Observing bullying at school: The mental health implications of witness status.

Abstract

Kent and Medway NHS and Social CarePartnership TrustThis study explores the impact of bullying on the mental health of students who witness it. A representative sample of 2,002 students aged 12 to 16 years attending 14 schools in the United Kingdom were surveyed using a questionnaire that included measures of bullying at school, substance abuse, and mental health risk. The results suggest that observing bullying at school predicted risks to mental health over and above that predicted for those students who were directly involved in bullying behavior as either a perpetrator or a victim. Observing others was also found to predict higher risk irrespective of whether students were or were not victims themselves. The results are discussed with reference to past research on bystander and witness behavior.Keywords: bullying, observer, witness, mental health, schoolPrevious studies of bullying behavior have tended to focus on risk factors associated with the primary roles of victim, perpetrator, and that of the "bully victim" (Juvonen, Graham, & Schuster, 2003;Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simons-Morton, & Scheidt, 2001). Among victims of bullying, higher rates of depression and anxiety coupled with psychosomatic complaints are common (e.g., headaches and abdominal pains; Fekkes, Pijpers, & Verloove-Vanhorick, 2004; Kaltiala-Heino, Rimpelae, & Rantanen, 2000;Srabstein, McCarter, Shao, & Huang, 2006) together with lower levels of academic attainment, self-esteem, and social functioning (Hawker & Boulton, 2000;Schwartz, Gorman, Nakamoto, & Toblin, 2005). When compared with their nonaggressive peers, perpetrators report lower levels of school engagement and belonging, as well higher rates of delinquent behavior outside school (Haynie, Nansel, & Eitel, 2001;Nansel et al., 2001). Among students who have the dual role of perpetrator in some situations and victim in others ("bully victims"), higher rates of depression and reports of somatic complaints are common, and there is an increased probability of these students being referred for psychiatric assessment above those who are primarily perpetrators and victims Swearer, Song, Cary, Eagle, & Mickelson, 2001). Furthermore, higher rates of substance use are associated with both bullying and victimization (Shepherd, Sutherland, & Newcombe, 2006;Swahn, Bossarte, & Sullivent, 2008;Thompson, Sims, Kingree, & Windle, 2008).Although students who witness bullying have a key role to play in challenging it, there remains a dearth of information on this particular subgroup (Craig & Pepler, 1997;Frey, Hirschstein, Snell, Edstrom, MacKenzie, & Broderick, 2005;Hawkins, Pepler, & Craig, 2001). Research by Salmivalli, Lagerspetz, Björkqvist, Ő sterman, and Kaukiainen (1996) 2009, Vol. 24, No. 4, 211-223 1045-3830/09/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0018164 211 beyond those of perpetrator and victim that incorporated a degree of bystander behavior (see also Salmivalli, Huttunen, & Lagerspetz, 1997). Using a combination of self-reports and peernominations, Salmivalli et al. (1996) demonstrated that t...

The Relation Between the Prevalence of Teasing and Bullying and Schoolwide Academic Achievement.

“…Notably, this research shows that the overall perceptions of the student body regarding teasing and bullying in a school are related to factors associated with academic achievement at the school level. Given that this research found that schools with higher reports of teasing and bullying had lower student engagement and academic achievement, it follows that student engagement may mediate the relation between teasing and bullying and academic achievement (Rivers, et al, 2009;Ripski & Gregory, 2009;Johnson & Stevens, 2006;Cornell, et al, 2013). In other words, students in schools with higher perceived prevalence of teasing and bullying may be less interested in school or may be less willing to participate in school activities, and this may lead to lower academic achievement.…”

“…Research has suggested that bullying affects the student body as a whole including those who are not directly involved as bullies or victims Rivers et al, 2009). Past research linked witnessing peer victimization to several mental health risks including hostility, anxiety, and somatic complaints (Rivers et al, 2009).…”

“…Past research linked witnessing peer victimization to several mental health risks including hostility, anxiety, and somatic complaints (Rivers et al, 2009). Negative school climate more generally has been linked to poorer performance on standardized tests Ripski & Gregory, 2009), lower mean student achievement (Johnson & Stevens, 2006), lower student classroom engagement (Ripski & Gregory, 2009), and higher student dropout rates .…”

“…A U.S. national survey estimated that approximately 38% of male adolescents and 41% of female adolescents could be classified as victims of some form of bullying (Wang, Iannotti, Luk, & Nansel, 2010). A study from the United Kingdom found that about 63% of students witnessed peer victimization (Rivers, Poteat, Noret, & Ashurst, 2009). …”

“…However, the impact of bullying on the whole school may be greater than simply the cumulative reports of victims, since witnesses to bullying may be affected as well. Witnessing peer victimization has been associated with a variety of mental health risks such as hostility, anxiety, and somatic complaints (Rivers et al, 2009). …”