How do victims of bullying in Australian schools view their perpetrators – As individuals or as groups? Implications for educators

Abstract

Bullying in schools, defined as a systematic abuse of power in interpersonal relations, may be undertaken individually and/or by groups. The extent to which schoolchildren report that they are bullied by their peers in each of these ways was examined in a survey of Australian schoolchildren (N = 1688) in Years 5–10 attending 36 coeducational primary or secondary schools. Being bullied by an individual student was reported by both males and females as occurring significantly more often than being bullied by groups. Applying multiple regression analysis, the reported frequency of individual and group bullying, after controlling for age and gender, independently predicted the severity of negative outcomes as assessed by measures of negative emotional impact, such as feeling unsafe from bullying, absenteeism due to bullying and reported negative impact on school work. Although group bullying was less commonly reported, its negative effects on student well-being were generally more severe. Implications are examined for student education about bullying and addressing individual and group-based bullying in appropriate ways.