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

1. Bullying Research and Interventions: connecting the dots of behaviors and experiences Nancy Riestenberg, School Climate Specialist 651-583-8433 nancy.riestenberg@state.mn.us

2. Outline of the Morning • Introductions • Bullying and Associated Behaviors: • research and stories • Formative Discipline • What, why and how • Prevention and Early Intervention Strategies

4. Introductions • Name • who are you on the outside? • and who are you on the inside?

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

6. 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 persons, and she/he has difficulty defending her/himself.” Olweus, et.al., 2007

7. Cyber Bullying“Electronic Aggression” “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

8. 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?

9. 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

10. 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.

11. Connecting Dots • “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

12. More Dots… • “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/

13. Activity Pair up or make a trio Read the sheet on bullying research as directed Share an example of a student or students who illustrate one of the studies cited Report back one story

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

15. 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).

16. 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

17. MSS-Use of Alcohol or Drugs before, after or during school hours

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

21. 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

22. Suicide • 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

23. Suicide and Bullying • 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)

24. Contagion, Bullying and Suicide • 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)

25. Contagion, Bullying and Suicide 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.

26. Stand up, wave your hands! education.state.mn.us

27. Reductions in Bullying • 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

29. Banana Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E29c3a_5iE&feature=youtu.be

31. Reductions in Bullying • 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

32. 2-Dimensional Discipline Continuum Punitive Permissive Wachtel and McCold (2003), IIRP

33. 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

34. 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

35. Behavior and: Sleep Food Physical activity

36. Formative Discipline • 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

37. Formative Discipline • 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

38. Formative Discipline • 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

39. Formative Discipline • 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

40. Formative Discipline • 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

41. Activity • 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

42. 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/

43. Restorative Measures:Rebuilding Relationships: Face to face meeting of the student who was bullied the student who did the bullying and other affected parties Wrongdoing addressed in discussion of how people were affected by it Wrongdoer treated with respect and offered support Target respected, offered voice and support

44. Restorative Measures • Community support separates the behavior from the person or the experience • Agreements attend to students’ needs and wrongdoer’s responsibilities • Offender make amends, make a plan to change behavior, give back to the community • Rigby, 2008; Coloroso, 2003, Morrison, 2007

45. Continuum of Restorative Practices Building Community Repairing Harm Community building circles Conference/circle with a small group of students Classroom circle with a whole class Affective Statements Restorative dialogue between several students Community conference /circle with students, parents and teachers From Thorsborne & Vinegrad, also, Costello, Wachtel & Wachtel education.state.mn.us

46. Formative Discipline is Adolescent Brain Development Practice • The prefrontal cortex is responsible for reasoning, decision-making and behavioral regulation • To develop the executive function of the brain, teens need practice: • Making decisions and • Reflecting upon those decisions • Dr. Abigail Baird http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id+t-defence-cyber-bullies

47. Trauma-informed discipline • Restorative process • Slows down the process • Offers calm support • Offers opportunity for reflection • Offers opportunity to tell story, see whole child • Offers respectful communication • Offers safe process • Adapted from Compassionate Schools

48. Restorative ProcessSummary • Provides the process for separating person from the behavior, naming the feeling • Offers participants the opportunity to empathize with each other • Is respectful of the individual, while not condoning the behavior—High Support and High Structure

49. A Restorative process for bullying requires study and training!

50. At your tables discuss and list: What stood out for you so far this morning? What did you already know? What do you want to know more of?