, 2022. 1
The most commonly reported behavior in this survey is name-calling, with 32% of teens saying they have been called an offensive name online or on their cellphone. Smaller shares say they have had false rumors spread about them online (22%) or have been sent explicit images they didn’t ask for (17%).
Some 15% of teens say they have experienced someone other than a parent constantly asking them where they are, what they’re doing or who they’re with, while 10% say they have been physically threatened and 7% of teens say they have had explicit images of them shared without their consent.
In total, 28% of teens have experienced multiple types of cyberbullying.
This report measures cyberbullying of teens using six distinct behaviors:
Teens who indicate they have personally experienced any of these behaviors online or while using their cellphone are considered targets of cyberbullying in this report. The terms “cyberbullying” and “online harassment” are used interchangeably throughout this report.
Teens’ experiences with online harassment vary by age. Some 49% of 15- to 17-year-olds have experienced at least one of the six online behaviors, compared with 42% of those ages 13 to 14. While similar shares of older and younger teens report being the target of name-calling or rumor spreading, older teens are more likely than their younger counterparts (22% vs. 11%) to say someone has sent them explicit images they didn’t ask for, an act sometimes referred to as cyberflashing ; had someone share explicit images of them without their consent, in what is also known as revenge porn (8% vs. 4%); or been the target of persistent questioning about their whereabouts and activities (17% vs. 12%).
While there is no gender difference in having ever experienced online abuse, teen girls are more likely than teen boys to say false rumors have been spread about them. But further differences are seen when looking at age and gender together: 15- to 17-year-old girls stand out for being particularly likely to have faced any cyberbullying, compared with younger teen girls and teen boys of any age. Some 54% of girls ages 15 to 17 have experienced at least one of the six cyberbullying behaviors, while 44% of 15- to 17-year-old boys and 41% of boys and girls ages 13 to 14 say the same. These older teen girls are also more likely than younger teen girls and teen boys of any age to report being the target of false rumors and constant monitoring by someone other than a parent.
White, Black and Hispanic teens do not statistically differ in having ever been harassed online, but specific types of online attacks are more prevalent among certain groups. 2 For example, White teens are more likely to report being targeted by false rumors than Black teens. Hispanic teens are more likely than White or Black teens to say they have been asked constantly where they are, what they’re doing or who they’re with by someone other than a parent.
There are also differences by household income when it comes to physical threats. Teens who are from households making less than $30,000 annually are twice as likely as teens living in households making $75,000 or more a year to say they have been physically threatened online (16% vs. 8%).
Beyond those differences related to specific harassing behaviors, older teen girls are particularly likely to say they experience multiple types of online harassment. Some 32% of teen girls have experienced two or more types of online harassment asked about in this survey, while 24% of teen boys say the same. And 15- to 17-year-olds are more likely than 13- to 14-year-olds to have been the target of multiple types of cyberbullying (32% vs. 22%).
These differences are largely driven by older teen girls: 38% of teen girls ages 15 to 17 have experienced at least two of the harassing behaviors asked about in this survey, while roughly a quarter of younger teen girls and teen boys of any age say the same.
Beyond demographic differences, being the target of these behaviors and facing multiple types of these behaviors also vary by the amount of time youth spend online. Teens who say they are online almost constantly are not only more likely to have ever been harassed online than those who report being online less often (53% vs 40%), but are also more likely to have faced multiple forms of online abuse (37% vs. 21%).
These are some of the findings from a Pew Research Center online survey of 1,316 U.S. teens conducted from April 14 to May 4, 2022.
There are numerous reasons why a teen may be targeted with online abuse. This survey asked youth if they believed their physical appearance, gender, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation or political views were a factor in them being the target of abusive behavior online.
Teens are most likely to say their physical appearance made them the target of cyberbullying. Some 15% of all teens think they were cyberbullied because of their appearance.
About one-in-ten teens say they were targeted because of their gender (10%) or their race or ethnicity (9%). Teens less commonly report being harassed for their sexual orientation or their political views – just 5% each.
Looking at these numbers in a different way, 31% of teens who have personally experienced online harassment or bullying think they were targeted because of their physical appearance. About one-in-five cyberbullied teens say they were targeted due to their gender (22%) or their racial or ethnic background (20%). And roughly one-in-ten affected teens point to their sexual orientation (12%) or their political views (11%) as a reason why they were targeted with harassment or bullying online.
The reasons teens cite for why they were targeted for cyberbullying are largely similar across major demographic groups, but there are a few key differences. For example, teen girls overall are more likely than teen boys to say they have been cyberbullied because of their physical appearance (17% vs. 11%) or their gender (14% vs. 6%). Older teens are also more likely to say they have been harassed online because of their appearance: 17% of 15- to 17-year-olds have experienced cyberbullying because of their physical appearance, compared with 11% of teens ages 13 to 14.
Older teen girls are particularly likely to think they have been harassed online because of their physical appearance: 21% of all 15- to 17-year-old girls think they have been targeted for this reason. This compares with about one-in-ten younger teen girls or teen boys, regardless of age, who think they have been cyberbullied because of their appearance.
A teen’s racial or ethnic background relates to whether they report having been targeted for cyberbullying because of race or ethnicity. Some 21% of Black teens report being made a target because of their race or ethnicity, compared with 11% of Hispanic teens and an even smaller share of White teens (4%).
There are no partisan differences in teens being targeted for their political views, with 5% of those who identify as either Democratic or Republican – including those who lean toward each party – saying they think their political views contributed to them being cyberbullied.
In addition to measuring teens’ own personal experiences with cyberbullying, the survey also sought to understand young people’s views about online harassment more generally.
The vast majority of teens say online harassment and online bullying are a problem for people their age, with 53% saying they are a major problem. Just 6% of teens think they are not a problem.
Certain demographic groups stand out for how much of a problem they say cyberbullying is. Seven-in-ten Black teens and 62% of Hispanic teens say online harassment and bullying are a major problem for people their age, compared with 46% of White teens. Teens from households making under $75,000 a year are similarly inclined to call this type of harassment a major problem, with 62% making this claim, compared with 47% of teens from more affluent homes. Teen girls are also more likely than boys to view cyberbullying as a major problem.
Views also vary by community type. Some 65% of teens living in urban areas say online harassment and bullying are a major problem for people their age, compared with about half of suburban and rural teens.
Partisan differences appear as well: Six-in-ten Democratic teens say this is a major problem for people their age, compared with 44% of Republican teens saying this.
In recent years, there have been several initiatives and programs aimed at curtailing bad behavior online, but teens by and large view some of those behind these efforts – including social media companies and politicians – in a decidedly negative light.
According to teens, parents are doing the best of the five groups asked about in terms of addressing online harassment and online bullying, with 66% of teens saying parents are doing at least a good job, including one-in-five saying it is an excellent job. Roughly four-in-ten teens report thinking teachers (40%) or law enforcement (37%) are doing a good or excellent job addressing online abuse. A quarter of teens say social media sites are doing at least a good job addressing online harassment and cyberbullying, and just 18% say the same of elected officials. In fact, 44% of teens say elected officials have done a poor job addressing online harassment and online bullying.
Teens who have experienced harassment or bullying online have a very different perspective on how various groups have been handling cyberbullying compared with those who have not faced this type of abuse. Some 53% of teens who have been cyberbullied say elected officials have done a poor job when it comes to addressing online harassment and online bullying, while 38% who have not undergone these experiences say the same (a 15 percentage point gap). Double-digit differences also appear between teens who have and have not been cyberbullied in their views on how law enforcement, social media sites and teachers have addressed online abuse, with teens who have been harassed or bullied online being more critical of each of these three groups. These harassed teens are also twice as likely as their peers who report no abuse to say parents have done a poor job of combatting online harassment and bullying.
Aside from these differences based on personal experience with cyberbullying, only a few differences are seen across major demographic groups. For example, Black teens express greater cynicism than White teens about how law enforcement has fared in this space: 33% of Black teens say law enforcement is doing a poor job when it comes to addressing online harassment and online bullying; 21% of White teens say the same. Hispanic teens (25%) do not differ from either group on this question.
Teens have varying views about possible actions that could help to curb the amount of online harassment youth encounter on social media.
While a majority of teens say each of five possible solutions asked about in the survey would at least help a little, certain measures are viewed as being more effective than others.
Teens see the most benefit in criminal charges for users who bully or harass on social media or permanently locking these users out of their account. Half of teens say each of these options would help a lot in reducing the amount of harassment and bullying teens may face on social media sites.
About four-in-ten teens think that if social media companies looked for and deleted posts they think are bullying or harassing (42%) or if users of these platforms were required to use their real names and pictures (37%) it would help a lot in addressing these issues. The idea of forcing people to use their real name while online has long existed and been heavily debated: Proponents see it as a way to hold bad actors accountable and keep online conversations more civil , while detractors believe it would do little to solve harassment and could even worsen it .
Three-in-ten teens say school districts monitoring students’ social media activity for bullying or harassment would help a lot. Some school districts already use digital monitoring software to help them identify worrying student behavior on school-owned devices , social media and other online platforms . However, these programs have been met with criticism regarding privacy issues , mixed results and whether they do more harm than good .
Having personally experienced online harassment is unrelated to a teen’s view on whether these potential measures would help a lot in reducing these types of adverse experiences on social media. Views do vary widely by a teen’s racial or ethnic background, however.
Black or Hispanic teens are consistently more optimistic than White teens about the effectiveness of each of these measures.
Majorities of both Black and Hispanic teens say permanently locking users out of their account if they bully or harass others or criminal charges for users who bully or harass on social media would help a lot, while about four-in-ten White teens express each view.
In the case of permanent bans, Black teens further stand out from their Hispanic peers: Seven-in-ten say this would help a lot, followed by 59% of Hispanic teens and 42% of White teens.
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IMAGES
COMMENTS
Prevalence of bullying at school and mental health problems. Estimates of the prevalence of bullying at school and mental health problems across the 12 strata of data (3 years × 2 school grades × 2 genders) are shown in Table 1.The prevalence of bullying at school increased minimally (< 1%) between 2014 and 2020, except among girls in grade 11 (2.5% increase).
Research on bullying started more than 40 years ago (Olweus, Citation 1973, 1978) and defined this behaviour as 'aggressive, ... Juvonen and Graham (Citation 2014) report that approximately 20-25% of youth are directly involved in bullying as perpetrators, victims, or both. Large-scale studies conducted in Western countries suggest that 4 ...
Introduction. With its negative consequences for wellbeing, bullying is a major public health concern affecting the lives of many children and adolescents (Holt et al. 2014; Liu et al. 2014 ). Bullying can take many different forms and include aggressive behaviours that are physical, verbal or psychological in nature (Wang, Iannotti, and Nansel ...
Self‐report bullying measures (OBVQ) were administered at 4 time‐points: baseline and 6‐, 12‐, and 18‐month follow ups: ... The booklet presented vignettes and graphics that reported research findings on bullying in an attempt to raise students' awareness of this issue. The corresponding video showed teenagers talking about bullying ...
Bullying is a prevalent concern, with approximately 20% of youth in the United States reporting being victimized by this significant social stressor (Musu et al., 2019).Although prevention efforts have improved knowledge, attitudes, and self-perceptions about bullying, most programs demonstrate less significant change in actual bullying behaviors (Rettew & Pawlowski, 2016; Yeager et al., 2015).
3. Sexual bullying: this refers to use dirty words, touch, or threat of doing. 4. Psychological bullying: harassment, threats and intimidation, humiliation and rejection from the group. 5. Bullying in social relations: preventing some individuals from exercising certain activities or reject their friendship or spreading rumors about others. 6.
1. Psychological: Being a victim of bullying was associated with increased depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Victims of bullying reported more suicidal thinking and engaged in greater self ...
Bullying in childhood is a global public health problem that impacts on child, adolescent and adult health. Bullying exists in its traditional, sexual and cyber forms, all of which impact on the physical, mental and social health of victims, bullies and bully-victims. Children perceived as 'different' in any way are at greater risk of ...
WASHINGTON — A special issue of American Psychologist® provides a comprehensive review of over 40 years of research on bullying among school age youth, documenting the current understanding of the complexity of the issue and suggesting directions for future research. "The lore of bullies has long permeated literature and popular culture.
Introduction. Research on school bullying has developed rapidly since the 1970s. Originating in social and psychological research in Norway, Sweden, and Finland, this body of research largely focusses on individualized personality traits of perpetrators and victims (Olweus, 1995).Global interest in this phenomenon subsequently spread and bullying research began in the United Kingdom, Australia ...
Key points. Bullying is seen as a moral issue, but a meta-analysis of research shows it's a medical issue. Bullying, along with child maltreatment, can do physical damage to important brain regions.
Bullying is a repeated and deliberate pattern of aggressive or hurtful behavior targeting individuals perceived as less powerful. Bullying manifests in various forms, such as physical, verbal, social/relational, and cyberbullying, each having unique characteristics. Vulnerable populations often at greater risk of being bullied are individuals ...
Abstract. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the campus bullying experiences of senior high school students in a certain secondary school of Davao City, Philippines. Three ...
cial/Psychological: Harming someone's relationships or reputation.Bullying often occurs at schoo. , in the classroom, hallways, playground, athletic fields, or cafeteria. Bullying can take place in the neighborhood surrounding. a school, as students travel to and from school by bus, car, or walking. Additionally, bullying can also oc.
Bullying behavior is a serious problem among school-age children and adolescents; it has short- and long-term effects on the individual who is bullied, the individual who bullies, the individual who is bullied and bullies others, and the bystander present during the bullying event. In this chapter, the committee presents the consequences of bullying behavior for children and youth. As ...
43.8% compared to 2016 [6]. Types of bullying include ridicule and slander or swearing are what many students. experience to the point of reached 6.25%. Online bullying with computers and ...
Various reports and studies have established that approximately 15% of students are either bullied or initiate bullying behaviors on a regular basis. Due to ... John Hoover, a pioneer in research on bullying found that a significant number ofvictims reported experiencing social and academic trauma resulting from bullying. (Swearer, Cary, 2003 ...
Journal of Education Studies -Volume 7 │ Issue 7 │ 2020 95 Based on Figure 1, the hypothesis in this study is a form of physical bullying, verbal bullying, social exclusion, indirect and ...
As one in five youths report being the victim of bullying on school property, bullying can be seen as a public health concern for youths in the school setting (Kann et al., 2016). Consequently, school staff, especially school nurses, frequently encounter students who have been victims of bullying and suffer from adverse physical and emotional ...
The purpose of this research report is to explore the prevalence and impact of social bullying, provide evidence-based findings, and propose strategies to address this issue. According to a comprehensive study conducted by the National Bullying Prevention Center (2020), approximately 35% of students reported experiencing social bullying at ...
Cyber b ullying is a relatively ne w phenomenon that has received a lot. of concerned attention from both researchers and the media for about 10 years. Although a good deal of research has been ...
While bullying existed long before the internet, the rise of smartphones and social media has brought a new and more public arena into play for this aggressive behavior.. Nearly half of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 (46%) report ever experiencing at least one of six cyberbullying behaviors asked about in a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 14-May 4, 2022. 1
Bullying is la rgely an unreported and unadd ressed issue in many. academic institutions, which can result in long-lasting effects on students' lives. study conducted by the United Nations ...