The Peer Network Structure of Bullying: Individual and Classroom Level Considerations

• In Event: 3-060 - The implications of peer network structure: Considering peer network structure creation and influence on adolescent development

Abstract/Description

INTRODUCTION: School bullying brings to mind disturbing images. Thus, child advocates have long worked to mitigate the problem and researchers attempt to provide solutions. Nevertheless, many attempts to intervene are ineffective. One reason for the lack of intervention effectiveness may be that bullying behaviors are influenced at multiple levels (individual and classroom), yet most interventions operate only at the individual level. When the simultaneous impact of, for example, both the individual and the classroom are ignored, it may be difficult to make a larger impact on bullying behaviors that occur within classrooms.
GOALS: In this study, we focus on how characteristics of the social context of the classroom—defined as the individual and classroom level—may predict bullying behaviors. At the individual level, we hypothesize that peers who are well-liked and friended will be least likely to bully others, whereas peers who are disliked and perceived popular will be most likely to bully others. At the classroom level, we hypothesized that higher average levels of disliking and social stratification (greater social division between the popular and unpopular, as well as the friended and the friendless) will be associated with more bullying. In addition, higher levels of peer liking will be examined as an exploratory predictor of less bullying.
METHODS: Our sample included 9,434 students in 462 classrooms nested in 99 schools drawn from the KiVa pretest sample (Van der Ploeg, et al., 2015). Half (49.6%) of the students were boys and students ranged in age from 7-12 years at the baseline assessment. Participant sex was obtained from school records. Anti-bullying attitudes were assessed with an 8-item measure (Rigby & Slee, 1991). Bullying was assessed as a 10-item measure (e.g., “I hit, kicked or pushed someone”) (Olweus, 1996). Individual Level variables were count scores of peer nominations of liking, disliking, popularity, and friendship. Classroom level variables were aggregate scores or average levels of classroom liking and disliking (classroom climate) and standard deviations of popularity and friendship (classroom hierarchy).
RESULTS: We used multilevel modeling in Mplus 8.0 to evaluate the impact of individual and classroom social climate and social status factors that impact bullying behaviors at school (see Appendix 1 for the analysis model). Results for all effects in the Level 1 and Level 2 models are found in Table 1. Disliking is associated with bullying at both the individual and classroom level. Furthermore, social status at the individual level (number of friends, peer rated popularity) and social status structures at the classroom level (friendship hierarchy) emerged as predictors of bullying. Development trends indicate that, in general, the observed associations between individual and classroom level social standing and bullying outcomes become stronger with age, or from late childhood into early adolescence.
CONCLUSIONS: The current findings provide evidence for the significance impact of the social context of the classroom at both the individual and classroom level. The results will be discussed in the context of how continued research may be able to inform advocacy towards diminishing classroom bullying.

Authors

• Dawn DeLay, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Mark Van Ryzin, Oregon Research Institute

• Gerine Lodder, University of Groningen

• Laura Hanish, Arizona State University

• Rene Veenstra, University of Groningen