عوامل مربوط به شناسایی خود در میان قربانیان زورگویی

Abstract While researchers often debate the use of subjective labels in school bullying research (e.g. “I am bullied…”) as a methodological issue, responses to such measures should be viewed as a valuable tool for evaluating student constructs of bullying victimization. Accordingly, this study compares demographic and descriptive characteristics and bullying experiences of self-labeled bullying victims to those students who have been victimized but do not label themselves a victim. Among 192 rural elementary and middle school students, 21.9% said that they have been bullied while another 22.9% met victimization criteria but did identify themselves as such. Based on chi-square and MANOVA comparisons, self-labeled victims experience more specific types of bullying, more total bullying behaviors, and more frequent bullying than their non-labeled counterparts. In light of such findings, the authors discuss the implications of labeling and self-identification for both research and bullying prevention.

This study examines factors relating to self-identification among bullied children at rural schools. School bullying is a serious and insidious problem that continues to receive frequent research attention. Despite this intense investigation, however, our knowledge about many aspects of bullying remains limited or unclear, including our understanding of the unique characteristics and bullying experiences of children who identify themselves as victims and those who do not. This overall lack of clarity in bullying research results in part from the uneven mixture of measurement tools, varying time periods, and the inconsistent definitions and data collection techniques that have hindered the assimilation of published bullying studies (Espelage & Swearer, 2003, Smith et al., 2002 and Solberg & Olweus, 2003). Such hindrances are problematic because they restrict understanding about bullying and slow the identification of those distinctive qualities, bullying behaviors, typologies, subtypes, and contributing factors that might facilitate the development of meaningful and effective interventions.

Self-labeled victims endure different bullying than non-labeled victims. The bullying is more frequent and varied. These children interpret their bullying experiences differently and, consequently, are more willing to be perceived as victims. Self-labeling may be an attempt to draw attention and intervention. The lack of self-labeling, however, is also a sign of need—equally worthy of attention and intervention. From a research perspective, global and specific bullying measures provide an avenue for exploring self-identification and student interpretations of bullying. To truly benefit research, victims, and school-based interventions, measurement choices should be viewed as more than a simple methodological issue. Instead, bullying research and data collection should be done with a solid awareness of the internal struggles, social factors, and bullying experiences that influence student responses.