This thesis starts with a detailed review of studies on the short-term and long-term effects of bullying on children’s physical and mental health (part A). Many cross-sectional studies show that children’s involvement in bullying is related to several physical and psychological problems. Longitudinal research indicates that bullying is a strong risk marker for anti-sociality and future criminality. The necessity arises to examine the extent to which bullying prevention programmes are effective in tackling bullying. Part B presents a systematic and meta-analytic review of the effectiveness of anti-bullying programmes. It includes programmes that were implemented and evaluated I schools, with the aim of reducing bullying and/or victimisation. This project followed 25 years of intervention research and was based on extensive searches, for example all volumes of 35 journals were hand-searched from 1983 to 2008. Intervention components within each programme were coded and correlated with the effect sizes, so that solid conclusions could be drawn about what works in preventing bullying, for whom and under what circumstances. I conclude that anti-bullying programmes are effective, but that future programmes are needed that are based on empirically validated theories of bullying. Part C begins with a review of previous theoretical perspectives that have been utilized in the understanding of bullying. It then focuses on testing the applicability of two criminological theories in explaining sibling and peer bullying, namely Reintegrative Shaming Theory and Defiance Theory. These two theories were chosen because of their importance and many points of convergence. Part C is based on a survey that was conducted with primary school children. The emphasis is on sibling bullying, which –unlike peer bullying- is an under-researched topic. In line with the postulates of the two theories, I establish which family factors are related to sibling bullying and make recommendations about how best to utilize the survey findings for the prevention of bullying. Part D is based on another survey that was constructed and used with both primary and secondary school children. The theoretical constructs of Defiance Theory were operationalized and empirically tested using the same questionnaire so that comparisons based on the two datasets – as well as final conclusions – could be drawn based on age and gender differences. The focal point of part D is on teacher-targeted bullying perpetrated by students, which is a highly neglected area of research. In part D, as in part C, some hypotheses are experimentally tested using vignettes so that solid inferences can be drawn about the applicability of the theory to the context of teacher-targeted bullying behaviour.
Testing the applicability of criminological theories to the context of bullying behaviour: implications for prevention and treatment
2009
University of Cambridge
