Long after being bullied, many individuals find it difficult to leave their bullying experiences behind and have difficulty confidently move forward with their lives. Memories of being bullied often remain as an agitation that detracts from personal happiness and wellbeing. This study included 10 female and three male undergraduate students who reported experiencing mild to moderate bulling during childhood. Participants were self-proclaimed Harry Potter fans. All participants reported previously reading the entire Harry Potter book series. As a reframing strategy to address past bullying experiences, this research utilized bibliotherapy in addition to scriptotherapy. Participants selected one chapter from the Harry Potter series, one that they were already familiar with and that included bullying situations. They rewrote the chapter, inserting themselves as a character into the story with the original characters. In re-writing the chapter, participants built and maintained constructive peer relationships with familiar characters in the Harry Potter series. They inserted themselves into their selected chapter as standing up against the story’s characters who were portrayed as bullies. Based on feedback from participant interviews, individuals reported that the writing experience supported them in reframing their painful memories of bullying. They perceived themselves in a proactive position, and thus perceived the experience in a more positive light. In turn, this experience of reframing their personal story supported them in mitigating the unsettling and painful memories of bullying that they experienced during adolescence. Based on the participants’ feedback, recommendations are made for mental health professionals to more effectively intervene with youth who experience bullying. The combined strategies of bibliotherapy and scriptotherapy support individuals’ reframing of their past bullying experiences. Although this research was conducted with youth who were Harry Potter fans, youth who struggle with other challenges may also benefit from a combination of bibliotherapy and scriptotherapy. When youth identify with characters in children’s literature, this relationship with fictional characters may form the foundation for reframing and rethinking past challenges. Youth who enjoy writing and expressing themselves in creative ways may be especially open to scriptotherapy.

The present study investigated the existence of bullying by medical staff members in the clinical setting as experienced by nursing students, the existence of burnout among these students, and if such students perceive feelings of burnout as directly related to experiences of bullying. Undergraduate main campus traditional Bachelor of Science in nursing students at East Tennessee State University in their second, third, fourth, or fifth semesters were invited to participate in the study. Participants (n=52) were required to complete an online survey that regarded bullying, burnout, and how participants perceive the relation between the two variables. The study shows that over half of participants had experienced at least one bullying instance in the clinical setting. Furthermore, over half of participants reported they had used the term “burnt out” to describe their feelings toward their nursing education more than seven times and reported a decreased desire to continue their nursing education at least some of the time. Over half of participants reported that their feelings of burnout were directly caused by experiences of bullying at least some of the time. This study shows a significant existence of both bullying and burnout among nursing students at ETSU and that most nursing students sense bullying as a cause of burnout at least some of the time.

Bullying is a widespread issue that impacts both youth and their caregivers. Involvement in bullying, regardless of status as a perpetrator, victim, witness, or varying combinations of these roles, may result in significant psychological, social, and educational harm. Youth athletes are a special risk group and may have unique experiences with bullying due to potential hazing, the competitive nature of athletics, and performance or physical expectations that are incongruent with stereotypical gender norms. Prior research on bullying has largely emphasized the role of schools while overlooking parental roles, perceptions, and available resources. Parental resources on bullying exist in the form of websites, digital applications, books, and movies. Yet, little research has examined the frequency with which these resources are accessed by parents, how prepared they feel to address bullying, and how or how often they directly intervene. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relations among parental perceptions of bullying, utilization of resources, perceptions of preparedness to address bullying, and predictors of parental involvement. A survey was disseminated to two samples of parent groups: 1) a local sample composed of parents of gymnasts, dancers, and cheerleaders; 2) a national parent sample recruited from Facebook groups. This study evaluated the moderating effects of parental preparedness and involvement on the functional impact of bullying on their children. The results of this study indicate that most parents have not accessed resources related to bullying. Despite this, parents who have a child who has been bullied were found to have accessed resources related to bullying significantly more frequently than parents of children who have not experienced bullying. Of the parents who did access resources, the most utilized resource was websites. Parental beliefs about bullying were assessed and a positive correlation was found between parents with high avoidance beliefs and whether their child had experienced bullying. The belief that children should assert themselves when being bullied was identified as the most prevalent parental belief, which is similar to prior research on the topic. Additionally, a relationship was observed between the frequency of traditional bullying experiences and parental ratings of perceptions of youth functional impairment. A major limitation of this study was the small sample size and the number of participants who discontinued before completing the survey. Overall, the findings of this study highlight the need greater inclusion of parents in anti-bullying interventions and campaigns to inform parents of available resources and alter potentially harmful attitudes about bullying. A public campaign would be beneficial for informing parents of the harms associated with bullying and the resources that are available to them. In addition, future research would benefit from focusing on future interventions that are targeted at parents.

The relationship between teachers and students plays a critical role in the psychosocial development of children and youth. Bronfrenbrenner’s (2006) bioecological model of development and Bowlby’s (1969) attachment theory have been used to understand both the negative effects of peer aggression and the positive potential of social contexts to prevent harms related to aggression among students. Literature shows that teacher-student relationships that are characterized by higher levels of closeness and support are linked to decreases in bullying behaviour and victimization, whereas increased conflict and less support in teacher-student relationships have been found to result in increased bullying perpetration and victimization among students. While the literature suggests trends regarding the association between teacher-student relationship quality and peer aggression prevalence, there remains limited understanding as to the size and direction of the effect. The present meta-analysis synthesizes a substantial body of research examining the association between teacher-student relationship quality and peer aggression in school. A systematic search was conducted using literature from PsycINFO, ERIC, Education Source, and ProQuest (theses and dissertations). Quantitative cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that measured the association between teacher-student relationship quality (i.e., in terms of closeness and conflict) and peer aggression (i.e., perpetration and victimization) were included in the analysis. Additionally, grade level, informant, and scale quality were included as moderators in the analysis to determine their effect on the relation between teacher-student relationship quality and peer aggression. This meta-analysis advances our understanding of the role of teacher-student relationship quality in peer interactions at school, and the results can inform bullying prevention programs by providing insight as to where to allocate resources and energy.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts in Community Work in the Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2014 / The previous researchers suggested that school bullying is high in South Africa, especially in high schools. The researcher is motivated by seeing a large number of schools in South Africa who experience school bullying in different forms. The researcher of the study reviewed previous dissertations and thesis which indicated that schools with high levels of reported incidents of bullying have lower passing rates when compared with schools with less reported cases of bullying. This study is built on the groundwork of reviewing the findings of previous researchers about school bullying; so it is due to those regards that made the researcher decided to conduct the study of this nature. The research was designed to investigate school bullying of learners at Mshini High School in KwaZulu-Natal: South Africa. The sample was taken from grade 10 learners at Mshini High School and a simple random sample of 30 participants was used. A questionnaire with 40 closed-ended questions was used as a tool for gathering information from participants. The participants were both males and females. A quantitative programme of data analysis was used in the study. Data was analysed and presented through the use of descriptive statistics which involves tabulations and graphs; thus to find the results of the study. The name of the school that the researcher used was a pseudo name. The researcher used the pseudo name “Mshini High School” to maintain confidentiality. The researcher discovered the answers for the key questions of the study, and the objectives of the study had been achieved since the researcher discovered what was being investigated. According to the findings of the study school bullying is defined as a psychological attack that cause distress and fear, demanding the lunch box from other learners, an intimidation intended to cause harm, a repeated aggressive behaviour and a physical attack on the school ground that includes an imbalance of power. The findings suggest that school bullying did exist at Mshini High School because of the evidence and facts that the majority of participants stated that they did know of schoolmates who had been bullied. The researcher ascertained that school bullying had been reported at Mshini High School since a high percentage of participants confirmed that they knew someone in their school who had reported the incident of being bullied. The findings indicates that school bullying at Mshini High School had been reported to different people by learners and the high rate of participants had reported school bullying to their friends. Lastly, the researcher discovered that the most common type of bullying that occurred at Mshini High School was pushing.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master Of Arts in Counselling Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2018 / This study examined the experiences of cyberbullied victims at the University of Zululand. Thirty-five students from the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) participated in the research. The age of the participants ranged from 17-28 years. The main objectives of the study were to gain deeper understanding to the issues related to cyberbullying, and to evaluate the impact of cyberbullying on victims. Most of the cyberbullied victims were cyberbullied on Facebook. The most frequent convention of cyberbullying experienced by victims was exposure and trickery. This is where emails, chatroom messages, or pictures are sent to embarrass and ridicule the victim. Exposure is a cyberbullying tactic that includes the general public show, posting or forwarding of personal verbal exchange, photos or video through the cyberbully this is non-public and private to the victim. Exposure turns into even extra damaging to the victim when the communications posted and publicly displayed incorporates sensitive personal information or photos and video which are sexual in nature. As cellular tool era, photos and video become extra common; the tactic of exposure is sure to emerge as standard as cell tool era expands. This was experienced by 45% of the victims of cyberbullying. This study has enabled us to determine some of the behavioural, social and psychological impact cyberbullying had on individuals. The students’ self-reports highlighted the psychological, behavioural and social impact on victims of cyberbullying. Victims of cyberbullying felt depressed and had higher levels of loneliness and social anxiety, poor academic performance, hopelessness and loss of interest in daily living. Method: A mixed method research design that included both qualitative and quantitative was used with questionnaires and interviews respectively. For the qualitative study twenty students from the age of 18 and above were selected in the study. Purposive and snowball techniques which is a non-probability sampling was used to recruit participants. Participants were selected from University of Zululand Facebook page. A semi-structured interview was used to obtain information on views of cyberbullying. The follow-up questions were asked in order to gain deeper understanding on the information provided by the participant. A narrative story telling of cyberbullying, relating it to their personal experiences of cyberbullying were used as clear description of the subjective experience of students, assisting in meeting the overall aim in conducting this study. In this study snowball non-probability sampling technique was used to recruit victims of cyberbullying with the UNIZULU Facebook page. The name of the questionnaire Personal Experiences of Cyberbullied Victims(in the future alluded to as the PECVQ) which is specifically designed for the study by the researcher. A PECVQ was intended to investigate the personal experiences of cyberbullied victims as well as to evaluate the impact of cyberbullying on victims. Out of 20 participants approached, 15 agreed to participate in the study. Data collection lasted for 2 weeks for the qualitative and quantitative phases of the study respectively. Findings: The findings of the qualitative study showed that cyberbullied victims from their different personal experiences do experience and suffer from diverse behavioural, psychological, and social problems but that they are also resilient. The quantitative results showed that students’ self-reports highlighted the psychological, behavioural and social impact on victims of cyberbullying. Victims of cyberbullying felt depressed and had higher levels of loneliness and social anxiety, hopelessness and loss of interest in daily living. The results also showed that some level of resilience was evident which enabled them to cope with cyberbullying, despite adversity. They derive their strength from (1) personal resources, which refer to intrapersonal characteristics that enhances ways to cope, (2) interpersonal resources, which centres on their interaction with friends, peers and other significant people.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2016 / The present study examines the intervention strategies used by educators to reduce bullying behaviour in high schools in KwaDlangezwa. The objectives of the study include the following: • To determine educators’ intervention strategies to reduce bullying behaviour in high schools in KwaDlangezwa. • To determine educators’ perceptions concerning bullying behaviour in high schools in KwaDlangezwa • To determine learners’ perceptions of educators’ intervention strategies to reduce bullying behaviour in high schools in KwaDlangezwa. The study involved both quantitative and qualitative approach (mixed method approach). Data was collected using purposive sampling in selecting educators and learners. The study contained seventeen educators and twenty learners. To collect data, semi-structured interview schedule were formulated. Interview questions of both educators and learners consisted of open-ended and closed-ended questions. A descriptive and exploratory design was used in this research. Qualitative data analysis was utilised and quantitative frequency distribution. The findings of the study indicated that educators are doing enough to minimise bullying behaviour in schools and different strategies are being utilised to reduce the issue. Some of the positive strategies used include the following: reporting procedures, discipline, advocacy and supervision of learners. However, obstacles have been reported in the process of intervening such as gender related problem, un-reported bullying behaviour and outside school bullying. Ideal strategies which could be used in future to improve the interventions of educators in the issue of bullying behaviour suggested by learners include role playing, segregation of learners and strict security. The study concluded with suggestions on the avenue for further research and recommendations with regards to bullies and victim assistance when bullying behaviour occurs.

Despite the increase in bullying behavior that has occurred among high school students, there is a lack of age appropriate intervention programs available to assist secondary administrators and staff with this problem. The purpose of this case study in 1 high school in a suburb of a major Mid-Atlantic city in the United States was to determine the perceptions held by secondary administrators and staff of an adapted antibullying program, originally created for use in elementary schools, in reducing the incidences of bullying behavior and feelings of strain. This study was also designed to explore how administrators and staff perceived if the bullying prevention program fostered prosocial behavior, and the extent to which the program reduced peer aggression, peer harassment, and strain. The conceptual framework was general strain theory described by Durkheim and Merton. The design for this case study included interviews with 5 teachers and 3 administrators who had been involved in implementation of the antibullying program. Open coding was used to organize and analyze the data for the emergence of significant concepts and patterns. Codes were formulated into four associated meanings or themes; relationships, student responsibility, positive culture, and trusting and supportive environment. The results indicated that school personnel were able to modify an existing bullying prevention program that has changed the culture of the school and the mindset of its student body while helping the students to alleviate strain and issues of aggression and harassment. The current research may affect social change by encouraging other secondary schools to assess their bullying prevention programs to determine if the material being used is age appropriate for secondary students and if the programs are indeed alleviating bullying behavior and strain in their students.

Parent and Teacher Attitudes Toward Bullying in School by Lidwina Wijtenburg MA, Walden University, 2008 BS, Florida Atlantic University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School Psychology Walden University March 2015 Bullying is a problem in elementary schools and has been shown to negatively affect a student's academic performance, friendships, and attitudes towards bullying. Previous research has indicated that parents' and teachers' attitudes toward bullying and victimization can influence elementary children's views of bullying, yet little research has compared parents' and teachers' attitudes toward these bullying behaviors of children in elementary school. The purpose of the quantitative study was to compare parent and teacher attitudes toward physical and verbal bullying and victimization of these behaviors. Guided by the social cognitive theory, the current study used the Reynolds Bullying Victimization Scales and the seriousness of 6 bullying vignettes to measure the participants' attitudes toward bullying in school. The between subjects design included parents with children in kindergarten through 5th grade (n = 30) and teachers teaching students in these grades (n = 30). Data were analyzed using independent sample 2-tailed t tests and descriptive statistics. Results indicated that teachers rated physical and verbal bullying and victimization from these behaviors more seriously than did parents, but the difference was not statistically significant. Social change initiatives may occur when parents and teachers are aware of each other's attitudes toward bullying and victimization in elementary school, which may facilitate collaborative relationships between the groups, provide a safe environment, and improve children's academic performance and overall well-being.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at an increased risk to be victims of bullying due to the core characteristics of the disorder. Prior research has focused on understanding bullying from the perspectives of individuals with ASD, parents, and practitioners through interviews and questionnaires. However, limited evidence exists using interventions to teach individuals with ASD about how to identify and respond to bullying. This study employed Kidpower® bullying narratives to teach individuals with ASD how to identify and respond to various bullying scenarios. Kidpower was selected to provide practitioners with a pre-established curriculum to utilize, rather than creating materials for each student. A multiple probe design across three participants was utilized to (a) teach individuals with ASD how to identify and respond to bullying drawings on Kidpower narratives, and (b) add an experimental study to the limited literature base pertaining to strategies for teaching about bullying to individuals with ASD. A fourth participant was also included as a case study. Progress for all participants was measured using the percentage of correct responses to 10 questions. Three out of four participants reached the mastery criterion of 90% over two consecutive sessions. Sessions for the fourth participant concluded after seven intervention sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many modifications were made to the original study design including changing the wording of the dependent variable and using more simple stories. No modifications were made to the actual stories. This study indicates the Kidpower narratives are helpful in teaching individuals with ASD who also meet certain criteria based on verbal comprehension. However, additional information is necessary in order to assess understanding of bullying.