School Related Bullying

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Bullying appears to be frequent among U.S. students and has been associated with several short- and long-term negative consequences such as depression and poor health. But research suggests that many bullying incidents are not reported to school officials, which hampers educators’ ability to define the scope and frequency of bullying behavior in their schools and is often the first step in addressing the problem.

REL Northeast’s study, What Characteristics of Bullying, Bullying Victims, and Schools are Associated with Increased Reporting of Bullying to School Officials? tested 51 characteristics of bullying victimization, bullying victims, and bullying victims’ schools to determine which were associated with either increased or decreased reporting to school officials. It found that 10 characteristics were associated with increased reporting, and 1 characteristic was associated with decreased reporting.

Specifically:

• Students who were bullied were more likely to indicate that their victimization was reported to a school official if the bullying involved injury, physical threats, destruction of property, actual physical contact (pushing, shoving, and the like), greater frequency, multiple types, more than one location, and at least one occurrence on a school bus.

• Two types of bullying victims were more likely to indicate that their victimization was reported to school officials—those involved in a fight during the school year and those who reported being afraid of attack and avoiding certain school areas or activities.

• Higher grade levels are associated with less reporting: reporting ranged from 53 percent in grade 6 to 27 percent in grade 12.

• No characteristic of bullying victims’ schools—including general characteristics, school culture, and school security and safety—was associated with either increased or decreased reporting.