Bullying Research and Interventions: connecting the dots of behaviors and experiences

1. Bullying Research and Interventions: connecting the dots of behaviors and experiences 2012 Spring Forums Nancy Riestenberg, School Climate Specialist 651-583-8433 nancy.riestenberg@state.mn.us “Leading for educational excellence and equity. Every day for every one.”

2. Outline of the day education.state.mn.us • Introductions • Bullying and Associated Behaviors: • research and stories • Break • Formative Discipline • What, why and how • Lunch • Interventions • Implementation planning • 2:00: close

3. Stripping the Label education.state.mn.us

4. Bully definition: elements • Bullying has common elements: • Imbalance of power, • intent to cause harm • and repetition. • http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/. “A person is being bullied when she/he is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more person, and she/he difficulty defending her/himself.” Olweus, et.al., 2007

5. Cyber Bullying“Electronic Aggression” education.state.mn.us “Any kind of aggression perpetrated through technology—any kind of harassment or bullying (teasing, telling lies, making fun of someone, making rude or mean comments, spreading rumors, or making threatening or aggressive comments) that occurs through email, a chat room, instant messaging, a website (including blogs), or text messaging.” Centers for Disease Control, 2008

6. Harassment and Bullying • Is the abusive behavior directed at one or more students based on actual or perceived protected class? • Is the conduct sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to create a hostile environment? • Does it interfere with or limit the ability of an individual to participate in or benefit from the school district’s programs and activities. • Has the conduct been repeated over time? • Is there an actual or perceived imbalance of power between the two students? • Have one or more students made physical, verbal, or written acts toward another student or socially excluded a student? (This would include cyber-bullying) • Has the conduct resulted in harm or an attempt to harm the victim? education.state.mn.us

7. Bullying Frequency • Bullying occurs once every 7 minutes • 88% of bullying incidents happen when peers are present • Physical: 39% • Verbal: 59% • Relational: 50% • Cyberbullying: 17% • NEA National Study of Bullying, 2011

8. Adult Behavior • Indirect bullying (heard bullying remarks) • 91.4% of LGBT students in a middle school/high school sample reported that they heard LGBT offensive remarks • 99.4% from students • 63% from faculty or school staff • Espelage, D. L.

9. Connecting Dots education.state.mn.us • “Our findings suggest that one deviant behavior may be related to another. For example, youth who bully others might be more likely to also try substance use.  The reverse could also be true in that youth who use substances might be more likely to bully others.” • Kisha Radliff, Ohio State University • SCHOOL BULLIES MORE LIKELY TO BE SUBSTANCE USERS, STUDY FINDS http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/bullyuse.htm

10. More Dots… education.state.mn.us • “Bullying is a mental health problem.” • Susan M Swearer, U of Nebraska http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/04/bullying.aspx • “Bullying is a relationship problem that requires relationship solutions.” • Pepler & Craig http://www.education.com/reference/article/role-of-adults-in-preventing-bullying/

11. Minnesota Student Survey 2010Bullying Analysis http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/StuSuc/SafeSch/BullyiCyberBullyPrev/index.html

12. Bullying Questions in Minnesota Student Survey Review of 6th, 9th and 12th grade responses to: • During the last 30 days, how often has another student or group of students made fun of or teased you in a hurtful way or excluded you from friends and activities? • During the last 30 days, how often have you on your own or as part of a group made fun of or teased another student in a hurtful way or excluded another student from friends and activities?

13. MSS Responses 42.9 percent reported no involvement Thirty percent (30.7%) once or twice in the last month, 12.6 percent were classified as victims 9.3 percent were classified as bullies 3.1 percent were bully/victims (bullied and victimized at least weekly).

14. MSS Bullying Analysis • Students regularly involved in bullying as a bully, victim or bully/victim • Share associated experiences, most of them negative. • Harassment, physical assault in school • Intra-familial and extra-familial sexual abuse • Family drug use and family violence • Early and frequent use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs

15. Student (Individual) Family School Community MSS Student-centered framework

16. MSS-Substance Use in Past 30 Days education.state.mn.us

17. MSS-Use of Alcohol or Drugs before, after or during school hours education.state.mn.us

18. MSS Analysis Alcohol/drug use in the home puts youth at greater risk of bullying experiences for both genders Bullying-involved students were 3-4 times more likely to report witnessing family violence that the nevers

19. MSS-Witness to Family Violence

20. MSS-Students with Bullying Experiences • Are more likely to report that they: • Don’t like school • Receive lower grades • Have fewer post-secondary school plans • Think teachers don’t respect students • Think teachers are ‘not interested in me as a person’ • Don’t feel safe in bathrooms or in school

22. Student Indicators Personal Characteristics Victimization Across Environments Student (Individual)

23. MSS-Physical and Mental Health Bullies, victims and bully/victims are slightly more likely to be overweight Twice as likely to be obese More likely to report chronic physical and mental health problems 1/4th to 1/3rd of bullying–involved students have had suicidal thoughts in the last year

24. MSS-Victimization Across Environments • Students who are regularly involved in bullying experiences also experience victimization • At school • Outside of school • In the home • Poly-victimization

25. MSS-Threat, Harassment or Violence at School State Average: 51.1% Victims 87.3% Bullies 79.7% Bully/victims 92.3%

26. Activity education.state.mn.us Pair up or make a trio Introduce yourselves Read the sheet on bullying research Share an example of a student or students who illustrate one of the studies cited Report back one story

27. Suicide education.state.mn.us • The large majority of people who are bullied do not become suicidal. • Some LGBT youth, bullied or not, become suicidal. • The underlying causes of most suicides deaths are complex and not obvious. • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention • Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and Movement Advancement Project

28. Suicide and Bullying education.state.mn.us • For some youth bullying challenges a student’s sense of well-being. • For some, this can lead to mental health challenges. • Mood disorders, such as depression, bi-polar disorders and anxiety disorders—are contributing factors in may suicide attempts and deaths. • Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education (SAVE)

29. Contagion, Bullying and Suicide education.state.mn.us • At times the media and adults given an impression to youth that there is a direct or causal link between bullying and suicide.  • There is no research that supports this. • Youth need to know that while bullying is violence and is not acceptable, a solution to it is not suicide.  • Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education (SAVE)

30. Contagion, Bullying and Suicide education.state.mn.us Research from around the world documents that media coverage of suicide done extensively or in a sensational manner increases the risk of suicide attempts and deaths.

31. Sponsored by SAVE - Suicide Awareness Voices of Education & MN Department of Health Radisson Water Park of America Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington on Sunday, September 30 and Monday, October 1, 2012. education.state.mn.us

32. Reductions in Bullying education.state.mn.us • Were associated with: • Parent training • Increased playground supervision • Non-punitive disciplinary methods • Home-school communication • Effective classroom rules • Effective classroom management • Use of training videos • 2008 Meta Analysis by Ttofi, Farrington & Baldry

33. Break! education.state.mn.us

34. Banana Man education.state.mn.us http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E29c3a_5iE&feature=youtu.be

35. education.state.mn.us

36. Reductions in Bullying education.state.mn.us • Were associated with: • Parent training • Increased playground supervision • Non-punitive disciplinary methods • Home-school communication • Effective classroom rules • Effective classroom management • Use of training videos • 2008 Meta Analysis by Ttofi, Farrington & Baldry

37. 2-Dimensional Discipline Continuum Punitive Permissive Wachtel and McCold (2003), IIRP

38. Multi-Dimensional Discipline Model High TO WITH Restorative Directive - Punitive S T R U C T U R E(e.g. Limit-setting, discipline) FOR NOT Permissive Ignore - neglect Low High S U P P O R T(encouragement, nurturing) Wachtel & McCold (2003), IIRP

39. Activity: Quartettes: share examples of each High TO WITH Restorative Directive - Punitive S T R U C T U R E(e.g. Limit-setting, discipline) FOR NOT Permissive Ignore - neglect Low High S U P P O R T(encouragement, nurturing) Wachtel and McCold (2003), IIRP.org

40. Guidelines for Discipline education.state.mn.us • Model and teach the behaviors you want to see; focus on the positive • Provide tiered levels of support • Apply social emotional learning skills • Use youth development principles: Nothing about us, without us. • Affirm relationships: treat all students with respect, no matter what they have done • Check in on sleep, food and exercise: are students getting enough of each? • PBIS, PrevNet, Konopka Institute, Morrison, Hodas, Bell

41. Guidelines for Discipline education.state.mn.us • Address needs of target and bystanders • Address needs and obligations of wrongdoer • Encourage empathy • Empower students • Manage embarrassment, shame and humiliation • shame is healed when we offer genuine, honest human relationship that provides care and respect • Separate thebehaviorfrom the person • PrevNet, Morrison, Tofti, et al

42. Guidelines for Discipline education.state.mn.us • Communicate with parents, family members guardians • FOLLOW-UP with everyone • Use data: quantitative and qualitative • Office discipline referrals • Written or verbal reports, harassment or bullying • Attendance, excused or unexcused • Climate/bullying surveys to staff, students, family • Focus groups • Child study team, RtI team, student assistance team • PBIS, Model Harassment Policy

43. Discipline Ideas:what do you do? education.state.mn.us Support for individuals Support for the group Strengthen the environment

44. Formative Discipline education.state.mn.us • Responses to bullying should promote healthy relationships.  Responding to bullying is an opportunity to provide support, promote healthy relationships, as well as discipline. Discipline should take the form of formative rather than punitive consequences, which are activities that not only provide a clear message that bullying is unacceptable, but also develop respect and empathy for others. • PrevNet • http://prevnet.ca/AboutUs/KeyMessages/tabid/103/Default.aspx

45. Formative Discipline education.state.mn.us • To build awareness and skills to promote the student’s responsibility and positive leadership • Pepler & Craig, 2009 • Encourage empathy • Help students associate power with kindness and pro-social activities • Help students make amends • PrevNet

46. Formative Discipline education.state.mn.us • Encourage empathy • “…have the students who bullying interview an adult or older student about their bullying experiences and the impact is had on them.” • PrevNet

47. Formative Discipline education.state.mn.us • Help students associate power with kindness and pro-social activities • “Have the students accompany a teacher during recess and lunch and assist in resolving disputes among students.” • Provide the students with the chance to see themselves doing good—tutoring in a younger grade, making pro-social behavior posters, etc. • PrevNet, Coloroso

48. Formative Discipline education.state.mn.us • Help students make amends: Apology • IF students can restore the relationship in a genuine way, without being forced • IF the person harmed wants to receive the apology • Practice/work with the student before the student meets with the person harmed or delivers the letter • Write a letter of apology to the people hurt: • be specific about his responsibility and • her plan for changing hurtful behavior to appropriate behavior. • Make a (private) verbal apology that includes: • taking responsibility for the behavior and • a plan for what they will do so the bullying will not happened again. • PrevNet, Costello, et al

49. Activity education.state.mn.us • Make a list of three or four bullying situations or other kinds of harm: fights, disrespect to teachers or other adults • Brainstorm interventions that might: • teach empathy and • connect the student to an adult

50. Rebuilding Relationships:Formative (non-punitive) Discipline • Support-Group Approach • http://sfe4u.org/Main/SupportGroupBullyingSchools.pdf • Method of Shared Concern • http://www.kenrigby.net/SharedConcern.pdf • http://www.readymade.com.au/method/previews/index.htm • Restorative Justice Approaches • http://www.safersanerschools.org/