High school bystanders motivation and response during bias‐based bullying

Abstract

Bias‐based bullying focused on sexual orientation or gender identity in schools has significant negative implications for the academic, social, and emotional well‐being of students who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, or who are perceived to behave in gender nonconforming ways. Despite empirical support for the influence of bystander behavior can have on school bullying, information about bystander behavior during bias‐based bullying remains limited. Using a thematic narrative analysis, this study analyzed high school students’ perceptions of bystander behavior in their school. Results suggest bystanders are observed to enact a range of responses that fall into three categories: (a) passive avoidance, (b) victim support, or (c) joining the bullying situation. Furthermore, the motivation of bystanders was described within the themes of (a) fear, (b) individual characteristics, (c) relationships, and (d) personal experience. By drawing from the daily lived experiences of adolescents, the current study offers greater insight into youth perspective on how future strategies could address bias‐based bullying in schools. This study is foundational to increase the ecological validity of efforts to quantify bias‐based bullying.

LGBTQ student experiences in schools from 2009–2019: A systematic review of study characteristics and recommendations for prevention and intervention in school psychology journals

“…Two studies did not report the gender identities of their samples (Graybill et al, 2009;, and no studies reported only gender diverse participants in their samples. Among the studies that reported having only cisgender participants in their samples, four studies made an effort to note that they included transgender as an option in their demographic materials, but that no participants indicated they were transgender (António & Moleiro, 2015;Kiperman et al, 2014;Quasha et al, 2014;Williams et al, 2018).…”

“…Research has documented the effects of the bystander effect, or witnessing others be bullied and victimized while remaining idle (see review in Hymel et al, 2005), on LGBTQ youth who are bullied in school (e.g., Williams et al, 2018). Bystanders' behavior can be characterized into three categories: victim support, passive avoidance, or joining and contributing to the peer victimization (Williams et al, 2018). Bystanders (including school staff) often passively avoid or join in the victimization of LGBTQ students (e.g., Salmivalli et al, 2011;Williams et al, 2018).…”

“…Bystanders' behavior can be characterized into three categories: victim support, passive avoidance, or joining and contributing to the peer victimization (Williams et al, 2018). Bystanders (including school staff) often passively avoid or join in the victimization of LGBTQ students (e.g., Salmivalli et al, 2011;Williams et al, 2018). Some evidence-based interventions for addressing bystander behavior includes computerized softwares that provide scenarios and feedback to students, videotape reenactments, and peer-group interventions (e.g., Frey et al, 2009;Polanin et al, 2012).…”

“…2016) andWilliams et al (2018), teachers must be equipped to confront and address students' passivity, and to encourage students to intervene during bullying instances. Another suggestion byVarjas et al (2016) was to display support for LGBTQ students by putting safe zone symbols on teachers' classroom doors hallways and other visible…”

Prevalence of bullying and harassment in youth sport: The case of different types of sport and participant role

“…6. 16 items (IV part) -BHISQ integrated subscale "Seeing the situation, fact statement" (also identifying the role of observer), was formed by the authors on the basis of an analysis of the scientific literature: Salmivalli et al (1996), Salmivalli and Voeten (2004), Williams and Guerra (2007), Williams et al (2018), Song and Oh (2017), Brinkman and Manning (2016), Saarento and Salmivalli (2015), Forsberg et al (2014), Gini et al (2008), and BHISQ integrated subscales "Bullying intervention" and "Bullying prevention" also formed by the authors on the basis of an analysis of the scientific literature: Olweus (1994), Björkqvist and Österman (1995), Nadel et al (1996), Österman et al (1997Österman et al ( ), O'Connell et al (1999, Chan (2002), Vaillancourt et al(2003), Orpinas and Horne (2006), Chan and Rauenbusch (2004) and others. 7.…”