Risk and protective factors at school: Reducing bullies and promoting positive bystanders' behaviors in adolescence

Abstract

Miranda, R., Oriol, X. & Amutio, A. (2019). Risk and protective factors at school: Reducing bullies and promoting positive bystanders' behaviors in adolescence. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 60, 106-115.Identifying protective factors present at schools located in neighborhoods with high structural violence is fundamental to help prevent the perpetuation of violence. Therefore, the aim of this study was to observe how some school micro-system variables, such as school environment and interpersonal relationships that adults establish with adolescents, may lead to bullying behaviors or, on the contrary, to positive bystander behavior in the bully-victim dynamic. The sample was composed of 5,774 adolescents from 71 schools located in violent neighborhoods in Lima (Peru). 31.9 per cent of the sample experienced verbal violence and the prevalence of cyberbullying was 24.6%. Boys were more prone to experience both types of bullying than girls, although no differences were seen in the probability of becoming aggressors during early and late adolescence. The protective model showed that a positive atmosphere based on a supportive environment with clear rules encouraged adults at school to show more support and to provide more orientation in bullying situations, thus promoting a positive bystander behavior between peers. Opposite results were observed in the risk model. Actions at the microsystem school level are discussed to enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors.

Bullying and Cyberbullying in Adolescents from Disadvantaged Areas: Validation of Questionnaires; Prevalence Rates; and Relationship to Self-Esteem, Empathy and Social Skills

“…When compared to geographically close countries, involvement rates are within the expected range, although they might be considered to be medium-high [ 15 , 24 ]. When compared to the few existent studies in Peru [ 30 , 31 ], involvement in cyberbullying victimization was slightly lower in the current study. Still, in contrast to other regions of Peru, the Peruvian Amazonia is a particularly economically disadvantaged area with reduced Internet access and limited access to digital devices and smartphones.…”

“…Another study, with teenagers between 12 and 17 years of age, revealed that 47% of them had been victims of violence perpetrated by peers in the past year [ 29 ]. As for cyberbullying in Peru, victimization prevalence rates of 31.3% were found [ 30 ], while other studies showed a 24.6% prevalence rate [ 31 ]. Another study, with almost one thousand Peruvian students between 9 and 11 years of age, found that between 0.7% and 3.2% of them had occasionally witnessed cyberbullying [ 32 ].…”

Observers’ reactions to workplace incivility in the masculine domain: How does role congruency explain gender bias in future workers?

“…Note that the study was conducted with Spanish high school students with a final goal to prevent students from reproducing incivility upon their incorporation into work (Gartzia & Fetterolf, ; Miranda et al, ; Trach & Hymel, ). As derived from the results, it is necessary to be aware of the existence of stereotyped beliefs – which are probably underlying the evaluations carried out – and the mechanisms of tolerance of incivility.…”

“…To address this, and basing on Role Congruity Theory (Eagly & Karau, ), we consider future workers in a masculine context as they are relevant in order to detect early incivility that could be reproduced upon their incorporation into the labor market. This analysis could help to address the prevention of incivility as a psychosocial risk for the occupational health of female workers (Cifre, Vera & Signani, ; Cortina, Kabat‐Farr, Leskinen, Huerta & Magley, ; Miranda et al, ; Trach & Hymel, ). Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine gender differences in observers’ evaluations of the awareness and acceptability of workplace incivility gender‐dyad interaction in the male‐dominated field of engineering.…”

“…Due to the fact that incivility occurs in the presence of others, there has been an emerging interest in third party observations in order to shed light on the dynamic of incivility (Chui & Dietz, 2014;Miner & Cortina, 2016;Reich & Hershcovis, 2015). Considering that observers could constitute the first step to prevent future episodes (Miranda, Oriol & Amutio, 2019;Trach & Hymel, 2019), it is necessary to know the specific conditions in which they are aware of incivility, and show their intolerance to this dysfunctional behavior.…”