HealthDay reporter
Tuesday, August 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) – The most popular form of bullying They are not physical actions such as pushing or kicking, nor are they verbal threats or degrading remarks. Social exclusion is the most important tactic that bullies use far and away.
Also known as “relational aggression,” this includes excluding peers from group activities and spreading false rumors about them. Research confirms the harm caused by this behaviour.
“When a child is excluded from social activities by peers at school, that child’s short- and long-term outcomes will be just as harmful as if they were kicked, punched, or slapped every day,” researcher Chad Rose said. from the University of Missouri at Columbia. “So this study highlights the social exclusion that young people often face.”
Rose is the director of the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab, which aims to reduce bullying at school.
In a study recently published in Preventing school failure: Alternative education for children and youth Rose and colleagues analyzed a survey of 26 middle and high schools across five school districts in the southeastern United States. More than 14,000 students were asked whether or not they agreed with statements that reflected pro-bullying attitudes and perceived popularity and aggression in relationships.
Among the phrases:
- “A little inconvenience never hurts anyone.”
- “I don’t care the meaning of the things kids say as long as it’s not about me.”
- “In my group of friends, I’m usually the one who makes the decisions.”
- “When I’m angry with someone, I turn to them by not letting them stay in my group anymore.”
The results were revealing.
“Children who consider themselves socially dominant or celebrity endorse pro-bullying attitudes yet do not see themselves as engaging in aggression in relationships,” Rose said of the findings. “There was another group that did not consider themselves socially dominant or popular, but supported pro-bullying attitudes and engaged in relational aggression.”
So, he said, the first group thought bullying was a good thing but didn’t see themselves getting involved in it even if they were in fact excluding others. Perhaps the group that admitted to avoiding others was doing so in an attempt to climb the social hierarchy.
A third group of survey participants, known as non-aggressors or bystanders, reported low levels of relational aggression as well as low levels of pro-bullying attitudes.
“What’s interesting about bystanders is that they often perpetuate bullying, which means they act as social reinforcers and are present when it happens,” Rose said in a university news release.
“We know the famous motto, ‘See something, say something,’ but in practice it’s hard for kids to step in and quickly assess conflicts—it’s hard even for adults. If we see two kids in a physical fight, we feel obligated to break it up. But when we see Kids are being left out by their peers, adults don’t always seem to view it as equally harmful, and that’s the scary part.”
“When kids are in school, similarities are often celebrated, but as kids grow into adults, individuality is what makes us unique and excel at our jobs and in life,” Rose said. “Individuality must be intertwined in some of the messages that we adults send in our schools, in our families, and in our neighborhoods.”
Including social communication skills in students’ daily curriculum is another suggestion that teachers can start using right away, according to Rose.
“In addition to setting academic goals for group projects, teachers can monitor how well students are invited to bring in others’ ideas through positive and encouraging conversations,” he said. “Teachers should provide specific praise when they see respectful and inclusive behavior on the job, because teaching and reinforcing these skills is just as important as math, science, and history lessons.”
Rose added that children may be more willing to act aggressively if they are not taught how to effectively express their thoughts, desires and needs. Not every child needs to be a friend, but it is important to treat everyone with respect.
“Bullying doesn’t start and doesn’t end with school bells, it’s a societal issue,” Rose said. “I think, as adults, we have to be more aware of what we teach our children in terms of how we interact socially, because schools are a reflection of our communities.”
more information
The US Department of Health and Human Services has more on bullying.
Source: University of Missouri-Columbia, press release, August 26, 2022
Discussion about this post