1-191 - Contemporary Issues in Bullying: Data Trends, Cyberbullying, Bystanders, and Multi-media Approaches to Prevention

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Bullying is a significant public health concern affecting school-aged children world-wide. It has attracted considerable attention in the media over the past few years and there is a growing evidence base documenting its detrimental impacts on a range of social-emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes. Yet, there are a number of emerging issues which require additional consideration among child developmentalists. For example, technology has ushered in a new form of bullying, referred to as cyberbullying or electronic aggression, which require innovative approaches to prevention. There is also emerging data highlighting the important role of bystanders in prevention. There is also some confusion regarding rates of bullying, with some studies suggesting increasing prevalence, and others suggesting a declining trend.
The overarching goal of this panel is to fill the gaps in the current literature on bullying and to address the challenges bullying poses in promoting healthy child and adolescent development. The first presentation examines recent trends in prevalence and forms of bullying, including cyberbullying, drawing on data from over 100 schools; findings suggest a downward trend in rates of bullying and bullying-related attitudes and behaviors. The second paper further explores bystander behavior by examining different types of bystander responses, using a multilevel latent variable approach to identify patterns of bystander responses that stem bullying. The final paper presents preliminary findings from the development of an innovative multi-media bullying prevention program with 121 urban 8th graders. Together, these papers contribute to the growing body of research documenting significant developmental concerns associated with bullying.

Sub Unit

• Social Relationships

Chair

• Catherine P Bradshaw, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Individual Presentations

• Is Bullying on the Rise?: Examining Eight-Year Trends in Bullying and Related Attitudes and Behaviors among Youth in Grades 4-12 - Catherine P Bradshaw, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; Presenting Author: Elise T Pas, Johns Hopkins University; Benjamin Zablotsky, Johns Hopkins University

• The Role of Bystander Intervention in Bullying Prevention - Presenting Author: Tracy Evian Waasdorp, Children's Hospital of Phildelphia; Catherine P Bradshaw, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

• Personal and Situational Factors in Cyberbullying: Associations with Prevalence and Mental Health Outcomes. - Presenting Author: Hilary Morin, Univ of Virginia; Catherine P Bradshaw, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

• Free2B: A New Multi-Media Bullying Prevention Program - Presenting Author: Stephen Leff, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Katherine B Bevans, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Wanda R Moore, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Tracy Evian Waasdorp, Children's Hospital of Phildelphia