This study aims to explore pupils’ and teachers experiences and perceptions of homophobic bullying in rural secondary schools, and to use these views to support further development of policy and practice. The topic was chosen because of the limited range of current research available, detailing teachers’ and pupils’ experiences of homophobic bullying. The research was conducted using a case study design within an interpretative paradigm. The methods used to gather data were semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The data was gathered in two local secondary schools and one local youth group. In the secondary schools, five teachers were selected randomly for participation in semi-structured interviews. In the secondary schools and the youth group young people were randomly selected and invited to contribute within a focus group. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and main themes from the interviews and focus groups were identified and discussed. Results suggest homophobic bullying continues to be of significant concern to young people in schools, and that it continues to be happening on a frequent basis. Teachers also recognise the issues relating to homophobic bullying and highlight that this type of bullying can also be evident towards teachers and between teachers. Young people felt that teachers were ineffective in dealing with homophobic bullying, and teachers themselves lacked confidence and knowledge in addressing the issue.

This thesis examines the influence of environmental factors on children’s risk of becoming involved in bullying, and in promoting resilience to bullying victimization. By integrating longitudinal, multivariate and genetically sensitive designs, this research helps to strengthen understanding of the causal role of different risk and protective factors for childhood bullying involvement. The three main aims of this thesis are to: 1) identify early socio-environmental risk factors for bullying involvement 2) investigate the aetiology and outcomes of chronic bullying victimization, and 3) identify factors within the home environment that help protect bullied children from adverse outcomes. Research was conducted using data from the prospective Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a nationally representative sample of 1,116 twin pairs and their families. Reports on bullying involvement, children’s mental health and family characteristics have been collected from multiple informants when the children were aged 5,7,10 and 12 years. School, neighbourhood and family factors were found to be independently associated with early bullying involvement, even after controlling for the effects of children’s individual characteristics. Behavioural genetic analyses revealed that both environmental and genetic factors influence the persistence of bullying victimization across the transition from primary school to secondary school. A genetically sensitive twin differences design showed that families exert an environmental effect on children’s vulnerability and resilience to bullying victimization. The results of this thesis indicate that children’s individual characteristics including their genes influence their risk for bullying involvement and their likelihood of becoming chronically victimized across different school settings.

In recent years, bullying has come to be established as a significant issue for contemporary workplaces, in Ireland as elsewhere. Our research knowledge is largely psychologically-based, with many studies focusing on the personality characteristics of the victim or perpetrator and bullying has been viewed as an “interpersonal” conflict. However, when other characteristics are considered, research has repeatedly found that workers in the public sector are more likely to report bullying than private sector. In order to investigate this finding, the current study takes a sociological approach and focuses on the workplace, which is arguably shaped by its broader institutional context in terms of the labour market, with specific sectoral characteristics. Part of the rising concerns about workplace bullying can be contextualised in terms of the increasing emphasis placed on the psychological well-being of workers, with the recognition of “new risks” of stress and harassment. However, this focus on individual subjective well-being arguably obscures the collective nature of the phenomena, in terms of its association with the “changing workplace”.

Background: There is a strong argument throughout the literature that childhood trauma and adverse experiences should be considered when working with individuals who experience psychosis. There has been a developing interest in the relationship between childhood bullying and psychosis, although to date, there is limited research in this area. Bullying is a pertinent issue for young people, which argues for further consideration in Early Intervention for Psychosis (EIP) settings.

Aims: The aim of this research is to explore the subjective experiences of childhood bullying for individuals who access EIP services. A secondary aim is to explore whether individuals perceive bullying to be relevant to their experiences of psychosis.

Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight individuals. Interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Results: Four superordinate and accompanying subordinate themes emerged. The superordinate themes were ‘facing daily threat’, ‘overcoming systemic mistrust’, ‘negotiating power imbalance’ and ‘a process of evolving identity’. ‘Facing daily threat’ conveyed how participants experienced bullying as traumatic. Bullying experiences were considered highly relevant to current experiences of paranoia. ‘Overcoming systemic mistrust’ reflected neglectful responses from teachers and the ways participants felt unheard when first engaging with services. ‘Negotiating power imbalance’ reflected both the complex power relationships within school and the influence of wider social power. ‘A process of evolving identity’ explores the gradual shifts in how participants viewed themselves after verbal bullying. Participants’ psychosis experiences included hearing critical, attacking voices, reinforcing the same messages received from bullies in school.

Discussion: The results are clinically important as they contribute to understanding experiences of psychosis in the context of bullying history. They also highlight the wish for individuals to have more opportunities to discuss bullying in EIP services. Finally, they argue for school systems to further consider their responses to children who seek help for bullying.