Search

The study examined the strategies used by teacher educators in their teaching practices and gender integration in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The nature of the engagement of educational leaders and administrators in supporting teaching, learning and mainstreaming gender issues in teaching was also examined. A total of 165 sampled respondents were reached. This included 81 government officials and educational leaders (18 government officials and 63 educational leaders) and 84 tutors. The study used a concurrent mixed-method approach where the combined qualitative and quantitative data collection methodologies were applied to answer the study questions. The study data were collected directly from the project participants through semi-structured interviews and survey questionnaires. 60% of preprimary and primary tutors from Kenya demonstrated knowledge and skills in pedagogical practices compared to 13% from Tanzania and 20% from Uganda. The findings also revealed that most tutors do not think training and application of lifelong professional development strategies on key pedagogical aspects and content are essential for achieving a gender-responsive and inclusive training and support program. These key areas include support for gender-based violence victims, support for pregnant girls and mothers to continue education; gender-sensitive expectations towards girls' and boys' achievements; gender-sensitive expectations around girls' and boys' behavior, lesson demonstration, and lesson observation. The study recommends that there should be integration of gender issues in delivering training for the tutors of the colleges in East Africa. The training should focus on enhancing pedagogical practices and related educational leadership and management.

Background: South Africa's primary school education system receives significant funding annually from public and private sources. Despite this, learners still grossly underperform. This means that learning interventions aimed at improving learning outcomes have been relatively unimpactful in primary schools. As such, it is crucial that we investigate why academic interventions have been relatively unable to turn the tide on poor academic performance. Aim: Although there are many reasons that limit the successful realisation of academic interventions in primary schools, this article argues that the problem is partly because of violence and trauma that result from the polyvictimisation of children. Children are exposed to and deal with historical, epistemic and interpersonal violence, making it difficult to learn. Setting: The article focusses on teaching and learning experiences in South African public primary schools. Methods: This critical analysis uses various sources, including programme evaluations and academic literature, to demonstrate how centring the psychosocial well-being of children in teaching and learning interventions is foundational to their efficacy and ultimate success. Results: By centring the learners' psychological position, academic interventions would be more efficient in realising their objectives. It may also curtail financial wastage. Conclusion: The psychosocial well-being of learners cannot be disregarded in learning interventions. Children who are traumatised are not capable of reaching their full academic potential. Contribution: This article contributes to the debates that advocate for the psychosocial support of primary school learners in South Africa as a conduit for improving learner outcomes.

The aim of our study was to explore students' bystander roles in peer bullying considering the interaction between their individual and contextual characteristics. We included social status goals (popularity, social preference and social insecurity), moral disengagement and peer support as key variables for differentiating bystander behaviour. Our sample comprised 5148 students from the 8th and 9th grades across 118 primary schools in Slovenia. Bystander roles (active and passive reinforcers, ignorants and defenders) were determined by peer nominations. Other characteristics were measured with self-report questionnaires. For each variable, we normalized students' results with regard to their classroom to define classroom norms as the context of peer bullying resulting in "low", "average" and "high" group. Students with similar individual and contextual characteristics were grouped into four clusters. The results showed that students from all clusters were present in all bystander roles, which indicates a highly complex interaction of various factors in bystander behaviour. Some educational implications are discussed.

This systematic review identifies the barriers to implementing restorative justice programs in public school organizations. Due to the novelty of restorative justice in schools, barriers often hamper the implementation process. Thus, it was necessary to identify barriers and how they can be mitigated. The PRISMA tool was utilized to examine 17 studies. The review harnessed Lipsky's (1980) street-level bureaucracy framework to understand the roles of street-level bureaucrats in the education bureaucracy and to understand how the barriers align with the variables that comprise the framework. The results indicated that several barriers existed which include resources, bureaucratic discretion, and role ambiguity.

This study aims to explore the overlapping influences of the home and school on peer victimization in adolescents under the notion of home-school partnership and to investigate how the parent-child relationship, teacher-student relationship, teenage depressive symptoms are related to peer victimization by constructing a moderated mediation model. It surveyed 1,710 students in 5-8 grades, using the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (brief version), Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (brief version). Research findings show that the parent-child relationship had a direct impact on peer victimization and indirectly affected peer victimization via the mediation of teenage depressive symptoms; and that teacher-student relationships had moderating effects on the three paths in the mediation model, playing roles in enhancing the protection effect of the parent-child relationship against peer victimization, weakening the possible impact of the parent-child relationship on teenager depression, and alleviating the predictive effect of depressive symptoms on peer victimization. The research suggests that home-school partnership is a viable avenue for the prevention of school bullying.

Cyber threats have escalated in recent years. Many of these threats have been direct and vicious attacks on K-12 systems. Educators are rarely trained on how to address cyber threats from a systemic and educational perspective when such challenges arise in their school buildings. This article explains the cyber threats that are looming large for K-12 systems and provides concrete tools for school leaders to employ in order to provide preventive education to their school communities.

Autistic individuals are at increased risk of experiencing various forms of victimization during their lifespan. This study analyses the self-reported prevalence of bullying victimization in autistic pre-adolescents and those with subthreshold autistic traits in comparison with peers without neurodevelopmental conditions. The sample was comprised of 323 participants (11 and 12 years old; 45 with autism or subthreshold autistic traits) from Spanish general education schools. The assessment protocol included psychopathological (autism characteristics and co-occurrent problems), cognitive and academic characteristics. Bullying victimization was self-reported by the pre-adolescents themselves using the Bullying and School Violence Questionnaire ("Acoso y violencia escolar"). Autistic participants (57.9%) and those with subthreshold autistic traits (26.9%) showed a higher rate of bullying victimization in comparison with their peers (18.3%). Bullying rates were more frequent and severe and were characterized by intimidation and social exclusion behaviours. These problems were associated with greater intensity of restrictive and repetitive behaviours and with more co-occurring behavioural and emotional problems. We did not find any association with other individual or family factors. Our data reveal the greater risk of bullying behaviours among autistic young people and those with subthreshold autistic traits, which implies the need for detection and establishment of protocols to prevent consequences for their mental health and quality of life.

Firearm-related violence is the leading cause of death for adolescents and can have lifelong ramifications, including to one's mental health and well-being. Through a scoping review of existing literature published since 1980, the current study describes nuanced pathways through which exposure to firearm violence (direct or indirect) can contribute to the development and exacerbation of posttraumatic symptomatology during adolescence (ages 10-19). Furthermore, this review explores moderators and mediators of this relationship, shedding light on the interplay between individual, familial, and societal factors. Findings from the reviewed studies (N = 16) demonstrate various links between direct and indirect firearm exposure and short- and long-term posttraumatic symptomatology in adolescents and point to necessary solutions that encompass consistent firearm violence prevention and mental health support. Results can inform future research, policy development, and intervention strategies to mitigate the adverse psychological effects of firearm violence on the vulnerable adolescent population.

Rates of youth firearm exposure and carriage are well-established, but less work has examined how exposure to police violence and firearm violence, as victim or witness, may be associated with beliefs in gun ownership for society or access to guns. This study used survey data from a multiracial sample of 276 youth living in New Orleans, Louisiana (M age = 17.76) to examine these associations. Results from binary logistic regressions confirmed a significant association between higher belief in gun ownership for safety and all violence exposures, directly and indirectly. We did not find support for an association between gun access and any violence exposures. The findings shed light on pathways to firearm violence risk and provide critical information on youth firearm attitudes.

Peer status among preschool children has been associated with their roles in aggression-related interactions. This study analyses the differences between aggressors, victims, aggressor-victims and defenders on two measures of peer status (social impact and social preferences) whilst controlling for individual factors. The sample comprised 394 preschool children (184 girls, 210 boys) between the ages of 3-6 years old (M = 4.36, SD = 0.87) and their parents supplying information about socio-demographic variables and children's emotion regulation. Teachers rated emotional competences for each child in their class. Analysis of covariance along with Bonferroni-adjusted post-hoc comparisons were conducted to compare mean scores between the aggression roles for social impact and social preference while controlling for significant individual factors. The results revealed that aggressors and aggressor-victims exhibited higher social impact but lower social preference after controlling for individual factors. In contrast, defenders enjoyed higher social status among their peers, characterized by both higher social preference and social impact. Victims were associated with lower social preference and social impact. Uninvolved children consistently exhibited lower social impact. Results underscore the need for interventions that focus on promoting prosocial behaviors, addressing aggressive tendencies, and enhancing emotional competences to create a more positive and supportive peer environment.

This study investigated how the school experiences and personal characteristics of youth with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) contribute to their longitudinal trajectories of anxiety. To this end, we relied on a sample of 390 youth with mild (48.2%) to moderate (51.8%) levels of ID, aged from 11 to 22 (M = 15.70), and recruited in Canada (n = 140) and Australia (n = 250). Across three yearly time points, all participants completed self-report measures of anxiety, school climate, and victimization. Our results revealed a slight normative decrease in anxiety over time and showed that experiences of school victimization were associated with higher levels of anxiety (initially and momentarily) and increases in victimization were accompanied by increases in anxiety over time. Perceptions of attending a school that fosters security and promotes learning also tended to be accompanied by lower levels of anxiety (initially and momentarily). Momentary increases in perceptions of attending a school that fosters positive peer interactions were associated with momentary decreases in anxiety, whereas momentary increases in perceptions of attending a school characterized by positive teacher-student relationships and an equitable treatment of all students both led to small momentary increases in anxiety once all other components of student school experiences were considered. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Experiences of dating violence are widespread among adolescents. Therefore, increasing the understanding on the developmental antecedents is crucial. However, most existing studies involve cross-sectional designs, which poses a challenge in better understanding the developmental precursors of dating violence victimization. To address this, we examine age 13 predictors of age 17 dating violence victimization in a culturally diverse sample of 643 participants (57.3% girls). Negative binomial regression models showed some significant associations between self-reports of anxiety and depression, poly-victimization, endorsement of violence-legitimizing norms of masculinity, and having initiated sexual relationships and dating at age 13 with dating violence victimization at age 17, with variations depending on the gender of the victim and the form of dating violence measured. Findings increase longitudinal evidence in the field with the aim of informing prevention and intervention strategies that address factors associated with dating violence early in adolescence.

Homophobic bullying constitutes a serious threat to adolescent well-being and could be understood as an ecological phenomenon, influenced by diverse school, regional, and community contexts. This study examined geographic variations in the relationship between school characteristics and homophobic bullying. Data from 2244 California schools, including student surveys and administrative records, were combined and analyzed using geographically weighted regression (GWR). Results showed that the associations between school characteristics and general victimization were consistent across geographic areas. However, when it came to homophobic bullying, the relationships with school characteristics varied significantly based on location. Notably, regions with high intolerance, urbanity, large school size, and small student--teacher ratios appeared to offer protection against bullying. Additionally, student socioeconomic status influenced bullying in disadvantaged rural schools with limited Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) presence. Ethnic diversity also played a role, with low diversity or dominance of two ethnic groups linked to higher bullying rates.

Teachers are key to antibullying efforts, and their attitudes toward bullying can influence their intervention responses. There has been a proliferation of this type of research but thus far no review has been performed to coalesce the evidence. Following PRISMA and Cochrane guidelines, we performed a systematic and meta-analytic review. A total of 3990 titles and abstracts identified across 7 databases (PsycINFO, Education Source, ERIC via EBSCOhost, ERIC via ProQuest, Web of Science, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Google Scholar) were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria. After screening, 27 studies were included in the systematic review, 25 of which were included in meta-analyses. The association between antibullying attitudes and intervention responses differed depending on whether (1) measures assessed retrospective reports of intervention responses (i.e., how often teachers used that response) versus intervention intentions (i.e., likelihood they would intervene in hypothetical scenarios) and (2) the specific type of intervention response. Results indicate that teachers' antibullying attitudes were positively related to some responses (disciplining/punishing bullying, victim support, involving parents, involving peer bystanders), negatively related to some responses (advocating avoidance, encouraging independent coping), and unrelated to others (advocating assertion, enlisting other adults, separating students). Results also indicate a positive overall association between antibullying attitudes and intervention likelihood. No moderation by form of bullying was found. Implications for preservice training and in-service teachers' professional development to target bullying attitudes are discussed.

Bystanders' helping behaviors are essential to mitigate bullying and its consequences, although bystanders do not always intervene on behalf of those who are victimized. One study (N = 170) tested, experimentally, the impact of different forms of common identities (one-group and dual-identity vs. control) on youth (aged between 12 and 19 years) bystanders' helping behavioral intentions in the context of a common form of bias-based bullying (i.e., homophobic bullying). Results showed that dual-identity triggered more behavioral intentions to help victims of homophobic bullying. Overall, these findings extended previous studies illustrating the potential of common identities to foster bystanders' helping responses to homophobic bullying episodes in the school context.

Natural disasters happen across the world. The situations are different but the disruption to children's education and wellbeing is similar. This study focused on the school context changes caused by the COVID-19 global disaster, and the impact of these changes on children's mental health. The aim was to better understand the associations between any mental health changes and children's school level of deprivation and pre-disaster involvement in bullying. Cross-sectional data were collected from 4316 children aged 6-11 years old, from 57 schools across England and Wales. Data were collected before the national lockdowns, early 2020, and 3-5 months after the final return to school, summer 2021, when schools were operating under a range of context restrictions. Child data included bullying involvement at school and health-related quality of life; teacher data included reports of each child's internalising, externalising and prosocial behaviours. School-level disadvantage was determined by the proportion of children in each school eligible to receive free school meals (an indicator of family disadvantage). The results showed that victims of bullying pre-lockdown, and pupils from schools with a higher concentration of disadvantage, had significantly reduced externalising behaviours once back in the restricted school context. Victims had also increased their prosocial behaviours. It is possible that the restricted school context may have been a relief for the most vulnerable pupils. This study adds a new phase of understanding to the global disaster literature and the initial return to school when the environment is the same but the context has changed.

This study examines the effects of racist microaggressions and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ)-related minority stressors (i.e., identity concealment, family rejection, internalized LGBTQ-phobia, victimization, and racialized heterosexism/cisgenderism) on psychological distress among Latinx LGBTQ+ young people, specifically college students. Participants are a Latinx subset (n = 80) from a national online nonprobability cross-sectional survey of LGBTQ+ college students. The study aim was examined using linear/logistic regression. Findings indicated that racist microaggressions and family rejection were associated with psychological distress. In addition, racist microaggressions were the only stressor associated with clinically significant psychological distress that may warrant psychiatric/psychological treatment. Therefore, racist microaggressions and family rejection are unique stressors that may saliently affect mental health among Latinx LGBTQ+ students. There is a great need to integrate minority stress theory with other critically-oriented theories, such as intersectionality, in research and intervention to eliminate mental health inequities faced by Latinx LGBTQ+ young people.

The effectiveness and program mechanisms of a whole-school anti-bullying program that builds on the socio-ecological framework were investigated by applying person-oriented methods of data analyses. A longitudinal cluster randomized control study was utilized comprising 1377 adolescents (48.5% girls, M[subscript age] = 11.7) who participated in a 1-year whole school anti-bullying program that was implemented in 13 schools and 665 adolescents (45.2% girls, M[subscript age] = 11.6) who attended 5 control schools. Student reports were collected at pre- and post-test within a 1-year interval. Applying latent profile analyses (LPA), students who were actively involved in bullying as perpetrators (e.g., bullies), who were the target of bullying (e.g., victims), who were both (e.g., bully-victims), and who were not involved either as perpetrators or victims (e.g., uninvolved) were identified. Latent transition analyses (LTA) investigated transition patterns between bully, victim, bully-victim, and uninvolved subgroups in the control and intervention group before and after the 1-year program implementation. Program effectiveness (e.g., a higher transition probability in the intervention compared to the control group) were found for victims and bully-victims. It was explored whether changes in program mechanisms were differently related to changes in these sub-group memberships in the intervention group. Victims transiting to the uninvolved sub-group increased in help-seeking and anti-bullying norms, while bully-victims transiting to the uninvolved sub-group increased help-seeking, perceived teacher intervention, and anti-bullying norms. It can be concluded that this program works differently for different sub-groups of students and that different mechanisms of change drive changes in different sub-groups of students.

This retrospective study examines involvement in school bullying at all developmental stages, from elementary school to university, in relation to personality traits. Participants were 216 university students, 162 (75.0%) females and 54 (25.0%) males. The majority of the sample (88.9%) aged 18-24. Students completed the International Personality Items Pool (BFFM) and a self-report questionnaire about school bullying online. The results show that the involvement roles in personality trait A3 (don't insult) of the Agreeableness (A) scale differ significantly at all educational levels. However, trait E6 Extraversion (E) and the Conscientiousness (C) scale differ at the elementary school level, and trait N6 of the Neuroticism (N) scale varies at the middle school and N3 differs at the high school. All participants differ statistically significantly in A3, Conscientiousness scale at all educational levels. Those involved differ statistically significantly in the traits Neuroticism, C8, and C9 and in two traits of Openness (O). Throughout the course of schooling, victims showed a higher score on the Conscientiousness scale than the bullies/victims. The victims who became the bullies (victims/bullies) had a higher score on the Emotional Stability scale than the bullies who became victims (bullies/victims). About half of the participants said that the experience affected them positively and the other half negatively. Those who answered that it had a positive impact on them showed a statistically significant difference in characteristics E7 (talkativeness) and N10 (pleasant mood). The findings help inform a new perspective of anti-bullying intervention that targets personality traits in all the roles and their rotation.

Several meta-analyses have demonstrated that bullying prevention programs are successful in reducing bullying. However, scant research addresses if and how such anti-bullying efforts affect long-term internalizing health problems and even less on later use of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. This study explores how the school-based Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) affects the likelihood of being prescribed antidepressant drugs, anxiolytics, hypnotics, and sedatives, using a difference-in-difference design with population-wide Norwegian register data, including the Norwegian Prescription Database. Generally, we find that student cohorts from schools with a higher proportion of victimized students have more prescribed drugs at ages 17-22. Although OBPP substantially reduces victimization, and, hence, assumedly internalizing problems, our results indicate that the OBPP increased the likelihood of being prescribed drugs for internalizing problems between ages 17 and 19. Our interpretation of these findings is that the OBPP had increased awareness of bullying in school and its damaging consequences, and thereby reduced the mental and attitudinal barriers that often prevent students from seeking help for internalizing problems. It should be noted, however, that the victimization data in our study were linked to schools only and not to register data for individual students. Accordingly, we were restricted to studying average program effects at the school level. The power to detect long-term effects would have been better with student-linked data for both the victimization and register variables.

Bullying and victimization in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a problem of particular importance, as this category of students is at high risk of victimization by other students, which negatively affects their psychosocial and emotional development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the rate of victimization of children with high-functioning autism (AHF) by their peers in primary school, and whether this rate correlates with teachers' education professionals' classroom practices for the inclusion. Data collection was conducted using two questionnaires, the Autism Inclusion Questionnaire (AIQ) (Segall & Campbell in Autism inclusion questionnaire, 2007), which explores the educational practices that teachers utilize in terms of including students with ASD in the general classroom (Segall & Campbell in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 6(3):1156-1167, 2012), and the questionnaire on victimization of children with ASD by their peers (Belidou in Autism spectrum disorder and victimization: teachers' views of the association with theory of mind and friendship (Master thesis), 2017). The survey was based on the responses of 143 teachers who teach primary school students diagnosed with high-functioning ASD. The results showed that 34.3% of teachers observed that AHF children are at higher risk of victimization compared to typically developing children. Also, it was found that there are several educational practices of children with autism, which are associated with the victimization of children belonging to the high-functioning autism spectrum.

Youth with disabilities experience bullying at rates much higher than those who do not identify as having a disability; however, they are often underrepresented in national measures of bullying due to a lack of accessibility. This study was set to evaluate (1) how individuals with disabilities define "bullying," (2) the prevalence of bullying among youth with disabilities in comparison to national bullying rates previously reported in the literature, and (3) their knowledge of the resources available to prevent bullying. Surveys were developed and administered to participants from two populations in California: (1) youth with disabilities, (2) parents of youth with disabilities. Results of the study showed that the definition of bullying is subjective and the prevalence of bullying experienced among individuals with disabilities was 90%. Over half of the youth with disabilities and their parents were unaware of how to file an anti-bullying complaint and 29% were unsure if their school had an anti-bullying policy. This study revealed that it is imperative for the public to better understand the concept of bullying, especially among the population of individuals with disabilities, to ensure the development and enforcement of robust policies. It also highlighted the lack of knowledge among individuals with disabilities regarding current policies put in place to mitigate bullying in the schools. Results of this study emphasized the need for including adolescents with disabilities in conversations about bullying and for the development of more inclusive preventive measures.

Previous research assessing differences in teachers' perceptions of bullying (e.g., seriousness, empathy, intervention likelihood) have focused primarily on physical, relational, verbal, and cyberbullying forms. Equally important is understanding views of social bullying (e.g., spreading rumors) given the frequency at which youth experience these social attacks. To add to our knowledge about perceptions of this form of bullying, the current study adding social bullying vignettes to the routinely utilized Bullying Attitudes Questionnaire (Craig et al., 2000; Yoon & Kerber, 2003). Preservice teachers (n = 222, 86.5% female, 80.2% White) from a large public university in the southeastern USA participated in the study. Analyses compared differences in perceptions based on the forms of bullying and examined whether patterns differed depending on several key demographic (e.g., gender, prior victimization experience) and training background variables (e.g., practicum experience, year of study). The results showed that preservice teachers viewed physical and cyberbullying as the most serious forms of bullying. Social bullying was perceived to be the least serious form. Significant interaction effects between form of bullying and gender were also found. Compared to male preservice teachers, females were more empathetic toward victims of relational, cyber, and social forms of bullying, more confident to deal with verbal and social forms of bullying, and more likely to intervene in all forms except physical. Additional results with training background variables are presented, and implications for teacher interventions and teacher training are discussed.

Cyberbullying is a serious problem, and research on associations between different types of interpersonal violence and cyberbullying victimization is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine how the frequency of physical dating violence (PDV), sexual dating violence (SDV), and forced sexual intercourse (FSI) is associated with cyberbullying, and whether sex modified these associations among a nationally representative sample of US youth. 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) survey data from 14,655 students were used. Youth reported the frequency of PDV, SDV, and FSI in a self-administered questionnaire, with aggregate categories of 0 times, 1 time, 2-3 times, or 4 or more times. Cyberbullying was also self-reported using a single-item measure. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the PDV, SDV, FSI-cyberbullying associations. Stratified analyses were used to determine if sex was an effect modifier of the PDV, SDV, and FSI-cyberbullying associations. Approximately 16% of students reported having been cyberbullied in the last 12 months. After adjustment, there was a statistically significant dose-response relationship between the frequency of SDV and cyberbullying (1 time: OR = 2.97, 95% CI: 2.30, 3.84; 2-3 times: OR = 3.53, 95% CI: 2.54, 4.93; [greater than or equal to] 4 times: OR = 4.46, 95% CI: 2.86, 6.95; referent 0 times). A similar dose-response relationship was observed for both PDV and FSI. Stratified analysis results suggest that sex may modify these associations. These results underscore the need to address youth dating violence as early as possible, with special attention to sex, as this may also prevent other types of victimization, like cyberbullying.

While research knowledge of bias-based bullying is increasing, there has been only limited research comparing in-person and online bias-based victimization incidents. The current study presents data on 521 bias-based incidents experienced by a large sample of youth (n = 854), 13-21 years old, examining differences between incidents that occurred solely online, solely in-person, or both online and in-person. Specifically, we examined whether the three types of incidents differed by: (a) respondents' sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., gender, race/ethnicity, immigrant status, religion, any disability, sexual orientation); (b) incident-level characteristics (i.e., victimization type, perpetrator relationship, number of perpetrators, physical injury, any weapon used, duration of the incident, location of the incident, and disclosure); and (c) negative impact (emotional distress, school-related problems, and physical symptoms). Results indicated that online-only bias-based victimization incidents occurred less frequently, and impacted victims less negatively, than either in-person only or combined online/in-person bias victimization. Incidents that were a mix of online and in-person bias-based victimization were the most distressing type of incident for youth, even controlling for other aggravating features (e.g., the number of perpetrators). Findings highlight the importance of asking vulnerable youth about the context of bias-based victimization they may have experienced and suggest that prevention initiatives will need to incorporate strategies to address the different environments in which bias-based victimization incidents occur.

Bullying is a public health menace of global significance. Personality traits have been shown to predict bullying roles. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of bullying and its relationship with the Big-Five personality traits among Nigerian in-school adolescents. Four hundred and thirty-two adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 15.32, SD = ± 1.58) were randomly selected from six secondary schools in Ilesa, Nigeria. Personality traits were assessed with the Big-Five Personality Inventory while bullying was assessed with the peer relationship questionnaire. The prevalence of bullying behaviour among the respondents was high at 85.4%. There was a statistically significant difference (p = .001) between perpetrators and non-perpetrators for the neuroticism trait. On regression analysis, agreeableness trait was predictive of bullying behaviour as perpetrator (B = -0.090, SE = .023, [beta] = -.0231, t = -3.943 95% C.I. [-0.135, -0.045] p < 0.001) and as a victim (B = -0.138, SE = 0.026, [beta] = -0.310, t = -5.384 95% C.I. [-.188, -0.088] p < 0.001). There is a high prevalence of bullying among Nigerian in-school adolescents. Agreeableness trait predicted bullying behaviour either as perpetrators or victims. Our findings highlight the need for interventions targeting personality traits to prevent and fight school bullying.

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, little research delineates the temporal and mechanistic associations between potential risk factors and suicidality in autistic individuals. We assessed 129 autistic and 121 age-matched and sex-assigned-at-birth-matched typically developing (TD) children and youth at baseline and follow-up. We evaluated internalizing/externalizing problems, bullying experiences, and three executive function tasks at a mean baseline age of 13.4 years (standard deviation: 4.2 years). After an average of 5.8 years (standard deviation: 1.7 years), we evaluated their suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The experiences of being bullied partially mediated the temporal relationship between pre-existing ASD and later-reported suicidal thoughts. Several cognitive flexibility and sustained attention indices mediated the temporal relationship between pre-existing ASD and later-reported suicidal thoughts. A multiple mediation model confirmed that bullying victimization and cognitive flexibility jointly mediated the temporal relationship between ASD and suicidal thoughts. Better cognitive flexibility and experiences of bullying victimization in autistic children/youth were both associated with higher risks of later-reported suicidal thoughts in adolescence/adulthood. School bullying-prevention programs and tailored clinical support for autistic youth with better cognitive flexibility are warranted for personalized suicide prevention for the autistic population.

This study aimed to assess the influence of peer relationships on the self-consciousness and social adaptation of school-aged children in the Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used, with a population of 60,780 (29,968 males and 30,812 females). A multi-stage sampling method was employed to select 602 school-aged children from 58 schools in the Local Government Area, forming the sample for the study. For data collection, the study used questionnaires. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that more than half of the respondents (62.6%) showed moderate social adaptation, particularly when they were with their families (mean score of 4.53±2.31). The majority (76.6%) had low peer relationships, while 80.6% had high self-consciousness. The mean scores for peer relationships, self-consciousness, and social adaptation differed between male and female respondents. Females had higher peer relationships and social adaptation. The mean score for peer relationships was higher among students in private schools compared to those in public schools. A moderate positive relationship was found between peer relationships and social adaptation at a significance level of p<0.05. It is recommended that governmental and non-governmental organizations organize programs to facilitate peer relationships and social adaptation among school-aged children. Furthermore, teachers and parents should be educated to provide support to children in these areas.

Building on cognitive schema theory, this study investigates the relationship between experienced and observed harassment in a university setting. It also examines two moderators--organizational identification and perceived justice. Using a cross sectional survey, data were gathered from 276 academics and staff in a private university with approximately 9000 students located in the southeastern United States. The results suggest that employees who personally experience workplace harassment are more likely to observe others as being targets of harassment. They also suggest that organizational identification and perceptions of organizational justice moderate the relationship between experienced harassment and observed harassment. Overall, the findings support the important role of schemas in understanding how pre-organized cognitive templates can impact perceptions of observed harassment in an academic context, and also stress the central roles of organizational identification and perceived justice in managing harassment. With respect to practical implications for higher educational institutions, human resource managers must work hard at making sure that faculty, staff and students perceive their universities to have fair systems in place so they can have trust in their institutions, thus increasing the likelihood that individuals will more likely disassociate their own negative experiences from the harassment schema. Managers should also implement programmes to build positive organizational cultures or school spirit.

Workplace bullying is a widespread phenomenon within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Employee tendency to remain silent is one of the most common reactions to workplace bullying. Yet, employee silence in the context of workplace bullying is poorly studied. Building on the Conservation of Resources Theory (COR) and the Learned Helplessness Theory (LHT), this study investigated employee reluctance to take action when witnessing workplace bullying (employee silence). The sample comprised 560 employees working in 20 HEIs in Ireland. Respondents filled out a survey measuring employee silence, victimisation, and team psychological safety. Results showed a negative association between team psychological safety and employee silence, indicating a reluctance to report bullying among respondents with low levels of team psychological safety. In line with the COR and the LHT, a positive association was found between victimisation and employee silence. The paper concludes with a discussion of possible actions for bullying prevention in HEIs.

Intimate partner violence and sexual assault are under-researched experiences in autistic people's lives. Recent research, however, has shown that autistic people are more likely to have been victimized than non-autistic people. This research, therefore, sought to explore the firsthand accounts of a range of autistic people about intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Twenty-four autistic adults with lived experience (6 male, 15 female, 3 non-binary) aged 25-61 years took part in semi-structured interviews online. They were asked about their experiences of intimate partner violence and sexual assault, whether and how they felt being autistic interacted with those experiences, and what recommendations they would have for improving education in the future. Almost all participants had repeated experiences of intimate partner violence and sexual assault, regardless of gender, and there were clear similarities in their stories. Six themes with subthemes were identified. These were "'experiences of abuse'", "'autism used against you'", "'poor family models'", "'impact of/on friendships'", "'handling trauma'", and "'recommendations for future practice'". Autistic people experience many of the same patterns of abuse as non-autistic people do, but there are unique autism-related vulnerabilities and outcomes. We found that there were a variety of responses to these experiences, and call for greater understanding so that autistic victims can be better supported.

Mainstream anti-bullying interventions can reduce primary school-level victimisation by 15-16% and bullying perpetration by 19%-20% ("Aggression and Violent Behavior," 2019; 45: 111-133). Less is known about anti-bullying interventions for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) even though they are at least 2-4 times more likely to be involved in bullying. This systematic review aimed to identify reported anti-bullying approaches for pupils with SEND, what the evidence is for these approaches reducing bullying and which design factors are linked to a reduction in bullying. We searched 10 databases and four grey literature sources for articles that evaluated school-based anti-bullying strategies for children and young people aged 4-18 years with SEND. This review included 15 studies and used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool for quality and risk of bias. Ten reported a reduction in bullying involvement, but the evidence was variable. A further 27 articles formed a 'suggested strategies' review which synthesised articles without evaluations of interventions but that suggested anti-bullying strategies for use with pupils with SEND. The main suggestion was encouraging social skills and networks. Interventions should be evaluated for feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness. High-quality randomised controlled trials are required to build an evidence base to support pupils with SEND.

Dating sexual violence (DSV) is a serious social problem among college students worldwide. This study examines the effects of gender role attitudes (GRA) in DSV and the mediating role of rape myth acceptance (RMA) among students of different sexual orientations in China. A total of 2134 Chinese college students (553 men and 1581 women, 1751 heterosexuals and 383 sexually diverse groups) participated in this study. We found that sexually diverse men have the highest DSV perpetration (47.13%) and victimization rates (40.23%) and that sexually diverse women have the most equal gender attitudes. RMA is identified as a mediator of the relationship between GRA and DSV perpetration and victimization among heterosexuals, but not among sexually diverse groups. The need for more sexually inclusive educational interventions to decrease DSV on college campuses is discussed.

Students with disabilities (SWDs) are disproportionately at-risk for bullying victimization and perpetration, yet there is a lack of educator-focused professional development targeting prevention for these students. This project sought to address gaps in training through the creation of four online professional development modules: (1) understanding bullying among SWDs, (2) examining risk characteristics, (3) establishing school and classroom prevention strategies, and (4) individual prevention. These modules were iteratively developed with feedback from teachers and staff, incorporating the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to focus on interventions rooted in social emotional learning (SEL), and emphasizing the importance of prevention for SWDs.

Limited research has explored the experiences of nonbinary college students. Using a national sample of college students from the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA), we compared experiences of college students in terms of their campus safety, mental health, and involvement in extracurricular activities. Results reveal complexities of nonbinary students' experiences. Nonbinary students reported feeling less safe on and around campus and were more likely to be verbally threatened, stalked, and sexually assaulted than their peers. In terms of mental health indicators, nonbinary students reported significantly worse outcomes than their peers. Nonbinary students were also significantly less likely to be involved in extracurricular activities. Among nonbinary students, Black nonbinary students reported less safety, higher stress, and greater suicidality than White nonbinary students, and multiracial nonbinary students were more likely to be stalked than their White nonbinary peers. In terms of campus involvement, multiracial nonbinary students were more likely to volunteer than White nonbinary students. On the whole, this study suggests that nonbinary college students' experiences differ from their peers' in terms of greater reports of victimization, poorer mental health, and less involvement on campus, with important racial differences. Those who work with college students should ensure that their services support and affirm nonbinary identities and should work to push back on superficial changes that do not address the racist, cis-heteropatriarchal conditions that give rise to such outcomes.

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) frequently experience depression and health care-related stigma. Health care satisfaction is important for seeking care, but little is known about SGM health care satisfaction, and especially as it relates to depression among rural SGM. From May 25 to July 2, 2021, we surveyed rural Illinois (IL) individuals aged [greater than or equal to] 18 years on the topics of demographics, depression, health care satisfaction, past health care experiences, internalized stigma, and victimization. Among the 398 respondents, the gender identity distribution included cisgender males and females (171 and 203, respectively) and transgender males and females (8 and 7, respectively), while sexual orientation included heterosexuals (114), gay/lesbians (143), and other orientations (141). Analyses were conducted with respect to both identity and orientation (and their interaction). In univariate analysis, transgender individuals were more likely than cisgender to screen positive for depression and less likely to report feeling accepted by their medical provider. Compared to heterosexual respondents, gay/lesbians and other orientations were more likely to screen positive for depression. In logistic regression, factors associated with increased risk of depression included nonheterosexual orientation and past poor health care experiences. In linear regression, factors most commonly associated with the seven satisfaction subscales include: sexual orientation, past poor experiences, and employment. There were significant differences in depression across both sexual orientation and gender identity, and in health care satisfaction by sexual orientation. Rural SGMs are more vulnerable to depression and less likely to report satisfactory care. As health care engagement is critical for screening and care adherence, engaging rural SGM in a routine and satisfactory fashion is needed.

Adolescent behavior now occurs offline and online. Frequently studied and treated independently, the relationship between offline problem behaviors and online risk taking is not well understood. This study asked whether there are any problematic behaviors predictive of online risk taking by high school students. Using a 2009 dataset of 2,077 high school students grades 9-12, five areas of offline problematic behaviors were examined: Academic problems, anxiety, behavioral wrongdoing, bullying, and social-emotional. Nine binary results were classified as online risk: Sexting, online harassment (perpetrating and experiencing), visiting sex sites, talking about sex, receiving sexual pictures, meeting offline, anything sexual happened, feeling nervous or uncomfortable. Behavioral wrongdoing (fighting, school suspension, trouble with police, theft), emerged as a significant predictor appearing in all nine models, followed by bullying experience (bully or victim) in six models. Identifying common problem behaviors that predict online risk taking are key components in developing strategies to promote adolescent health and well-being.

This study investigated characteristics associated with two kinds of peer victimization--bullying victimization and adversarial victimization--distinguished by different balances of power between the perpetrator and victim. Specifically, we examined whether bullying victimization (victim has less power than perpetrator) would be experienced to a greater extent by vulnerable adolescents with psychosocial difficulties (fewer close friendships, emotional symptoms) and less peer esteem (physical attractiveness, perceived popularity, dating popularity, and prestige). In contrast, we investigated whether adversarial victimization, in which the victim has equal or greater power than perpetrator, would be experienced by adolescents perceived as rivals because they are held in high esteem by peers. A total of 599 adolescents aged 9 to 14 years (M = 11.93; SD = 1.40) completed a self-report measure of emotional symptoms and peer nomination measures of victimization, close friendship, physical attractiveness, dating popularity, perceived popularity, and prestige. Bullying victimization was negatively associated with close friendships, physical attractiveness, perceived popularity, and prestige, whereas adversarial victimization was positively associated with all four indicators of peer esteem. The results demonstrate the importance of measuring the power balance between the perpetrator and victim when studying peer victimization. Findings are discussed from an evolutionary perspective suggesting that victims of bullying are selected by perpetrators to achieve adaptive benefits while minimizing retaliatory, reputational, and social costs, whereas victims of adversarial aggression are targeted as rivals in competition for status and mates.

Bias-based (also called identity-based) harassment refers specifically to a subset of peer victimization that targets a person's identity, such as their gender identity, religion, immigration status, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity. Research indicates that bias-based harassment is a particularly devastating form of victimization that has an even stronger association with poor mental health and school functioning than general forms of bullying and harassment that do not target identity characteristics. In the current study, we used the AmeriSpeak Teen Panel, a US nationally representative panel of youth ages 13-17, to examine the prevalence and predictors of bias-based harassment. Youth (N = 639) completed a self-report survey about their experiences with victimization and perpetration of bias-based harassment. A series of regression models tested the association of individual youth demographic characteristics with reports of bias-based harassment victimization and perpetration. Overall, 28.2% of youth reported experiences of bias-based victimization, and 12.4% reported bias-based perpetration. Bias-based harassment most often targeted students' race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Results have implications for school-based prevention and intervention planning to address bias-based harassment.

Various scholars have confirmed that teacher safety against learner victimization is a growing concern worldwide, and this problem is exacerbated by a lack of understanding and readiness to implement policies to address this matter. In this regard, policy implementation by middle leaders (MLs) in creating safe school environments has attracted much less interest as a possible way of addressing issues of teacher safety and the prevention of learner victimization. MLs are regarded as individuals who have the potential to lead, plan, inspire and persuade, and in so doing, they are in an ideal position to translate policy into practice. As such, this paper provides a qualitative policy document analysis of The National School Safety Framework (NSSF) premised on the theory that every individual in the school experiences safety in dissimilar ways and has unique safety needs. The NSSF is endorsed by the Department of Basic Education to guide in addressing issues of violence and safety in South African schools. Underpinned by the rational choice theory and utilizing policy document analysis, texts in the NSSF were analysed and interpreted to propose transformative policy strategies that can assist MLs in managing teachers' safety at schools more effectively. The findings suggest that administrative duties and a lack of time make it difficult for MLs to create a safe and supportive learning environment in schools. Another finding was that there is no clear plan outlined in the NSSF to guide MLs to pursue teacher safety against learner victimization in schools. To assist MLs, this paper proposes transformative policy strategies that can assist them in promoting teacher safety and preventing learner victimization in schools. The paper recommends that more explicit interpretation and implementation strategies be communicated with schools to assist them in fighting the war against violence in schools.

Neurodivergent youth, such as those with diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are frequently victimized by their peers. This bullying victimization may occur in unique ways that are not captured by existing questionnaires. The "Assessment of Bullying Experiences" ("ABE") is a questionnaire specific to neurodivergent youth with acceptable psychometric properties in autistic and non-autistic samples. This study sought to establish scoring criteria and clinical cutoffs for the "ABE." Participants were 335 parents of youth (ages 6-17) characterized as autistic, having ADHD, or from a community comparison sample. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to (1) compare accuracy of the "ABE" total score in predicting bullying victimization experiences and (2) identify optimal questionnaire cutoffs. Clinical utility of these cutoffs was confirmed using ANCOVA analyses. The "ABE" had good-to-excellent discrimination for bullying victimization across groups. Bullied youth had greater symptoms of anxiety/depression compared to youth who were not bullied; this relationship was partially explained by autism characteristics. "ABE" clinical cutoffs generated bullying victimization prevalence rates consistent with existing literature (50% autism, 28% non-autism). The "ABE" is a useful measure to streamline bullying victimization assessment in neurodivergent youth and inform group-specific intervention.

Despite the wealth of knowledge about the impact of bullying victimization, information gaps exist about how traditional and cyber bullying in early adolescence is associated with emotional wellbeing, namely, indicators of positive wellbeing. Therefore, this study investigated associations between different types of bullying victimization and positive and negative emotional wellbeing indicators, in addition to examining the prevalence of different types of bullying in conjunction with child, peer, and school factors. The study used data from an annual survey of student wellbeing conducted in South Australian schools. The sample comprised of 9019 grade 6 students aged 10-13 years (49.6% female). One-third of students experienced bullying victimization. Verbal bullying was most prevalent in this sample (24%), followed by social (21%), physical (10%), and cyberbullying (7%). Males were significantly more likely to experience physical and verbal bullying, and students living in more socioeconomically disadvantaged communities were significantly more likely to experience physical, verbal, social, and cyber bullying victimization. Additionally, all types of bullying victimization were significantly associated with lower scores on positive emotional wellbeing indicators (happiness, life satisfaction, and emotion regulation) and significantly higher scores on negative indicators (sadness and worries), all with small effect sizes after accounting for child-, peer-, and school-level factors. This research suggests that bullying is associated with both positive and negative aspects of emotional wellbeing, and both aspects of wellbeing are crucial to consider when developing school-based interventions.

Despite the expanding body of research on school bullying and interventions, knowledge is limited on what teachers should do to identify, prevent, and reduce bullying. This systematic literature review provides an overview of research on the role of primary school teachers with regard to bullying and victimization. A conceptual framework was developed in line with the Theory of Planned Behavior, which can serve in further research to facilitate research in investigating the prevention and reduction of bullying. Different elements of this framework were distinguished in categorizing the literature: teachers' knowledge, attitudes, perceived subjective norms, and self-efficacy, which impacted subsequently the likelihood to intervene, used strategies and programs, and ultimately the bullying prevalence in the classroom. In total, 75 studies complied to the inclusion criteria and were reviewed systematically. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment was used to assess the quality of each study, leading to 25 papers with an adequate research design that were discussed in more detail. The approach in this review provides a framework to combine studies on single or multiple elements of a complex theoretical model of which only some parts have been empirically investigated.

Could the standardisation of language narrow disparities in achievement in education amongst people of different social class, and within and across ethnicities and genders, and could this have implications for injustices and inequities in wider society? In analysing socio-economic diversity through the lens of its correlation with language, this paper examines how the standardisation of language could be used as a means to reduce such diversity. It examines links between the standardisation of language, and the reduction of inequalities between socio-economic groups, in regard to achievement in education. It also examines the correlation between language and social class, and propensity towards being a perpetrator and/or victim of hostility and violence, as well as their relationship with health and life expectancy etc. The paper further examines the effect of the use of technology and teaching methods on the acquisition of knowledge, and how this impacts upon children of different social class within the learning environment. In order to help address some of these questions, an auto-ethnographic methodology is adopted with the aim of being able to explore, and reflect upon, personal experience, and to be able to weave greater understanding and connections between apparently disparate factors related to diversity, all through the lens of language and its relationship to aspects of culture relating to social class. Amongst its conclusions, the paper argues that the standardisation and enhancement of spoken language would narrow the disparities in academic achievement between socio-economic groups. The paper also argues that in order to challenge inequitable power structures which have arisen from historical injustices, then rather than concentrating on underrepresentation of groups of people within high status positions in society, the focus of diversity should be directed towards challenging the over representation, in a range of settings, of groups of people within low status positions in society.

Cyberbullying is a problem that is more prevalent and serious among LGBTQ+ people. Previous research has mostly analysed sexual orientation and homophobic cyberaggression. Hence, becomes necessary to consider sex-gender diversity as a whole and aggressions of a general nature. Moreover, existing prejudices underline the need to consider homonegativity as a key variable in this type of cyberviolence. This sequential mixed study explores, in a first qualitative step with focus groups, perceptions on the characterisation of LGBTQ+ cyberbullying and, in a second quantitative step, cybervictimisation in terms of affective-sexual, bodily and gender diversity, and the possible moderating role of internalised homonegativity. The qualitative study involved 175 students and the quantitative study involved 1,971 students aged 12-18 from secondary schools in Andalusia (Spain). Qualitative results identified valuable dimensions of cyberbullying, such as collective LGBTQ+ cybervictimisation. Quantitative results revealed differences in collective LGBTQ+ cybervictimisation according to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. It also highlights the moderation of internalised homonegativity, with those at a low level being more sensitive to collective LGBTQ+ cyberaggression. LGBTQ+ cyberbullying is made visible as a construct that includes various types of aggressions aimed at the whole spectrum of affective-sexual diversity and emphasises the need to address internalised homonegativity in psychoeducational interventions involving all students.

Using a randomized controlled trial, we investigated changes in both sexual harassment (SH) perpetration and victimization of 2104 middle school students in New York City who received divergent saturation and dosage levels of "Shifting Boundaries," an SH prevention program, which was represented by the length of the program. We assessed the saturation effect of the program by comparing the outcomes across respondents from 26 schools in which there were varying percentages of students enrolled in the program. The data suggested that, overall, the program was effective in reducing sexual harassment victimization but achieved a null effect against respondents' SH perpetration and that neither the length nor the school-saturation level of the program exerted a significant effect on SH perpetration. Although the data indicated a significant difference in SH victimization between the treatment and control group, when comparing subgroups who received treatment with divergent saturation and dosage levels, no statistically significant difference was identified. Our results suggested that the program effect was not contingent on the portion of students in a school who enrolled in the program, nor was it contingent on the dosage.

Since the dynamics and forms of cyber violence evolve at the same rapid pace as technology platforms, we used social big data to develop an ontology for cyber violence victimization in South Korea. Following the seven-stage ontology development process, we extracted keywords from 3,075 social media data sources including online articles, comments, and blogs. Focus group interview data was also obtained from 40 adolescents and 5 cyber violence experts. The analysis identified domains for (1) participants subdivided by age, school level, sex, form, and relationship; (2) protective and risk factors by individuals, family, friends, school, community, and online systems; (3) types by form and method of violence; (4) characteristics by media and distinct features; (5) outcomes by individual and relational/social; and (6) interventions and policies by personal coping strategies, services/interventions, and laws/policies. These findings provide a multi-faceted perspective on cyber violence victimization experiences in South Korea. In addition, the results elucidate the newest types of cyber violence in real-life terms.