The Ecology of Peer Victimization in Middle School Youth:

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The Ecology of Peer Victimization in Middle
School Youth

• An Examination of Transitional Years and
  Internalizing Difficulties.

Susan M. Swearer, Ph.D. Kisha M. Haye,
M.A. Paulette Tam Cary, M.A. Kelly Brey,
B.A. University of Nebraska Lincoln Mickie
Frazier-Koontz Lincoln Public Schools
36th Annual AABT Annual Convention2002 Reno, NV
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The Nebraska Bullying Prevention and Intervention
Project (NBPIP)

• A partnership between Lincoln Public Schools and
  the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
• Currently in the fifth year of a five-year
  longitudinal study examining ecological variables
  in bullying over time and across schools.
• Researchers provide yearly feedback to
  participant schools.

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How Prevalent is Bullying?

• 75 of school-aged children report being bullied
  at least one time during their school years
  (Hoover, Oliver, Hazler, 1992).
• 8.4 (Nansel et al., 2001) to 20 (Limber
  Small, 2000) of children report being bullied
  several times per week while 24.2 (Nansel et
  al., 2001) to 44.6 (Haynie et al., 2001) report
  being bullied at least once during the past year.
  

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Bullying as an Ecological Phenomenon

• Internal factors in the individual (e.g.,
  impulsivity, depression, anxiety, anger) interact
  with the social environment (e.g., class rules,
  teacher behaviors, peer group), which then serve
  to encourage or inhibit bullying and/or
  victimization behaviors (Swearer Doll, 2001).

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Bullying and Internalizing Factors

• Research has demonstrated that bullying is
  related to depressive (Craig, 1998 Forero,
  McLellan, Rissel, Bauman, 1999 Kaltiala-Heino,
  Rimpela, Marttunen, Rimpela, Rantanen, 1999
  Kumpulainen et al., 1998 Swearer, Song, Cary,
  Eagle, Mickelson, 2001) and anxious (Craig,
  1998 Graham Juvonen, 1998 Hodges Perry,
  1996 Perry, Kusel, Perry, 1988 Olweus, 1978,
  1994 Slee, 1994 Swearer, Song, Cary, Eagle,
  Mickelson, 2001) symptomatology.

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Bullying and Internalizing Factors

• Consistent with an ecological framework, the
  co-occurrence of bullying and internalizing
  factors may affect how bullies, victims, and
  bully-victims interact with others and their
  environment.
• The examination of these variables is crucial for
  effective prevention and intervention efforts.

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Bullying and Transitional Years

• Bullying increases with the transition into
  middle school (Pellegrini Long, 2002).
• Friendships minimize victimization during this
  transition (Pellegrini Bartini, 2000).
• Having supportive friendships in 6th grade were
  predictors for 7th grade adjustment (Pellegrini,
  1994).
• Students who display anxious and depressive
  symptomatology have fewer supportive friendships
  (Last, 1989 Rudolph et al., 1994).

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Problem

• While previous research has examined the
  importance of the transition from elementary
  school to middle school in terms of peer
  affiliation and adjustment, less is known about
  the influence of internalizing problems and the
  progression into and out of middle school.

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Prediction

• We predicted that depression and anxiety would be
  more pronounced during the transition year into
  middle school and the transition year out of
  middle school for students involved in bullying
  and victimization.

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Comprehensive Assessment (NBPIP)

• Assessment of bully/victim status
  Self-nomination (Bully survey), Peer nomination,
  Teacher nomination.
• Assessment of internalizing problems Depression,
  Anxiety, Hopelessness, Locus of Control,
  Aggression.
• Assessment of school climate School climate
  measure, grades, GPA, test scores, office
  referrals, absences, suspensions.

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Bully Survey Definition

• Bullying is anything from teasing or saying mean
  things, leaving someone out of a group, to
  physical attacks (hitting, pushing, kicking)
  where one person or a group of people picks on
  another person over a long time. Bullying refers
  to things that happen in school, on the school
  grounds, or going to and from school.

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Bully Survey (Swearer, 2001)

• A four part, 31-item survey that queries students
  regarding their experiences with bullying, and
  perceptions and attitudes toward bullying.
• Part A asks about when they were victims of
  bullying during the past year.
• Part B asks about the participants observations
  of bullying behavior among their peers during the
  past year
• Part C asks about when they bullied other
  students during the past year.
• Part D asks about attitudes toward bullying.

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Bully/Victim Status

• Self-nominations from the bully survey (n 469)
  in 2002
• 8 bullies (11 males, 24 females)
• 35 victims (71 males, 91 females)
• 24 bully-victims (52 males, 61 females)
• 33 no status (70 males, 89 females).

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Overall Bully/Victim Status 2002
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Instrumentation

• The Bully Survey (Swearer, 2001)
• Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children
  (MASC March, 1997)
• Childrens Depression Inventory (CDI Kovacs,
  1992)

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Participants

• 90 middle school students from one middle school
  who completed all measures in 6th (ages 11-13),
  7th (ages 12-14), and 8th (ages 13-15) grades.
• 44 females and 46 males.
• The ethnicity of the sample was as follows 66
  Caucasian, 12 African-American, 9
  Asian/Asian-American, 5.5 Latino/a, 5.5 Mixed
  Minority, 1 Middle Eastern, 1 Eastern European.
  

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Bully/Victim Status Across Grades
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Mean Number of Office Referrals Across Status

• Bullies M 7.0
• Bully-Victims M 2.7
• No Status M 2.1
• Victims M 2.0

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Overall Internalizing Problems

• Higher depression scores were found in 6th grade
  compared to 7th grade (p lt .00) but not in 8th
  grade compared to 7th grade (p .15)
• There were no differences across grades with
  respect to anxiety between 6th and 7th grades (p
  .29) and 7th and 8th grades (p .67).

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Effect Sizes for CDI and MASC Scores

• CDI 6th versus 7th Cohens d .39
• CDI 7th versus 8th Cohens d .19
• MASC 6th versus 7th Cohens d .14
• MASC 7th versus 8th Cohens d .00

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Clinical Depression Across Status by Grade (CDI gt
19)
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Clinical Anxiety Across Status by Grade (MASC gt T
65)
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Internalizing Problems and Bully/Victim Status

• Internalizing symptomatology may exist in
  students who experience problems with bullying.
• In middle school, bully-victims appear to be the
  most impaired subtype and experience both
  depression and anxiety.
• Victims report significant levels of anxiety.
• Students who experience bully/victim problems
  should be screened for depression and anxiety.

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What can schools do?

• Data from NBPIP suggest that interventions
  designed to address depression and anxiety may be
  an important component of bullying intervention
  programs--particularly in the first year of
  middle school.
• Data from NBPIP suggest that interventions should
  be developmentally based and should address the
  transition points into and out of middle school.

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Nebraska Bullying Prevention Intervention
Project

• Susan M. Swearer, Ph.D.
• School Psychology Program
• 40 Teachers College Hall
• Lincoln, NE, 68588-0345
• [phone]
• sswearer_at_unlserve.unl.edu