Luciana Cataldi - Bullying: How to detect, handle and prevent bullying in schools

Bullying is a type of violence increasingly common in the educational field . It is an abusive behavior; an imbalance of power which occurs in a situation where there is an uneven relationship in terms of control.

When talking about school bullying, we refer to situations in which a child is targeted or intimidated by one or more children, by means of insults , rumor-spreading, social isolation, physical attacks, threats and coercion . Bullying can develop over months or even years. In that case the patterned behavior is repeated over time . The consequences for the child being targeted by the bullying are devastating.

School bullying can be classified according to the type of aggressive behavior as follows :

Physical bullying : It includes situations which may result in bodily injury . Some e xamples involve hitting, kicking , punching, pushing , spitting , damaging physical property, etc.

Verbal bullying : It involves all violent actions through hurtful statements , such as insults, malicious name-calling , humiliation , teasing about physical defects or social differences.

Psychological bullying : It refers to actions, omissions or attitudes that either result in, or have a high potential to result in, emotional harm. It involves actions such as exclusion, isolation , spreading malicious rumors about a peer, and other similar behaviors . Note that some authors include verbal harassment as a form of psychological bullying .

Cyber bullying : It refers to any violent behavior that occurs between peers through the use of technology (mobile phones , internet, and social networks).

Sexual bullying : It is any aggressive behavior making use of sexuality to intimidate and harass another person. Clear examples of this type of bullying are observed when gossip or rumors of a sexual nature are spread, for example through homophobic remarks or offensive sexual comments. It may lead to e ven much more serious conditions such as genital touching of a school mate.

Bullying can become a permanent antisocial behavior and for this reason, several surveys highlight that this way of interacting may lead to different types of juvenile delinquency. This assertion might seem an overstatement, but it appears to be objective data confirmed after having conducted multiple studies.

In his book, Risk factors and Juvenile Delinquency, the psychologist Andreas Hein states that , the delinquency phenomenon is due to multiple causes, both of structural nature ( housing, employment, health) and those based on human development (subject, family , school, community ) . In the case of minors violating law , several authors pose the cause-effect relationship among the variables capable of negatively affecting peoples development. These factors , according to the same author , have six areas of origin:

Individual factors : poor capacity for conflict resolution , risk attitudes and behaviors ( use and abuse of alcohol, drugs and vandalism) , hyperactivity, ill-humor in childhood, frustration, anxiety and depression

Family factors : low family attachment , stress at home , family disintegration , abuse experiences , coercive parenting styles

Factors linked to peer groups : belonging to peer groups involved in risky activities ( unlawful behavior or drug use, for example)

School factors : school violence , lack of clear rules and limits in the institution, low affectionate relationships, unruliness

Social or community factors : low community support, stigmatization and exclusion from social activities

Socioeconomic and cultural factors : living under poverty conditions

As stated by experts on the matter , bullying has negative effects in the short, medium and long term on those who are trapped in this type of behavior, regardless of their role.

Undoubtedly, the bullying issue is not new. However, it is also true that in todays society multiple changes have occurred. Increased aggressive behaviors a nd , in general, less ability for constructive conflict resolution in all fields have been observed . Mass media often report bullying cases and surprisingly the ages at which these highly harmful practices occur, have tended to decrease over the years.

There are a number of useful guidelines and methodologies aimed at preventing these abuses at the school level. S ome suggestions are given below.

Schools should be clear about the concept of bullying and the definition it will use. The definition should be appropriate for each classroom , being representative of the group. It can be co-created, as it should not be forgotten that bullying is a group phenomenon and not just a problem between two people .

Conduct a survey or test to measure the type of bullying most frequently observed in order to identify whether it is actually bullying , a conflict or other type of violence .

Develop a common language about bullying to be shared by the educational community .

Understand the consequences of bullying for students and for the school .

Foster respectful relationships among students, reinforcing positive social interaction .

Promote training programs, workshops and protocols on bullying in teaching curricula. This often proves to render highly useful results.

It is important for all parties involved in the school community, such as directors, students, parents, psychologists and educational authorities -- not only teachers -- to work together to address the issue, as bullying has multiple causes and resulting problems.

Bullying is a phenomenon reflecting problems related to intolerance, discrimination, rejection of diversity, gender distinctions, prejudices, stereotypes. It is also associated with severe mental and physical health disorders, including depression, anxiety and suicide. When this happens, the school climate is strongly affected, which impacts on the childs right to education.

Educators play an essential role : They are responsible for promoting respect and encouraging positive relations . If you are a teacher , the six effective techniques listed below will help you handle a bullying situatio n in the classroom . If you are a parent , you will be able to access some effective tips if needed.

Teach children school rules on bullying. It is necessary to discuss this issue on the first day of class.

Test that students know what bullying is.

Support the child who is the target of bullying. Conduct a follow-up meeting between parents and the school administration .

Show bullying bystanders the importance they have in these situations. It should be clearly stated that they can always help those who are being bullied . It is important to explain to them the difference between speaking out and reporting.

Children should know the whys and the what fors? In the event a disciplinary sanction is established, it should be educational and corrective .

When a bullying case has been detected, it is essential to intervene. Everything necessary should be done to put an immediate end to this type of behavior.

As stated above, it is worth emphasizing that specialists concur that this problem involves aggressive behaviors, either physical or psychological, sustained over time, conducted by a child or a group of children in an educational setting; being the target of other school- aged child(ren); not being capable of defending himself/herself because of a power imbalance.