Victim Strategies to Stop Bullying

• Author: Dan Weinles,Ericka Washington,Sally Black
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204009349401
• Published date: 01 April 2010
• Date: 01 April 2010
• Subject Matter: Articles

Research Notes

Victim Strategies to Stop

Bullying

Sally Black,

1

Dan Weinles

2

and Ericka Washington

3

Abstract

One of the most commonly recommended strategiesfor youth to stop bullying is to report incidents

to an adult. Although reporting is preferred, ultimately, victims will use strategies that they perceive

to be most effective. This study investigated victims’ strategies to stop bullying, as well as their

perceptions of each strategy’s effectiveness. In all, 50%of participating school students

(n¼2,615) reported at least one form of victimization. The most common strategies used against

bullying were fighting back (63%), ignoring the bullying (52%), telling an adult at home (44%), and

reporting the abuse to a peer (42%). The most successful strategies reported were counter-

aggression (75%), making a safety plan (74%), and telling a peer (71%) or an adult at home (71%).

Implications for practice are for school staff to deconstruct the idea of counter-aggression as an

effective strategy against violence and to improve perceptions of staff responses to victimization.

Keywords

bullying, youth violence, victims, Health Belief Model

Bullying represents a chronic abuse of power where the oppressor uses physical, verbal, social, or

emotional aggression to intentionally and repeatedly hurt another person. Approximately 1 of every

10 students are bullied in the United States (Nansel et al., 2001). One quarter of victims report poly-

victimization, experiencing four or more types of abuse (Finkelhor, Ormrod, Turner, & Hamby,

2005). Actions are perpetrated directly by the bully or indirectly through henchmen (Olweus,

1993). Chronic victims suffer from anxiety, depression, and suicide and may ultimately resort to

counterattack, which can include the use of weapons (Bond, Carlin, Thomas, Rubin, & Patton,

2001; Burgess, Garbarino, & Carlson, 2006; Carney, 2000; Gladstone, Parker, & Malhi, 2006;

Kaltiala-Heino, Rimpela¨, Rantanen, & Rimpela, 2000; Kumpulainen, Ra¨sa¨nen, Henttonen,

Almqvist, & Kresanov, 1998). As for the perpetrators, children who bully are at higher risk of advan-

cing to more serious violent offending (Sourander et al., 2006). Bystanders may also suffer, often

reporting symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (Janson & Hazler, 2004). Growing

1

Department of Health Services, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2

Office of Accountability and Assessment, Christina School District, Wilmington, Delaware

3

Bullying Prevention Coordinator, The School District of Philadelphia, Office of School Climate and Safety, Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania

Corresponding Author:

Sally Black, Department of Interdisciplinary Health Services, Saint Joseph’s University, 110 Post Hall, 5600 City Avenue,

Philadelphia, PA 19131

Email: sblack@sju.edu

Youth Violence and JuvenileJustice

8(2) 138-147

ªSAGE Publications 2010

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DOI: 10.1177/1541204009349401

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