Is Bullying a Serious Issue.doc

7/27/2019 Is Bullying a Serious Issue.doc

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Is Primary School Bullying A Serious Issue? 1

1003PSY Research Methods and Statistics 1 Assignment

Is Primary School Bullying A Serious Issue?


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Abstract

The aim of the study was to extend the findings of Coggan et al. (2003) and to analyse therelationship between bullying, depression, perceived stress, stressful life incidents and self-

esteem. A group of Queensland primary school children between grades 5 and 7 from 5

different schools were randomly assigned to participate in the experiment. Students assigned

received an information pack containing a consent form and a questionnaire listing questions

regarding demographic characteristics, frequency of bullying, perceived stress, stressful life

incidents, depression, and self-esteem. Contrary to the hypothesis the study found that the

frequency of bullying was positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated

with self-esteem, yet found no correlation between perceived stress and stressful life

incidents.


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Is Bullying A Serious Issue

The significant social impact of schoolyard bullying was vividly illustrated in August

2009 when Jai Morcom died as a result of a playground brawl at Mullumbimby High School

(New South Wales, Australia). News of the 15 year-olds death led to public outcry and a mass

protest by students and staff at the school (Stolz, 2009). A poll conducted by the Queensland

newspaperThe Courier Mail showed that 92% of the 604 respondents respondedYes to

the question ofDo you think bullying is out of control in our schools? While this

sample is likely to be biased, placing doubts over the extent to which this opinion is shared by

the general population, it does suggest a perception of a high incidence of bullying in

Australian schools. Additional research conducted by the Queensland Education Department

indicates that approximately five children in each class are verbally or physically bullied each

week and that up to 70% of suspensions relate to bullying behaviour. Research conducted in

other countries support these findings in reporting that 5 to 15% of primary school and 3 to

10% of secondary school children being the victims of bullying on at least a weekly basis

(Olweus, 1994; Genta, Menesini, Fonzi, Costabile, & Smith, 1996). The high prevalence of

bullying in schools indicates that more information is needed on what variables are associated

with bullying and what impact it has on children.

Prior research on the victims of bullying has revealed that several variables are

associated with bullying. Boys are more likely to be bullied than girls (e.g., Slee & Rigby,

1993; Nansel et al., 2001), particularly when bullying includes physical harm and threats

(Baldry, 1998). Younger children are also more likely to report being the victim of bullying

than older children (Whitney & Smith, 1993). Victims also tend to be more introverted,

passive, submissive, and lonely (Boulton & Smith, 1994; Mynard & Joseph, 1997). In

victims, the amount of bullying received is positively associated with levels of anxiety (e.g.,


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Bond, Carlin, Thomas, Rubin, & Patton, 2001) and depression (e.g., Abada, Hou, & Ram,

2008; Craig, 1998), and negatively associated with self-worth (e.g., Slee & Rigby, 1993),

popularity (Olweus, 1978), and physical health (Abada et al., 2008). The negative

psychological variables that are associated with bullying indicate that victimisation is likely to

lead to considerable stress (Newman, Holden, & Delville, 2005) and be a risk factor for

subsequent mental health problems (Kaltiala-Heino, Rimpel, Rantanen, & Rimpel, 2000).

Coggan, Bennett, Hooper, and Dickinson (2003) reported the findings of a large cross-

sectional survey of 3,265 randomly selected secondary school students in New Zealand. The

students were categorised as experiencing chronic bullying (physical violence, verbal teasing,

sexual harassment, and racist comments) or not across a six month period. A comparison

between the groups revealed significant differences on several psychological measures.

Bullied children were less likely to feel good about themselves, had a lower self-esteem, more

likely to have attempted self-harm and suicide, and more likely to have higher scores for

depression, stress, and hopelessness. Coggan et al. argued that the findings indicated an

association between chronic bullying and negative mental health outcomes in secondary

school children. Further, the authors stressed that their findings highlight the need for positive

youth development strategies in conjunction with prevention and intervention strategies to

reduce bullying at school.

The present study aimed to extend the findings of Coggan et al. (2003) in two main

ways. First, we changed the sample of students that were studied. Students were sampled

from primary schools in Queensland, Australia. Second, rather than treating bullying as a

categorical variable (i.e., bullied versus not bullied), we treated it as a quantitative variable

(i.e., frequency of bullying incidents). An analysis of the resulting data set will provide

descriptive statistics on the extent of bullying in students and those psychological variables

that might be associated with the extent of bullying.


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It was hypothesised from the findings of Coggan et al. (2003) that the frequency of

bullying was positively correlated perceived stress. It was also hypothesised that the

frequency of bullying was positively correlated with a students stressful life incidents. The

third hypothesis was that the frequency of bullying would show a positive correlation with the

students level of depression. The fourth hypothesis was that the frequency of bullying would

show a negative correlation with the students level of self-esteem, meaning an increase in the

frequency of bullying would decrease a students self-esteem.

Each hypothesis was tested through calculating the correlation and determining

whether or not each correlation was strong enough to be considered significant or not.

Method

Participants

The study consisted of 139 primary school students from 5 different Queensland

schools in grades between 5 and 7. Of the 139 students 84 were male and 55 were female.

Ages of participants ranged between 9 and 12 with a Mean of 10.48 and Standard Deviation

of .981.

Table 1

Descriptive Statistics of Participants Bullied According to Gender, Grade and Age

Grade 5 6 7

Stats n M SD n M SD n M SD

Male 34 9.56 0.50 24 10.58 0.50 26 11.58 0.50

Female 21 9.57 0.51 16 10.50 0.52 18 11.56 0.51

30 students from each school were randomly selected between grades 5 and 7 to

participate in the study. Selected students were handed an information pack containing a form

of consent and a questionnaire. The Questionnaire contained questions asking students to rank


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their perceived stress, depression, self-esteem, and stressful life incidents. No system was put

in place to ensure the given information wasnt falsified.

Sampling Method. The methods used to sample the students and to measure the

variables were given approval by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee. The target

population was deemed to be Queensland primary school children in grades 5, 6, and 7. The

potential participants were those students that were randomly selected to receive a survey

pack that contained the self-report measurement instruments. To obtain the list of potential

participants, five state schools in Queensland were first randomly selected to participate in the

study. Each school consisted of a preparatory year and grades 1 to 7. The number of

enrolments at the schools varied from 423 to 845 students. The enrolment list for each school

was next obtained and 30 students in grades 5, 6, and 7 were randomly selected. These

students became the potential participants and were each given a survey pack to take home.

The pack included an information sheet and consent form that the parent or guardian was

required to complete as acknowledgement of informed consent. In addition, the pack included

the questionnaires to obtain information regarding demographic characteristics, frequency of

bullying, perceived stress, stressful life incidents, depression, and self-esteem. The students

were asked to return the completed questionnaires within one week. Of the 150 survey packs

handed out, 80% were returned thus giving an actual sample of 120 students.

Design

The study utilised a 4 level within subject design, meaning all participants were

subjected to all aspects of the study. Four response variables were used with one explanatory

variable. The response variables were perceived stress, stressful life incidences, depression

and self-esteem. The explanatory variable was frequency of depression. All tested variables

other than the demographic information was measured as a scale, with each variable having a

different range. All three grades studied were subjected to the same questions on general


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demographics, self-esteem, depression, stressful life incidences and perceived stress. SPSS

Statistics was used to compile all raw data and create tables and graphs for this report.

Materials

Self-report measures were used to obtain demographic information and to measure

each variable of bullying, perceived stress, stressful life incidents, depression, and self-

esteem.

Demographic characteristics. Three questions were used to obtain information

about gender (male, female), age (in whole years), and grade level (5, 6, or 7).

Frequency of bullying. The amount of bullying experienced by a student was

measured as the number of times the student reported being a victim of four possible

behaviours. A question asked In school over the past week, how many times

have you experienced each of the following? The four items were Another child

was physically violent towards me, Another child teased me, Another child

made racist comments to me, and Another child made sexually harassing

comments to me. The number of times each incident occurred was summed across the

four items to give a single measure of the frequency of bullying the child experienced over the

past week.

Perceived stress. The level of stress perceived by the student was measured with

four items. These were It is hard for me to tell people I am angry, I feel stressed

by expectations to do well or better at school, I feel stressed out, and

Difficulties seem to pile up so high that I feel that I cannot overcome them.

Ratings were made on a scale that ranged from 1 to 25, where higher ratings indicate higher

agreement with the statements. The sum of the ratings for all four items (maximum score =

100) provided the measure of perceived stress.


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Stressful life incidents. The Student Stress Scale (Janis & Mann, 1977) was

used to measure stressful life incidents. The scale is an adaptation of Holmes and Rahes

(1967) Social Readjustment Rating Scale in which students were asked to indicate

what events they had recently or were currently experiencing (e.g., Death of a close

family member, Change in eating habits, Divorce between parents). Some

items were omitted (e.g., Pregnancy) or modified to better reflect the age level of the

students in the sample (e.g., Change of university was modified to Change of

school). Each event is given a score in terms of Life-change units with a higher number of

Life-change units given for more stressful incidents (e.g., Death of a close friend versus

Change in number of family get-togethers). A higher total score across all items

indicates a higher overall impact of stressful life incidents.

Depression. The students depression was measured with the four items ofI feel

lonely, I feel that people dislike me, I feel depressed, and I feel that nobody

truly cares about me. Students were asked to rate their level of agreement to each

statement on a scale from 1 to 10, where higher ratings indicate higher agreement. The total

score across the four items (maximum score = 40) provided the measure of depression.

Self-esteem. Four items were used to measure self-esteem. The items were I feel

that I have a number of good qualities, I certainly feel useless at times, I

wish I could have more respect for myself, and I take a positive attitude

toward myself. Each item was rated on a four-point scale of 1 to 4, where higher ratings

indicate greater agreement with the statement. The sum of ratings across the four items

(maximum score = 16) was used as the measure of the students self-esteem.


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Results

SPSS Statistics software was used to calculate all statistical data and create tables and

graphs. A raw copy of all statistical data created by SPSS can be found in the Appendix of this

report.

Descriptive Statistic

The Histogram for the frequency of bullying shows a normal unimodal distribution

with a positive kurtosis. The Mean is 10.74 and the Standard Deviation is 3.554.

The Histogram for

perceived stress

shows a normal unimodal

distribution with a

positive kurtosis. The Mean

is 53.78 and the

Standard Deviation is

15.397.


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The Histogram for stressful life incidences shows a positive unimodal distribution

with a positive kurtosis. The Mean is 83.53 and the Standard Deviation is 40.646.


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The Histogram for depression shows a relatively normal multimodal distribution with

a normal kurtosis. The Mean is 20.27 and the Standard Deviation is 9.311.


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The Histogram for self-esteem shows normal bimodal distribution with a positive

kurtosis. The Mean is 8.61 and the Standard Deviation is 3.103.


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Variables Associated with Bullying

Table 2

Correlations


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bullying per_stress lifestress depression selfesteem

bullying

Pearson Correlation 1 .196* .024 .434** -.384**

Sig. (1-tailed) .010 .391 .000 .000

N 139 139 139 139 139

per_stress

Pearson Correlation .196* 1 .012 .084 .036

Sig. (1-tailed) .010 .446 .161 .338

N 139 139 139 139 139

lifestress

Pearson Correlation .024 .012 1 -.099 .074

Sig. (1-tailed) .391 .446 .124 .193

N 139 139 139 139 139

depression

Pearson Correlation .434** .084 -.099 1 -.176*

Sig. (1-tailed) .000 .161 .124 .019

N 139 139 139 139 139

selfesteem

Pearson Correlation -.384** .036 .074 -.176* 1

Sig. (1-tailed) .000 .338 .193 .019

N 139 139 139 139 139

Note. p=.000 assumed p=.005 and written as p0

Explanatory Variable: bullying

Response Variables: per_stress (perceived stress), lifestress (stressful life incidences),

depression (level of depression), selfesteem (self-esteem).


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The scatter plot graph showing the correlation between bullying (explanatory variable)

and perceived stress (response variable) shows a weak positive linear correlation between the

two variables. A sig score of p=0.010 shows that the positive correlation of 0.196 is too

unlikely for a significant relationship between the frequency of bullying and perceived stress

to be considered.

The scatter plot graph showing the correlation between bullying (explanatory variable)

and stressful life incidences (response variable) shows a weak positive linear correlation


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between the two variables. A sig score of p=0.391 shows that the weak positive correlation of

0.024 is much too unlikely for a significant relationship between the frequency of bullying


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and stressful life incidences to be considered.


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The scatter plot showing the correlation between bullying (explanatory variable) and

depression (response variable) shows a positive linear correlation between the two variables.

A sig score of p0 shows that a positive correlation of 0.434 unlikely to be inaccurate and

strong enough for a significant correlation between the frequency of bullying and depression

to be considered.


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The scatter plot showing the correlation between bullying (explanatory variable) and

self-esteem (response variable) shows a negative linear correlation between the two variables.

A sig score of p0 shows that a negative correlation of -.384 is unlikely to be inaccurate and

strong enough for a significant correlation between the frequency of bullying and self-esteem

to be considered.


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Discussion

Out of the 4 hypotheses' tested, only two showed a strong enough correlation to be

considered significant and therefore proven. The first hypothesis stated that the frequency of

bullying was positively correlated with a students perceived stress, yet a p score over 0.05

(p=0.010) shows that the correlation is too likely to be inaccurate, making the correlation

unreliable and the hypothesis disproven. The second hypothesis stated that the frequency of

bullying was positively correlated with a students stressful life incidences, this however was

also proven to be an unreliable correlation as the sig score (p=0.391) shows the correlation to

be much too likely to be inaccurate. The third hypothesis stated that the frequency of bullying

was positively correlated with a students level of depression, which was proven to be a fairly

significant correlation with a sig score of p0 meaning the chance of the data being inaccurate

was less than 0.05 making the correlation significant. The correlation was also found to be

fairly strong with a positive correlation of 0.434, which is almost .5, meaning an increase in

bullying will most likely display an increase in a students level of depression. The fourth

hypothesis stated that the frequency of bullying was negatively correlated with a students

level of self-esteem, which was proven to be a significant correlation with a sig score of p0

and a negative correlation of -.384, meaning an increase in the frequency of bullying will

most likely decrease a students level of self-esteem.

From the results we can conclude that the frequency of bullying a student experiences

is significantly correlated with a students levels of depression and self-esteem. The

hypothesis of perceived stress and stressful life incidences, although disproven, strengthen

the hypothesis of depression and self-esteem as they prove that the students level of

depression hasnt been caused by an outside factor, but has indeed been a result of school yard

bullying.


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Although two hypothesis were disproven, the study was successful in extending the findings

of Coggan et al. (2003) by providing descriptive statistics on the extent of bulling amongst

primary school students and the psychological effects it may cause.

In terms of psychological concerns for the study the methods of obtaining

measurements of perceived stress, stressful life incidences, depression and self esteem were

too vague and likely to be falsified. For the testing methods to be more accurate, an interview

with each student involving one of the experimenters ensuring each question was answered

properly would have made the statistics more reliable and ensure all participants fully

participate. A more structured system of ranking the significance of each variable in the

questionnaire would have also helped the study to be more accurate in measuring each child.

The results for this study show that bullying amongst primary schools is a serious

issue as of present and must be taken seriously in order to rectify the problem. Jai Morcoms

death in 2009 and the public outcry (Stolz, 2009) is an example of what can happen when

school bullying gets out of hand. Considering Newman, Holden, & Delvilles (2005) findings

that victimisation is likely to lead to considerable stress, and Kaltiala-Heino, Rimpel,

Rantanen, & Rimpels (2000) findings of the frequency of bullyings correlation with

negative mental health problems, the reduction of bullying in primary schools could also

increase the average students marks and chance of pursuing a high-school graduation or

university.


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References

Abada, T., Hou, F., & Ram, B. (2008). The effects of harassment and victimization on self-

rated health and mental health among Canadian adolescents. Social Science &

Medicine, 557-567.

Baldry, A. C. (1998). Bullying among Italian middle school students. School Psychology

International, 19, 361374.

Bond, L., Carlin, J. B., Thomas, L., Rubin, K., & Patton, G. (2001). Does bullying cause

emotional problems? A prospective study of young teenagers. British Medical

Journal, 323, 480484.

Boulton, M. J., & Smith, P. K. (1994). Bully/victim problems in middle-school children:

Stability, selfperceived competence, peer perceptions and peer acceptance. British

Journal of Developmental Psychology, 12, 315329.

Coggan, C., Bennett, S., Hooper, R., & Dickinson, P. (2003). Association between bullying

and mental health status in New Zealand adolescents. International Journal of

Mental Health Promotion, 5, 16-22.

Craig, W. M. (1998). The relationship among bullying, victimization, depression, anxiety, and

aggression in elementary school children. Personality and Individual

Differences, 24, 123130.

Genta, M. L., Menesini, E., Fonzi, A., Costabile, A. & Smith, P. K. (1996). Bullies and

victims in schools in central and southern Italy. European Journal of

Psychology of Education, XI, 97110.

Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The social readjustment rating scale.Journal of

Psychosomatic Research, 11, 213-218.

Janis, I. L., & Mann, L. (1977). Decision making. New York: Free Press.


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Kaltiala-Heino, R., Rimpel, M., Rantanen, P., & Rimpel, A. (2000). Bullying at school an

indicator of adolescents at risk for mental disorders.Journal of Adolescence, 23,

661-674.

Mynard, H., & Joseph, S. (1997). Bully/victim problems and their association with Eysencks

personality dimensions in 8 to 13 year-olds. British Journal of Educational

Psychology, 67, 5154.

Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P.

(2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: prevalence and association with

psychosocial adjustment.JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical

Association, 285, 2094.

Newman, M. L., Holden, G. W., & Delville, Y. (2005). Isolation and the stress of being

bullied.Journal of Adolescence, 28, 343-357.

Olweus, D. (1978). Aggression in the schools: bullies and whipping boys. New

York: Wiley.

Olweus, D. (1994). Annotation: Bullying at school: Basic facts and effects of a school based

intervention program.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and

Allied Disciplines, 35, 11711190.

Slee, P. T., & Rigby, K. (1993). Australian school childrens self appraisal of interpersonal

relations: the bullying experience. Child Psychiatry and Human

Development, 23, 273282.

Stolz, G. (2009). Mullumbimby High School walkout over bullying.The Courier Mail.

Accessed 10/10/09 from:

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26002921 -953,00.html

Whitney, L., & Smith, P. K. (1993). A survey of the nature and extent of bullying in

junior/middle and secondary schools. Educational Research, 35, 325.


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Appendix


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Correlations

bullying per_stress lifestress depression selfesteem

bullying

Pearson Correlation 1 .196* .024 .434** -.384**

Sig. (1-tailed) .010 .391 .000 .000

N 139 139 139 139 139

per_stress

Pearson Correlation .196* 1 .012 .084 .036

Sig. (1-tailed) .010 .446 .161 .338

N 139 139 139 139 139

lifestress

Pearson Correlation .024 .012 1 -.099 .074

Sig. (1-tailed) .391 .446 .124 .193

N 139 139 139 139 139

depression

Pearson Correlation .434** .084 -.099 1 -.176*

Sig. (1-tailed) .000 .161 .124 .019

N 139 139 139 139 139

selfesteem

Pearson Correlation -.384** .036 .074 -.176* 1

Sig. (1-tailed) .000 .338 .193 .019

N 139 139 139 139 139

*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (1-tailed).

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (1-tailed).


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Table 1

Descriptive Statistics of Participants Bullied According to Gender, Grade and Age

Grade 5 6 7

Stats n M SD n M SD n M SD

Male 34 9.56 0.50 24 10.58 0.50 26 11.58 0.50

Female 21 9.57 0.51 16 10.50 0.52 18 11.56 0.51


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