Resources

The following information on this page can help parents, schools and others tackle bullying:

Stats and facts
Trends
Cyberbullying
Known impacts
Definitions of bullying
Organizations involved in bullying prevention
Evidence-based bullying prevention programs
Federal program review Web sites
National program review reports
Reports and fact sheets
Books and guides
Videos and CDs

The links provided on this site are for information only. The views of the linked organizations do not necessarily reflect the views of Highmark Healthy High 5, the Highmark Foundation or Highmark Inc.

Stats and facts

Bullying is becoming a national epidemic and is one of the most important issues facing schools today.

Cyber-bullying is increasing as technology evolves.

State governments and communities are seeking support to craft effective solutions

One in three teenagers are involved in bullying, either as a bully or as a victim. (International Association of Chiefs of Police, 2005)

Every seven minutes a child is bullied at school. ( U.S. Department of Justice, 2005)

By the end of the 2006/2007 school year, at least 13 million American children will be the victims of cyber-bullying. (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006)

More than four out of every 10 teens reported being victims of cyber-bullying in the past year. (National Crime Prevention Council, 2007)

Thirty percent of young children and half of teens and preteens who are cyber-bullied never tell their parents. (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006)

Trends

• Young people say that bullying is one of the biggest problems they face. In fact, 52 percent of students report seeing bullying at least once a week. (National Crime Prevention Council, 2007)

Cyberbullying

• Occurs when teens use the Internet, cell phones, or other devices to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person
• More than four out of every 10 teens reported being victims of cyber-bullying in the past year. (National Crime Prevention Council, 2007)

Known impacts

• According to a study by Vanderbilt University (Cohen), each high-risk juvenile deterred from a criminal lifestyle could save the country between $1.7 and $2.3 million. (National Crime Prevention Council, 2006)
• Sixty percent of boys identified as bullies were convicted of a crime by age 24 and 40 percent of bullies had three or more convictions by age 24. (National Crime Prevention Council, 2006)
• Kids who are bullied are more likely to do poorly in school, have low self-esteem, be depressed, turn to violent behavior to protect themselves or get revenge (National Crime Prevention Council, 2006)
• Kids who bully are more likely to do poorly in school, smoke and drink alcohol, and commit crimes (National Crime Prevention Council, 2006)
• Bullying is correlated with increased physical illness (headache, stomach ache, backache, dizziness) in children as well as with psychological symptoms (temper, nervousness, feeling low, difficulties in sleeping, tiredness, feeling left out, loneliness, helplessness). (Due, et. al., 2005)
• As implemented in schools in Chula Vista, California in 2003, the Olweus program achieved the following results (National Crime Prevention Council, 2006):
  • 17% less name-calling
  • 19% less exclusion from groups
  • 21% fewer threats
  • 18% less hitting and kicking
  • Bullying was reduced 23% in bathrooms, 27% in gym, 11% at lunch
  • 12% more students would intervene if they witnessed bullying
  • 82% of parents agreed that the school treated bullying more serious

Definitions of bullying

Preferred Definition:

• A student is being bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions such as nonverbal harassment as stares and glares, cruel teasing, social ostracism, malicious gossip, sexual harassment, ethnic slurs, unreasonable territorial bans, destruction of property, extortion, and serious physical assault, on the part of one or more other students. A single instance of more serious harassment can be regarded as bullying under certain (unspecified) circumstances. Olweus (1993).

Other Definitions:

• Bullying is a continuum of behavior that involves the attempt to gain power and dominance over another. Askew (1989).
• Bullying is the repeated attack - physical, psychological, social, or verbal - by those in a position of power on those who are powerless to resist, with the intention of causing distress for their own gain or gratification. Besag (1989).
• Bullying is repeated oppression, psychological or physical, of a less powerful person by a more powerful person or group of persons. Farrington (1993).
• Bullying is the willful, conscious desire to hurt or threaten or frighten someone else. Johnstone, Munn, and Edwards (1991).
• Bullying includes any action or implied action, such as threats, intended to cause fear and distress. This behavior has to be repeated on more than one occasion. The definition must include evidence that those involved intended or felt fear. Lane (1989).
• Bullying intentionally causes hurt to the recipient. This hurt can be either physical or psychological. In addition, three further criteria particularly distinguish bullying: It is unprovoked, it occurs repeatedly, and the bully is stronger than the victim or is perceived to be stronger. Smith and Thompson (1991).
• Bullying is a willful, conscious desire to hurt another person. It can be occasional and short-lived, or it can be regular and long-standing. Tattum (1989).

Organizations involved in bullying prevention

• Anti-Defamation League
• BullyBusters
• Bully Free Kids
• Bully Police U.S.A., Inc.
• Center for Mental Health in Schools
• Center for Schools and Communities
• Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence
• Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
• Coalition for Children
• Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
• Department of Education
• Fight Crime: Invest In Kids
• International Association of Chiefs of Police
• McGruff's Web Site
• National Association of School Psychologists
• National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention
• National Crime Prevention Council
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Education Association's National Bullying Awareness Campaign
• National Resource Center for Safe Schools
• National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center
• No Name Calling Week
• Not in Our Town
• Partners Against Hate
• Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
• Safeguarding Your Children at School, National PTA
• Stop Bullying Now, Dept of Health and Human Services (HRSA)
• The Stop Bullying Project
• US Department of Justice

Evidence-based bullying prevention programs

• Aggressors, Victims, and Bystanders
• Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
• The Child Development Project
• Don't Laugh at Me
• The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project
• The Incredible Years
• Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT)
• Steps to Respect

Federal program review Web sites

• Blueprints for Violence Prevention, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
• Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, U.S. Department of Education

National program review reports

• Choosing the Tools: A Review of Selected K-12 Health Education Curricula
• Positive Youth Development in the United States: Research Findings of Positive Youth

Reports and fact sheets

• Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying
• Annual Report on School Safety
• Best Practices of Youth Violence Prevention: A Sourcebook for Community Action
• Bullying in Schools
• Bullying and the Gifted: Victims, Perpetrators, Prevalence and Effects
• Bullying at School: Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2003
• Combating Fear and Restoring Safety in Schools
• Cyber-Bullying Teen and Pre-Teen Survey
• Developing an Anti-Bullying Program: Increasing Safety, Reducing Violence
• Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools
• Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States
• From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America
• Preventing Bullying: A Manual for Schools and Communities
• Preventing Youth Hate Crime
• Reducing Bullying, Threats, and Intimidation in Westwood, MA: An Evaluation of a Problem Solving Partnership
• Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide
• Schoolwide Prevention of Bullying
• Stop Cyber bullying Before It Starts
• Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and to Creating Safe School Climates
• Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General

Books and guides

Beane, A.L. (1999). The Bully Free Classroom. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Besag, V.E. (1989). Bullies and Victims in Schools. A Guide to Understanding and Management. Berkshire, England: Open University Press.

Coloroso, B. (2003). The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander: From Preschool to High School, How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: HarperResource.

Espelage, D. & Swearer, S. M. (Eds.) (2003). Bullying in American Schools: A Social-Ecological Perspective on Prevention and Intervention. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Fine, E. S., Lacey, A., and Baer, J. (1995). Children as Peacemakers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Fitzgerald, D. (1999). Bullying in Our Schools: Understanding & Tackling Bullying - A Guide for Schools. Dublin, Ireland: Blackhall Publishing Ltd.

Fried, S. & Fried, P. (1996). Bullies & Victims: Helping Your Child Through the Schoolyard Battlefield. New York: M. Evans and Company.

Froschl, M., Sprung, B., & Mullin, N. (1998). Quit It!: A Teacher's Guide on Teasing & Bullying. New York: Educational Equity Concepts, Inc.

Garrity, C., Jens, K., Porter, W., Sager, N., and Short-Camilli, C. (1996). Bully-Proofing Your School. Longmont, CO: Sopris West Publishers.

Greenbaum, S., Turner, B., & Stephens, R.D. (1996). Set Straight on Bullies. Westlake Village, CA: National School Safety Center.

Hoover, J. & Oliver, R. (1996). The Bullying Prevention Handbook: A Guide for Principals, Teachers, and Counselors. Bloomington, IN: National Education Service.

Miller, S., Brodine, J., & Miller, T. (Eds.). (1996). Safe by Design: Planning for Peaceful School Communities. Seattle, WA: Committee for Children.

Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do. Williston, VT: Blackwell Publishers.

Olweus, D., Limber, S., & Mihalic, S. (1999). Blueprints for Violence Prevention, Book Nine: Bullying Prevention Program. Boulder, CO: Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.

Rigby, K. (1997). Bullying in Schools: And What to Do About It. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Rigby, K. (2001). Stop the Bullying: A Handbook for Schools. Markham, Ontario, Canada: Pembroke Publishers.

Ross, D. M. (2003). Childhood Bullying and Teasing: What School Personnel, Other Professionals, and Parents Can Do (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Sharp, S. & Smith, P.K. (Eds.) (1994). Tackling Bullying in Your School. New York: Routledge.

Silverman, C. (1994). Safe at School: Awareness and Action for Parents of Kids K-12. Minneapolis, MN: Saunders Free Spirit Publishing Inc.

Smith, P. K., Pepler, D., & Rigby, K. (Eds.). (in press). Bullying in Schools: How Successful Can Interventions Be? Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Stein, N., Sjostrom, L., & Gaberman, E. (1996). Bullyproof: A Teacher's Guide on Teasing and Bullying for Use With Fourth and Fifth Grade Students. Wellesley, MA: Centers for Women.

Webster-Doyle, T. (1999). Why Is Everybody Always Picking On Me? A Guide to Handling Bullies. New York: Weatherhill.

Wetton, N. & Boddington, N. (1998). Schools Without Fear: A Realistic Guide to Tackling Bullying as a Whole School Issue. London: Forbes Publications Ltd.

Zarzour, K. (1999). The Schoolyard Bully: How to Cope with Conflict and Raise an Assertive Child. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Harper Collins.

Videos and CDs

The Broken Toy [video] by Thomas Brown. Available from the Educational Media Corporation, Box 21311, 4256 Central Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55421, (612) 781-0088.

Bully Breath: How to Tame a Troublemaker [video]. Available from The National Center for Violence Prevention, PO Box 9, 102 Highway 81 North, Calhoun, KY 42327, 1 (800) 962-6662.

Bullying [video], and the accompanying Teacher Guidebook (1996). Available from South Carolina Educational Television, Marketing Department, PO Box 1100, Columbia, SC 29211, 1 (800) 553-7752. List price: $69.95.

BullySmart [video]. Available from The National Center for Violence Prevention, PO Box 9, 102 Highway 81 North, Calhoun, KY 42327, 1 (800) 962-6662.

Don't Pick On Me! [video]. Available from The National Center for Violence Prevention, PO Box 9, 102 Highway 81 North, Calhoun, KY 42327, 1 (800) 962-6662.

How I Learned Not to Be Bullied [video]. Available from The National Center for Violence Prevention, PO Box 9, 102 Highway 81 North, Calhoun, KY 42327, 1 (800) 962-6662.

Leadership Skills: Bystanders Can Make a Difference [CD-ROM]. Available from The Interactive Library Series (www.interactivelibraryseries.com/ about.htm), 1 (727) 459-4314, e-mail: cdromproducer03@hotmail.com.

Let's Get Real [film]. Available from "The Respect for All Project" of Women's Educational Media (www.womedia.org/letsgetreal.htm).

No More Teasing! [video]. Available from The National Center for Violence Prevention, PO Box 9, 102 Highway 81 North, Calhoun, KY 42327, 1 (800) 962-6662.

Real People: What's Hate All About [video]. Available from Sunburst Communications, 101 Castleton Street, P.O. Box 100, Pleasantville, NY 10570, 1 (800) 321-7511. Uses an MTV-style format featuring real teens, experts, and educators to help young people understand this dangerous human emotion.

Sticks, Stones, and Stereotypes [video]. Available from Equity Institute, Inc., P.O. Box 458, Amherst, MA 01004. This video focuses on homophobic, racial and ethnic slurs, the anguish they cause, why young people participate in name-calling, and what they can do to stop it.