Bullying in U.S. Schools
2012 Status Report
Assessed using data collected from
the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire™
Written by Susan P. Limber, Ph.D., Clemson University
Dan Olweus, Ph.D., Uni Health, University of Bergen, Norway
Harlan Luxenberg, M.A., Professional Data Analysts Inc.
Published by Hazelden Foundation, 2013
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
Bullying in U.S. Schools:
Report Purpose
This report was created collaboratively by a team of people and
organizations including the Hazelden Foundation; Susan P. Limber, Ph.D.,
at Clemson University; Dan Olweus, Ph.D., at Uni Health, University of
Bergen, Norway; and Harlan Luxenberg, M.A., at Professional Data Analysts
Inc. to assess the current status of bullying around the United States during
the 2011–2012 school year (August 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012). Using
data collected from the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (OBQ), a repre­sen­
tative sample was created based on more than 300,000 questionnaires
administered to students at schools that had purchased the OBQ but had
not yet implemented the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, an
internationally respected antibullying program.
The same questionnaire items were asked of all students in grades
three through twelve in all fifty states and Washington DC. This consistency
of questions across grades and regions provides a unique opportunity to view
a snapshot of bullying behavior in our nation’s schools, based on the reports
of children and youth themselves. A representative sample was used from
this dataset to explore the following bullying topics:
•What percent of students are bullied and/or bully others?
•What are the ways students are most often bullied?
•How long does bullying last?
•Where are students being bullied?
•How is bullying related to liking school?
We hope that this
report helps teachers,
administrators, parents,
policymakers, and
concerned citizens
raise national
awareness about
bullying and improve
school environments
so every child can
feel safe at school.
•Whom do students tell about being bullied?
•How do students respond to bullying?
•Are students afraid of being bullied?
•How do students and adults respond to bullying?
We hope that this report helps teachers, administrators, parents,
policy­makers, and concerned citizens raise national awareness about bullying
and improve school environments so every child can feel safe at school.
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible.
1
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
Bullying in U.S. Schools:
Report Background
Despite a dramatic increase in public awareness and antibullying legis­
lation nationwide, the prevalence of bullying is still one of the most pressing
issues facing our nation’s youth. Bullying affects individuals across ethnicity,
gender, grade, and socioeconomic status, whether they live in urban, suburban,
or rural communities. Bullying can have serious effects during the school years
and into adulthood. One of the best tools that schools have for decreasing the
problems associated with bullying behavior is to implement evidence-based
prevention programs.
One of the most widely researched and highly regarded of these programs is the Olweus Bullying Prevention
Program (OBPP), developed by Dan Olweus, Ph.D. This unique program uses a comprehensive schoolwide, systemschange approach that involves teachers, students, parents, and other school and community personnel in an effort
to reduce existing bullying problems and prevent future problems from occurring. The program has been used in
more than a dozen countries by millions of students worldwide, receiving high accolades in the United States and
abroad.1
The Olweus Bullying Questionnaire
As part of OBPP, schools administer the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (OBQ) (Olweus 1996, 2007), typically
at the same time each year to monitor and measure changes in bullying and antisocial behavior in the schools.
This is an anonymous forty-item questionnaire that students in third through twelfth grades fill out about their
experiences and observations related to bullying. The questionnaire has two main parts that measure a student’s
involvement in nine forms of bullying (as one who has experienced bullying and also as one who has bullied others).
The questionnaire also includes questions about students’ reactions to bullying incidents that they have observed,
self-reports regarding school climate, and observations of others’ reactions to bullying. The questionnaires can be
administered online by using a computer or tablet, by employing an interactive whiteboard in the classroom, or by
filling out a paper and pencil booklet.
The OBQ has undergone rigorous psychometric testing through the years to ensure the data collected from
it can be used to understand a school’s or district’s prevalence of bullying and to assess the effectiveness of OBPP.
Multiple studies have demonstrated strong consistency among subgroups of questionnaire items, with alpha
reliability coefficients in the 0.80 to 0.95 range (e.g., Pellegrini 2001; Solberg and Olweus 2003; see Olweus 2013,
for an overview) as well as evidence of construct validity (Kyriakides et al. 2006; Solberg and Olweus 2003) and
criterion-related validity (Olweus 2009, 2012; Pellegrini 2001). Collectively, these measures provide evidence that
the results of the questionnaire accurately illustrate the prevalence of bullying in schools.
____________________
1. OBPP is listed as a Blueprints Promising Program by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, and a large, systematic review of anti­
bullying programs worldwide concluded that “programs inspired by the work of Dan Olweus worked best” (Ttofi and Farrington 2011, pp. 41–42).
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible.
2
Bullying in u.S. SchOOlS: 2012 StAtuS RepORt
Before students are asked about their bullying experiences, they are provided with a definition of what does
and does not constitute bullying. According to OBPP, an individual is being bullied when he or she is the target of
aggressive behavior by another student or students (for example, when others say mean things, deliberately and
systematically ignore someone, physically hurt others, spread negative rumors, or do other hurtful things), when
a power imbalance exists between the individuals involved, and when the bullying behavior usually happens
more than once. All three conditions must be present for the actions to constitute bullying behavior. After reading
a clear definition of bullying, students are asked in the OBQ’s question 4, “How often have you been bullied at
school in the past couple of months?” and later in question 24, “How often have you taken part in bullying another
student(s) at school in the past couple of months?”
Based on their answers to these parallel questions, students are classified into four groups of students. If
students answer “2 or 3 times a month,” “About once a week” or “Several times a week” to question 4, they are
considered a victim of bullying for the purposes of the analyses. If they select these same responses to question 24,
they are defined as someone who bullies
Figure 1. Bullying status
others. If they select these responses to
Question 4: Have you been bullied at school in the
past couple of months, 2 or 3 times or more?*
both questions, they are considered both a
bully and a victim (a bully­victim). If they
Yes
don’t select any of these responses on either
No
question, they are considered neither a
bully nor a victim and subsequently not
involved in bullying (see figure 1).
Dividing students into these groups
is helpful because students often share
common characteristics within these groups
(e.g., Jimerson et al. 2009). For example,
students who are bullied are more likely
Yes
Question 24: Have
you taken part in
bullying another
student(s) at school
in the past couple
of months, 2 or 3
times or more?*
than their nonbullied peers to experience
No
low self­esteem, loneliness, anxiety, and
depression (Cook et al. 2010; Klomek et al.
Bullyvictim
Bully
only
Victim
only
Not
involved
2007; Olweus 1993; Reijntjes et al. 2010).
Students who participate in bullying, on the
Figure 1. Bullying status
questions
other hand, are more likely than their peers*Paraphrased
*paraphrased
questions
to vandalize property, to drop out of school,
and to use alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana
(Byrne 1994; Haynie et al. 2001; Radliff et al. 2012). Children and youth who are
involved in bullying others and also in being bullied may be at particularly high
risk of internalizing problems (for example, depression) and externalizing problems
(for example, antisocial behavior) (Cook et al. 2010).
It is important to note that these terms—victim, bully, and bully-victim—
should not be used to label individual children. Wherever possible in this report, we
use phrases such as “students who were bullied” and “students who bully others,”
which are more appropriate terms. The shorthand terms should be used exclusively
for research purposes and only when the use of longer terminology would be
awkward or confusing.
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Students who
participate in
bullying are
more likely
than their peers
to vandalize
property, to drop
out of school, and
to use alcohol,
cigarettes, or
marijuana.
3
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
Characteristics of the sample
Since 2007, the OBQ has been administered more than three million times to students across the United States.
During the 2011–2012 school year, more than 300,000 questionnaires were collected from more than 1,000 schools
that had purchased the OBQ but not yet implemented OBPP. These schools had identified a need but had not yet
begun using the program. It was from this collection of questionnaires that a representative sample was drawn for
this report so that these data would not be affected by OBPP.
A stratified random sample of 2,000 questionnaires was selected from each grade (third through twelfth)
with roughly 1,000 girls and 1,000 boys in each of the ten grades for a total of 20,000 questionnaires in the
sample. The sample was purposefully drawn so that the distribution of bullying status (not involved, victim only,
bully only, and bully-victim) within gender and grade was consistent with the distribution for all of the 300,000
students surveyed. This means that the 20,000 student questionnaires sampled were representative of all the
student questionnaires collected in the 2011–2012 school year at schools that had never implemented OBPP with
regard to bullying status, gender, and grade.
Just over half (51 percent) of the total sample was comprised of white students, which greatly exceeded the
next highest ethnicities, Hispanic or Latino (13 percent) and Black or African American (12 percent). About 16
percent of the sample did not respond to the ethnicity question, and 9 percent identified as an ethnicity not listed
among the response options (see figure 2).
Figure 2. Student ethnicity*
Figure 2. Student ethnicity*
100%
*Students could select more than one response.
80%
60%
51%
40%
20%
0%
13%
White
Hispanic
or Latino
12%
6%
4%
9%
8%
Other
Don't
know
2%
Black or American Asian
Arab or
African
Indian American
Arab
American
American
16%
No
response
*Students could select more than one response
Limitations
It is important to keep in mind that, although the sample is representative of the questionnaires collected, it
was not extracted from a representative database of the national student body. Although student questionnaires
were collected at schools prior to program implementation, only schools that had decided to administer the OBQ
(typically an indication that they intend to implement the program) are included in the sample. Therefore, it is
possible that schools that administer the OBQ (and intend to implement OBPP) differ somewhat from schools
that do not intend to implement OBPP, that use another antibullying prevention program, or that do not have any
antibullying program at all.
Nonetheless, because of the sheer quantity of the questionnaires, the diversity of the schools, and the
reliability of the findings due to the large sample size, the authors believe the data presented in this report can
be considered a reasonable representation of bullying behavior and related problems nationally. In particular,
the patterns of results reported including age trends and gender differences are likely to be quite similar to what
would be obtained with a large-scale nationally representative sample of students.
For a more detailed look at how student data is reported to individual schools, see a sample Olweus
Bullying Questionnaire Standard Report, which can be accessed at www.violencepreventionworks.org.
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4
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
Bullying in U.S. Schools:
Report Findings
What percent of students are bullied and/or bully others?
Overall, 16 percent of students report being bullied while 7 percent report bullying others. The percentage of
students who report being bullied decreases steadily with increasing grade level (see figure 3). Although 22 percent
of third and fourth graders report being bullied two to three times a month or more, by eighth grade, 14 percent
are bullied and by twelfth grade,
9 percent are bullied. On the other hand, the percentage of students who report
Figure 3. Students who have been involved in bullying 2-3 times a month or more
bullying others is more stable over grade levels, peaking in eighth through tenth grades.
A strong relation­
ship exists between age
30%
Figure 3. Students who have been involved in
bullying 2–3 times a month or more
Bullied by others
(grade) and bullying
victimization for both
genders. Additionally,
very little difference
occurs between girls and
25%
Bullied another student
22%
22%
19%
20%
18%
17%
boys in the prevalence
of bullying victimization
14%
15%
13%
at each grade level (see
figure 4). In almost all
11%
10%
10%
9%
grades, the victimization
rates by gender are with­
in 1 percentage point of
5%
5%
5%
6%
6%
8%
7%
8%
8%
7%
7%
11th
12th
each other.
0%
3rd
4thhave been
5th bullied
6th 2-3 times
7th a month
8th or more,
9th by gender
10th
Figure 4. Students
who
Grade level
30%
25%
23%
Girls
22%
Boys
20%
20%
Figure 4. Students who have
been bullied 2–3
times a month or
more, by gender
20%
18%
21%
19%
15%
17%
15%
18%
13%
16%
14%
10%
11%
13%
11%
11%
10%
10%
9%
11th
12th
5%
0%
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
Grade level
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Page 4 of 20
5
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
The trends across grade for self-reported bullying behavior vary more between girls and boys (see figure 5).
At every grade level, a higher percentage of boys than girls report bullying others, and this difference increases
Figure 3. Students who have been involved in bullying 2-3 times a month or more
over time. Among elementary school students, there is a 1 percent to 2 percent difference between boys and girls
in bullying behavior. This difference increases to 4 percent by ninth grade and peaks at 8 percent in twelfth grade.
Boys consistently bully
30% other students more than girls do, and they do so at higher rates as they get older.
Bullied
others
Figure 5. Students who have bullied another student(s) 2-3 times a month or more,
by by
gender
20%
15%
19%
20%
18%
14%
9%
10%
10%
6%
5%
4%
0%
Girls
0%
3rd
6%
5%
5%
7%
6%
5%
5%
6%5%
Boys
17%
15%
5%
Bullied another student
25%
Figure22%
5. Students
22% who have bullied another student(s)
2–3 times a month or more, by gender
11%
10% 13% 10%
11%
7%
6%
6%
7%
7%
8%
6%
8%
9%
10%
8%
5%
5%
7%
9%
7%
3%
3rd
4th
4th
5th
5th6th
6th7th
7th 8th
8th 9th 9th 10th10th 11th11th
12th
12th
Grade
level
Grade
level
The percentage of girls who report bullying another student remains fairly constant from grade to grade,
ranging between 3 percent and 7 percent. Among boys, bullying rates tend to increase with increasing grade levels.
Although 6 percent of third, fourth, and fifth grade boys report bullying another student, the percentage increases
as boys enter high school. Ten percent of ninth and tenth grade boys and 11 percent of twelfth grade boys report
bullying another student.
Boys report that they were most frequently bullied by other boys (see figure 6); it was more common for girls
to be bullied by both girls and boys. For example, among bullied girls, nearly half (49 percent) report being bullied
by both boys and girls, 30 percent by girls only, and 20 percent by boys only. By contrast, among bullied boys, 37
percent report being bullied by both boys and girls, 53 percent by boys only, and 9 percent by girls only.
Figure 6. Students who are bullied 2–3 times a month
or more and who bullies them*
*
*Totals
dobullied
not add 2-3
up totimes
100%adue
to rounding.
Figure 6. Students who are
month
or more and who bullies them
60%
Page 4 of Girls
20
40%
20%
37%
31%
22%
15%
15%
4%
0%
49%
Boys
5%
10%
10%
Mainly by 1 girl By several girls Mainly by 1 boy By several boys
*Totals do not add up to 100% due to roundingPage
By both boys
and girls
6 of 20
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6
Bullying in u.S. SchOOlS: 2012 StAtuS RepORt
As mentioned earlier, to get a reasonable estimate of the percentage of children and youth involved in
Figure 7. Students who are involved in bullying, in total and
bullying, it is useful to classify students into one of four categories:
■ Bully only
• not involved
• victim only (bullied two to three times per month or more but did not bully others)
• bully only (bullied others two to three times per month or more but were not bullied)
■ Victim only
■ Bully-victim
■ Not in
Girls
3%
14%
• bully­victim (bullied two to three times per month or more and bullied others two to three times
2%
per month or more)
Overall, 19.6 percent of students (19 percent of girls and 20 percent of boys) in grades three through twelve
were involved in bullying (see figure 7). Thirteen percent of students in grades three through twelve were only
bullied by others, 4 percent only bullied other students, 3 percent reported both, and 80 percent were not involved.
Figure 7. students who are involved in bullying, in total and by gender
2%
2% 2%
3% 3%
80%
80%80%
81%
81%81%
80%
81%
Figure 7. Students who are involved in bullying, in total and by gender
Figure
Figure
7. Students
7. Students
whowho
are involved
are involved
in bullying,
in bullying,
in total
in total
and and
by gender
by gender
■ Bully only ■ Victim only
■ Bully-victim
■ Not involved
■ Bully
■ Bully
only only
■ Victim
■ Victim
only only■ Bully-victim
■ Bully-victim■ Not
■ involved
Not involved
Girls
Boys
GirlsGirls
BoysBoys
3%
5%
3% 3%
5% 5%
14%
12%
14%14%
12%12%
Girls and Boys
4%
13%
3%
3%
80%
The
percentage
ofBoys
children involved in bullying behavior is highest among third graders, with about one
Girls
and
Girls
Girls
and
and
Boys
Boys
in four students reporting
4% that they engage in bullying behavior, are victims of bullying, or both (see figures 8
Figure 3. Students who have4%
been4%
involved in bullying 2-3 times a month or more
Figure 3. Students who have been involved in bullying 2-3 times a month or more
and 9). That percentage steadily
declines within each grade for both boys and girls until high school, when girls’
13%
13%13%
involvement continues to decline and boys’ levels off.
30%
Figure 8.Figure
Girls involved
8. Girls involved
in bullying
in bullying
30%
25%
30%
26%
20%
20%
22%
26%
24%
24%
23%
19%
23%
21%
18%
21%
21%
20%
15%
17%
20%
17% 14%
17%
80%
80%80%
14%
5%
0%
14%
13%
0%0%
3rd
3rd
4th
3rd
5%
4th
5th
4th
6%
5th
6th
5th
6%
7%
8%
7th
6th6th 8th
7th 7th9th
8th 8th
10th
9th
Grade level
Grade
levellevel
Grade
8%
9th
11th
10th
20% 24%
20%
20%
15%
13%
11%
13%
11%
10%
11%
8%
10th
12th
11th
7%
11th
12th
24%
24%
20%
24%
24%19% 24%
23% 18%23%
23%
21% 17%21%
21%
21%
21%
20%
Bully only
Bully only
Bully only
Victim only
Victim only
Victim only
21%
20%
20%
14%
20%
20%
20%
17%
13%
17%
16%
11%
9%
17%
17%
16%
17
9%
10%
10%
7%
5%
0%
0%
12th
17%
16%
Page10%
3 of 20
10%
10%
10%
5%
Bullied another student
Bully-victim
Bully-victim
Bully-victim
25% 30%
Bully-victim
Bully-victim 30%
30%
22%
22%
Bully onlyBully only
Victim only
Victim only
21%
20%
Bullied by others
Figure 9. Boys involved in bullying
in total and by bullying type
Bullied another student
22%
10%
10%
30%
Figure 9.
Figure
Boys 9.
involved
Figure
Boys 9.
involved
in
Boys
bullying
involved
in bullying
in bullying
Bullied by others
3% 3%3%
Figure 8. Girls involved in bullying
in total and by bullying type
5%
5%
0%
3rd
0%
4th
6%
6%
5th
6th
7%
7th
8%
8%
8%
8th
9th
10th
7%
7%
11th
12th
3rd
3rd
4th
5th
4th ways
6th
5th
7th
6th
8th
7th
9th
8th
10th
9th
10th
11th
12th
11th
12
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
11th
12th
What
What
are
the
are
ways
the
students
students
are most
are 10th
most
often
often
being
being
bullied?
bullied
What3rd
are the
ways
students
are
most
often
being
bullied?
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Grade Grade
level
Grade
level
Grade level
level
7
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
The vast majority of girls who report involvement with bullying are victims; only a small percentage identify
as either a bully only or a bully-victim. Most boys in elementary and middle school who report involvement with
bullying are victims. However, in high school this is no longer the case; in tenth through twelfth grades, there is a
fairly even split among those reporting being a bully only, bully-victim, and a victim only.
What are the ways students are most often being bullied?
Many types of behaviors can be classified as bullying if the behaviors meet the definition presented earlier. On
the OBQ, students are asked about the frequency with which they are bullied in ten different ways (see figure 10),
which are summarized here:
Verbal: a student is called mean names or teased in a hurtful way
Rumors: a student is the target of false rumors or lies
Exclusion: a student is left out on purpose or completely ignored
Sexual: a student is bullied using words or gestures with a sexual meaning
Racial: a student’s race is the focus of the verbal bullying
Physical: a student is hit, kicked, or pushed
Threat: a student is threatened or forced to do things against his or her will
Cyber: a student is bullied via a cell phone or computer
Damage: a student has personal property taken or damaged
Another way: a student is bullied in any way not previously discussed
Figure 10. Ways of being bullied for those who reported being
bullied 2–3 times a month or more
Figure 10. Ways of being bullied for those who reported being bullied 2-3 times a month or more
16%
17%
Verbal
Rumors
Exclusion
11%
9%
8%
Sexual
Type of Bullying
Type of bullying
15%
11%
6%
Racial
5%
Physical
Students are most often
13%
bullied by being called
Girls
Boys
9%
having false rumors
9%
spread about them (rumors),
5%
6%
Threat
Cyber
4%
mean names (verbal),
or by being left out on
6%
purpose (exclusion).
4%
5%
Damage
8%
7%
Another way
0%
10%
20%
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8
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
Among both genders, being verbally bullied occurs more often than
any other form of bullying with 16 percent of girls and 17 percent of boys
report being verbally bullied two to three times a month or more. The
spreading of rumors is the next most common way students report being
bullied (15 percent of girls compared to 11 percent of boys). Another gender
difference is observed for physical bullying, where 9 percent of boys report
being physically bullied compared to 5 percent of girls (see also Harris,
Cyber bullying ranks as
one of the least commonly
reported forms of bullying.
Petrie, and Willoughby 2002 for findings of similar gender differences in
physical bullying among a nationally representative sample).
Cyber bullying ranks as the least common reported form of bullying for boys (4 percent) and one of the lowest
for girls (6 percent). This low rate of cyber bullying may seem counterintuitive, because this form of bullying has
received a great deal of media attention in recent years, suggesting that it is more prevalent. Cyber bullying is a
serious form of bullying that needs further examination; however, this finding is consistent with empirical research
suggesting that the threat of cyber bullying is exaggerated in the media (Olweus 2013) and that, although cyber
bullying should be addressed, bullying resources and attention should continue to focus on more traditional forms
of bullying.
How long does bullying last?
The length of time that students are bullied varies considerably. Although approximately one-quarter (23 percent)
of bullied students indicate that the bullying lasted only one to two weeks, one-quarter (24 percent) of bullied
students also report that they have been bullied for several years or longer (see figure 11). More than half (51
percent) of bullied students report that the bullying has lasted six or more months, and an alarming 39 percent
indicate that it has lasted for one year or longer.
Figure 11. Girls and boys who have been bullied
Figure 11. Girls
and
boys per
who month
have been
month or more by how long the
2–3
times
orbullied
more 2-3
bytimes
howper
long
bullying has the
lasted
bullying has lasted
40%
30%
they have been bullied,
24%
23%
18%
20%
12%
15%
1–2 weeks
About 1 month
About 6 months
About 1 year
39 percent indicated
the bullying lasted for
10%
0%
Among students reporting
Several years
one year or longer.
Where are students being bullied?
The places where boys and girls are most often bullied at school are in the lunchroom, hallways/stairwells,
playground/athletic fields, and in class (with and without the teacher present) (see figure 12). In all of these
locations, potential exists for many other students and teachers to be present. This finding suggests that students
and educators may benefit from more training about how to observe, identify, and react to a bullying situation.
Using a comprehensive bullying prevention program may help students and teachers recognize acts of bullying
behavior and learn techniques for how best to help the bullied student.
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible.
9
Bullying in u.S. SchOOlS: 2012 StAtuS RepORt
Although most locations are mentioned by similar numbers of both boys and girls, a few appear more
problematic to one gender than to the other. Girls report being bullied more frequently in the lunchroom than boys
(32 percent compared with 28 percent), as well as in class when a teacher is present (29 percent compared with
25 percent for boys). Boys report being bullied in gym class or the locker room/shower more than girls (19 percent
compared with 14 percent).
Figure 12. places bullying occurred for those who were bullied 1–2 times or more*
Figure
12. Places
bullying
occurred
those
who were
bullied
1-2were
times
or more*
Figure
12.
Places
occurred
for those
who
bullied
1-2 times or more*
*Students
could
select
more
than bullying
onefor
location.
32%
28%
In the lunchroomIn the lunchroom
31%
29%
29%
31%
In hallways/stairwells
In hallways/stairwells
On playground/athletic
field (during recess
On playground/athletic
field (during recess
or breaks)
or breaks)
Bullying Location
Bullying location
In class—teacher
room
Ininclass—teacher
in room
32%
28%
Girls
31%
Boys
29%
29%
31%
Girls
Boys
Boys
and girls
are most often
29%
25%
29%
25%
bullied at school
25%
26%
25%
26%
in the lunchroom,
In class—teacher
in room
Innot
class—teacher
not in room
18%
19%
18%
19%
hallways/stairwells,
14%
In gym class or locker
In gymroom/shower
class or locker room/shower
19%
10%
In the bathroom In the bathroom
13%
11%
On the way to and
school
Onfrom
the way
to and from school
12%
14%
19%
10%
13%
11%
12%
playground/athletic
On the school bus
On the school bus
6%
At the school busAtstop
the school bus
6%stop
6%
6%
25%
25%
Somewhere elseSomewhere
at school else at school
0%
10%
fields, and in class.
25%
25%
30% 20%
40% 30%
50% 40%
0%20% 10%
50%
*Students could *Students
select more
thanselect
one location
could
more than one location
Students who are bullied also report that the bullying typically does not occur in just one place in the school
but rather happens in two or more locations (see figure 13). Only approximately one­third of bullied students report
that it usually happens in only one place; 45 percent indicate it has happened in three or more locations.
Figure 13. Number of places students report being bullied 1–2 times or more
Figure 13. Number of places students report being bullied 1-2 times or more
*
*Students
could 6.
select
more than
Figure
Students
whoone
are location.
bullied 2-3 times a month or more and who bullies them
Two-thirds of
50%
students who are
40%
bullied report
30%
that the bullying
happens in two or
more locations.
60%
Girls Girls
Boys
Boys
34% 35%
40%
31%
22%
20%
20%
Page 12 of 20
10%
0%
0%
1
15%
20%
16%15%
14%
Page 12 of4%
20
22%
10%
11%
5%
9%
7%
7%
10%
11%
49%
37%
.
15%
Mainly by 1 girl By several girls Mainly by 1 boy By several boys
2
3
4
5
6+
By both boys
and girls
*Totals do not add up to 100% due to rounding
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible.
10
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
How is bullying related to liking school?
Compared with students who are not involved in bullying, students involved in bullying (as either victims,
bullies, or bully-victims) are much more likely to dislike school (see figure 14). Students who are bully-victims are
consistently about three times as likely as those uninvolved in bullying to dislike school. For students who are
bullied, the proportion who dislike school dramatically rises with increasing grade levels. In elementary grades, 19
percent of students who are classified as victims and 30 percent of bully-victims dislike school. By the time they are
in high school, more than one out of four students (28 percent) who are victims and nearly one out of two students
(45 percent) who are bully-victims dislike school. Among those who are bullies, there is little change across grade
levels in the percentage who dislike school.
Figure 14. Students who dislike school, by bullying type and grade level
Figure 14. Students who dislike school, by bullying type and grade level
3rd─5th
6th─8th
19%
Victim
29%
30%
Bully-victim
0%
students who both
29%
bully other students
50%
75% 100%
0%
25%
and are bullied by
45%
13%
25%
28%
36%
9%
Not involved
two high school
9th─12th
26%
26%
Bully
Nearly one out of
others dislike school.
16%
50%
75% 100%
0%
25%
50%
75% 100%
Whom do students tell about being bullied?
Among both genders and across all grades, parents or guardians are the number one group in whom students
confide about being bullied (see figure 15). However, girls are more likely than boys to report being bullied to
parents, and both boys and girls are less likely to report bullying to a parent or guardian as they get older. A
relatively small percentage of bullied students (between 10 percent and 18 percent) report their experiences to a
teacher or other adult at school.
Figure 15. Students (who have been bullied 2–3 times per month or more)
Figure 15.tell
Students
have
been
bullied
2-3 times
per month or more) tell these people that
these (who
people
that
they
are being
bullied
they are being bullied
6th─8th
3rd─5th
16%
Teacher or other
adult at school
9th─12th
13%
18%
12%
45%
50%
22%
20%
17%
17%
Have not told
anyone
0%
25%
24%
students are most
24%
likely to confide in
18%
24%
24%
about being bullied.
30%
41%
30%
50%
75%
0%
25%
Page 14 of 20
Parents or guardians
are the people
44%
42%
24%
Sibling or friend
Boys
15%
59%
Parent or guardian
Girls
10%
50%
75%
0%
25%
50%
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible.
75%
11
Bullying in u.S. SchOOlS: 2012 StAtuS RepORt
Of particular concern are the numbers of boys and girls who do not tell anyone about being bullied. Boys are
more likely than girls to have told no one about being bullied. For both boys and girls, the percentage who tell no
one increases substantially as they get older. For example, while 17 percent of third through fifth grade girls have
not told anyone about being bullied, this number increases to 24 percent among sixth through eighth graders and
30 percent among ninth through twelfth graders. Similarly, 24 percent of third through fifth grade boys have not
told anyone about being bullied, but this increases to 30 percent among sixth through eighth graders and 41 percent
Figure
16.more
Students
who
“feelno
a bit
among ninth through twelfth graders. Ninth through twelfth grade boys
are
likely
to tell
onesorry”
about being
or “feel sorry and want to help” when
they see a student their age being bullied
at school
bullied than they are to tell a parent or guardian, sibling or friend, or teacher or other adult at school.
how do students respond to bullying?
Empathy, at its core, is the ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes. Although empirical research is needed
100% the
96%
to investigate potential
effects that empathy might have on reducing
prevalence93%
of bullying, it is nevertheless
Figure 16. Students who “feel a bit sorry”
91%
90%
encouraging that most
students
this
sample
dowhen
report feeling empathy for students who are bullied. Across grade
or “feel
sorry in
and
want
to help”
80% rates are somewhat
see aofstudent
their
age being
levels, more than 90they
percent
girls feel
empathy
forbullied
bullied students. Among boys, empathy
80%
school
74%
lower and drop moreatdramatically
with age (see figure 16). Although 90 percent of third through fifth
grade boys
report feeling sorry for bullied students, this falls to 80 percent among sixth through eighth graders and 74 percent
60%
among ninth through
100% twelfth
96% graders.
93%
90%
91%
A high level of empathy provides some indication that the vast majority of students do not approve of
bullying. However,
despite high levels of80%
empathy, many students40%
do not report helping bullied students (see figure
80%
74%
17). Across all age groups, girls are more likely to try to help a bullied student than boys are, but those numbers
drop dramatically for both genders after elementary school. Among students in middle and high school grades,
20%
60%
fewer than half indicate that they try to help bullied students. This disparity between empathy and action indicates
that students need the right tools to help respond to bullying. Giving students tools to respond to bullying in
appropriate and40%
safe ways is an important focus of OBPP. One of0%
the four simple rules students learn as part of
3rd–5th
the program is “We will try to help students who are bullied.”
6th–8th
Grade level
9th–12th
3. Students who have been involved
Figure
more3. Students who have been involved in bullying 2-3 times a month or more
20%in bullying 2-3 times a month or
Figure 17. Students who try to help
Figure 16.
who
a bit
16. Students
Students
who “feel
“feel
bit sorry”
sorry”
FigureFigure
16. students
who “feel
a bit asorry”
or “feel
Figure 17. students who try to help the bullied
the bullied student if they see or
or
“feel
sorry
and
want
to
help”
when
or “feel
sorry
and
want
help”when
whenthey see a
sorry
and
want
toto
help”
student if they see or learn that a student
learn that a student their age is being
they
see
a
student
their
age
being
bullied
they student
see a student
theirbeing
age being
bullied
their
bullied
at school
their age is being bullied
0% age
bullied
30%
at school
school
at
3rd–5th
6th–8th
9th–12th
Bullied by others
%
%
22%
%
100%
100%
22%
80%
80%
%
Bullied another student
25%
100%
96%
96%
Figure
who try to help
93%
93% 17. Students
91%
90%
91% if they see or
90% the bullied student
learn that
80%
19%
80%a student their age is being
20%
18%bullied
74%
74%
17%
60%
60%
14%
100%
40%
40%
%
20%
20%
5%
5%
3rd
0%
4th0%
80%
6%
6%60%
72%
7%
69%
8%
8%
8th
9th
9th–12th
9th–12th
8%
Bullied another stu
Girls
22%
80%
19%
72%
69%
Boys
17%
14%
Girls
49% 45%
10%
9%
5% 7%
7%
20%
6%
6%
0%39%
0%
11th3rd 12th4th
5th
6th
5%
44%
40%
5%
7%
13%
11%
39%
8%
8%
8%
8th
9th
10th
10%
7%
9%
7%
44%
10th
3rd–5th
20%
Figure
Figure 17.
17. Students
Students who
who try
try to
to help
help
the bullied
bullied student
student if
if they
they see
see or
or
the
learn
their age is being
learn that
that a
a student
student
0% their age is being
bullied
bullied
3rd–5th
6th–8th
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights
reserved. Duplicating
this material 9th–12th
for personal or group use is permissible.
Grade level
100%
100%
18%
60%
10%
Boys
49% 45%
40% 7th
5th
6th
3rd–5th
6th–8th
3rd–5th
6th–8th
Grade
level
Grade
Gradelevel
level
22%
15%
13%
11%
%
%
Bullied by others
Grade level
Page 16 of 20
7th
6th–8th
Grade
level
Grade level
9th–12th
Page 16 of 20
12
11th
12
at school
18%
20%
100%
96%
93%
Bullying in u.S. SchOOlS:
2012 StAtuS
RepORt 91%
90%
14%
80%
80%
9%
10%
74% who admit that they “just watch” and8%
Similar age and gender trends are seen for students
do not respond
7%
to bullying that they witness or are aware of (see figure 18). Boys are more
5%likely than girls to not respond, and
60%
the percentage increases
with age. Boys are also more likely than girls to admit that they could join in bullying a
student whom they did not like (see figure 19), and the percentage increases markedly with age. The number of
0%
students who indicate
19) is higher
than the number
6th–8th
9th–12th classified
40% they could participate in bullying others (see figure3rd–5th
Grade level
as bullies (see figure 5, page 6). This indicates there are other students who feel willing
to bully others but are
re 3. Students who have been involved in bullying 2-3 times a month orFigure
more 3. Students who have been involved in bullying 2-3 times a month or more
not currently doing so.
20%
0%
5%
22%
Figure 18. students who “just watch what goes on”
Figure 19. students who think they could join in
if they see or learn that a student their age 30%
bullying a student whom they do not like
19. Students
they could join in bullying a student
by others
Bullied bywhom
othe
Figure 18. Students0%
who “just watch what goes on” ifBullied
they see
orFigure
learn that
a studentwho
theirthink
age is
is being bullied by another student
like
being bullied by another student
3rd–5th
6th–8th
9th–12th
Bullied another student
Bullied another
Grade level
25%
30%
22%
19%
0%
20%
5%
30%
22%
22%
Girls
Figure 17. Students who try to help
the bullied student if they see or 20%
18%
Boys
learn 17%
that a student their age is being
bullied
14% 18%
15%
13%
Girls
19%
18%
26%
Boys
17%
20%
17%
14%
13%
15%
11%
3. Students who have been Figure
involved
3.
in
Students
bullying
who
2-3 have
timesbeen
a month
Figure
involved
or more
3. in
Students
bullying
who
2-3 have
timesbeen
a month
involved
or more
in bullying 2-3 times a month or more
100%
14%
10%
Girls
0%
9%
10%
10%
5%
5%
0% 22%
3rd
6%
5%
5%
22% 0%
4th
30%
7%
6%
25%
5th
19%
9%
80%
3rd–5th
8%
8%
72%
7%
69%
30%
8%
10%
Boys
5% 7%
Bullied by others
22%
7th
22%
6th–8th
40%
Grade
level
20%
Grade
level
18%
6%
7%
19%
17%
39%
20%
18%
5th
3rd–5th
19%
14%
8%
18%
6th
17%
7th
6th–8th
Grade
Grade level
level
8%
7%
Bullied by others
Bullied another student
17%
14% bullied?
20% of being
are students
afraid
15%
15%
13%
8%
4%
5%
Bullied another student
0%
49% 45%
22%
22%
0%
44% 11th 3rd 12th 4th
9th
10th
9th–12th
7%
by others
6% Bullied
6%
25%
8th
10%
11%
5%
60%
6th
8%
11%
Bullied another student
8th
9th
9th–12th
10th
11th
14%
13%
13%
Page 17 of 20
One of the fundamental functions of a school11%
is to provide a safe learning environment
for all students. One
11%
11% way
Figure 19. Students who think they could join in bullying a10%
student whom they do not
10%
10%
to measure a safe and
healthy school climate is to determine9%
the proportion of students who
9%are fearful while at
0%
like
10%
10%
3rd–5th
6th–8th
9th–12th
school. Findings indicate that
14 percent
of all students
are often afraid of being bullied at school. Not surprisingly,
Grade
level
30% involvement in bullying is strongly related to their fear of bullying. In fact, 40 percent or more of students
students’
8%
8%
8%
8%
8%
8%
8%
Page 8%
16 of 20 8%
7% Girls
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
5%
5%
6%victims
6%of bullying are afraid6%
6%
6%bullying (see figure 20). This fear can
who are
of being
of
26%6%involved in future incidents
5%
5%
5%
5%
5%
3rd
0%
0%
20%
4th
5thstudents
6th
3rd
7th
4th
8th
5th
9th
6th
10th
7th
11th
4th
8th
12th
9th
6th
10th
Figure
Figure
Figure
20. 20.
Students
20.
Students
Students
who
who
are
who
are
often
are
often
often
afraid
afraid
afraid
of3rd
being
of of
being
being
bullied
bullied
bullied
at5th
school
at at
school
school
Figure
20.
who
are
often
afraid
of
being
bullied
at
school
9%
7%
5%
have negative effects on their
Boyslearning and academic achievement.
17%
15%
Grade level
3rd─5th
3rd─5th
3rd─5th
Victim
Victim
10% Victim
6%
4%
Bully
Bully
Bully
11%
Grade level
Grade level
6th─8th
6th─8th
6th─8th
9th─12th
9th─12th
9th─12th
44%44%
44%
41%41%
41%
20%
20%20%
10%10%
10%
Page 4 of 20
36%
36%36%
3rd–5th
6th–8th
9th–12th
Grade level
14%
Not
involved
involved 14%14%
NotNot
involved
7th
11th
0%Bully-victim
Bully-victim
Bully-victim
9th
10th
11th
40%40%
40%
11%11%
11%
Page 4 of 20
45%45%
45%
41%41%
41%
8% 8%8%
8th
12th
5% 5%5%
0% 0%25%
0% 25%
25%
50%50%
50%
75%75%
100%
75%100%
100%
0% 0%25%
0% 25%
25%
50%50%
50%
75%75%
100%
75%100%
100%
0% 0%25%
0% 25%
25%
50%50%
50%
75%75%
100%
75%100%
100%
Page 17 of 20
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible.
13
12th
Bullying in u.S. SchOOlS: 2012 StAtuS RepORt
Children who have been bullied are two to four times more likely to be afraid of being bullied than children
Figure 21. Students who said that other
students “often” or “almost always” try
bullying. These disparities are slightly larger for students
grade
and
older. By
to putina sixth
stop to
it when
a student
is high
beingschool, nearly one in two
bullied
school afraid of being bullied. Some students who
students (45 percent) who are classified as bully­victims
are at
frequently
who bully others, and they are three to eight times more likely to be afraid than those who are not involved in
are not involved in bullying are also afraid of being bullied, but to a far lesser extent. In third through fifth grade,
80% of being bullied, a number that decreases with age. That
14 percent of students not involved in bullying are afraid
14 percent of elementary school students not involved in bullying are nonetheless afraid of being bullied is a strong
60%
indicator of the omnipresence of bullying and how much it can affect even those not directly involved.
40%
how
do students
and
adults2-3
respond
to bullying?
gure 3. Students
who have
been involved
in bullying
times a month
Figure
or more
3. Students
27% who have been involved in bullying 2-3 times a month or more
24%
One indicator that shows how well schools are addressing bullying
is the degree to which students indicate others
20%
15% 14%
in the school (fellow students and adults) respond appropriately to bullying. As
shown10%
in fi13%
gure 21, a minority of
students report that fellow students frequently try 30%
to stop bullying, although this number decreases in higher
0%
by others
grades. Students report that teachers are much moreBullied
responsive
than students
witness bullying,
3rd–5th
6th–8thwhen they
9th–12th
although this number also decreases in higher grade Bullied
levelsanother
(see figure
22).
student
30%
25%
20%
25%
Figure 21. Students who said that other
22%
22%
Figure
21. students
who
said that
other students
“often”
students
“often”
or “almost
always”
try
“almost
try to put
a stop to it
to putor
a 19%
stop
to it always”
when a student
is being
20%
18% is being bullied at school
bullied
at school
when
a student
17%
40%
5%
5%
5%
20%
3rd
4th
0%
14%
nothing” or “fairly little” in the past couple of months to cut
11%
down on classroom
bullying.
10%
60%
9%
60%
52% 50%
10%
53% 52%45%
44%
Girls Boys
60%
10%
0%
14% Figure 23. Students who feel their teacher has done “little or
15%
80%
13%
80%
15%
Figure
22%
22% 22. Students who said teachers or
Figure
students
who
said “often”
teachersoror other adults
other22.
adults
at their
school
at“almost
their school
always”
try to put
always”
try to or
put“almost
a stop to
it
19% “often”
18%
awhen
stop to
it whenisabeing
student
is
being
bullied
a student
bullied
17%
27% 24%
6%
5th
6%
3rd–5th
6th
8%
7%
15% 14%
8%
8%
5%
40%
10% 13%
26%
40% 44%
42%
7%
29%
7%
5%
6%
5%
20%
7%
6%
13%
Girls
Boys
32%
8%
39%
0%
0%
20%9thwho have
Figure 3.8th
Students
involved
in
bullying5th
2-3 times
7th
10thbeen 11th
3rd
12th
4th
6tha month
7thor more8th
6th–8th
9th–12th
3rd–5th
6th–8th
Bullied by other
Bullied another
11%
8%
8%
9th
10th
9th–12th
Grade level
Grade level
Figure 22. Students who said
teachers
or
0%
30%school “often” or3rd–5th
adults
their
9th–12th to do little or nothing to
Studentsother
report
thatathigh
school teachers are twice as likely6th–8th
as elementary teachers
Bullied by others
“almost always” try to put a stop to it
reduce the amount
of
classroom
bullying
(see
fi
gure
23).
Although
bullying
occurs
less
frequently
during the high
when a student is being bullied
Bullied another student
25%are younger (see figure 5, page 6), nearly one in ten students are still bullied at
school years than when students
22%
22%
least two or three
times a month in high school grades, so it is of concern that such high percentages of students do
80%
Girls
nothing” or “fairly little” in
the past couple of months to cut
18%
17%
down on classroom bullying.
Figure 23. Students
who feel their teacher has done “little or
19%
not feel their teachers appropriately
address
bullying.
20%
Boys
60%
52% 50%
Figure 23. students who feel their
15%
teacher40%
has done “little
or nothing” or “fairly
little” in20%
the past couple
10%
of months to cut down
on classroom bullying
0%
3rd–5th 5%
0%
Page 4 of 20
45%
44%60%
14% 53%
13% 52%
39%
Girls Boys
32%
42%
44%
11%
40%
10%
Page 19 of 20
26%
6th–8th
20%
5%
5%
0%
3rd
4th
9%
29%
9th–12th
6%
6%
5th
3rd–5th
6th
7%
7th
6th–8th
Grade level
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8%
8th
8%
8%
9th
10th
9th–12th
Page 4 of 20
7%
7%
11th
12th
14
10%
7%
11th
1
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
Bullying in U.S. Schools:
Report Discussion
This report reviews key findings related to children’s self-reported
observations about the nature and prevalence of bullying across the United
States during the 2011–2012 school year. Some findings are worrisome but
others more positive. These analyses indicate that bullying continues to affect
a great number of children in all age groups, with the highest prevalence
observed in third and fourth grades, where roughly 22 percent of school
children report that they are bullied two or three times or more per month.
Bullied students are more likely to dislike school and feel afraid of being
bullied than uninvolved students. Roughly 40 percent of bullied students
feel afraid of being bullied.
• • •
Cyber bullying, despite high media attention and elevated concerns in our
communities, is not as common as many other forms of bullying. Of the
students who were bullied two or three times a month or more, only 4 percent
of boys and 6 percent of girls reported being cyber bullied. Although cyber
bullying can be devastating to those who experience it, the small number
of children it affects compared with other forms of bullying suggests it is
important not to sensationalize this phenomenon. Moreover, since empirical
research has shown a great overlap between those who are bullied via cyber
technology and more traditional means (Olweus 2012), using resources to
address more common forms of bullying will also help students who are
More than
90 percent of girls
and 74 percent
or more of boys
across all grade
levels feel sorry for
bullied students.
bullied through cyber technology.
One of the positive trends to emerge from these analyses is the large
proportion of students who feel empathy toward students being bullied.
More than 90 percent of girls and 74 percent or more of boys across all grade
levels feel sorry for bullied students. However, even though an overwhelming
majority of students empathize with bullied students, far fewer report actually
reaching out to help them. To teach students how to help other students who
are bullied, we need to provide them with the appropriate tools and guidance.
One of the best ways to help students help others, as well as to reduce the
overall prevalence of bullying, is to implement a schoolwide antibullying
program, such as the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (e.g., Olweus
and Limber 2009). According to two recent, partly overlapping, meta-analyses
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15
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
reviewing the effects of antibullying programs throughout the world (Ttofi
and Farrington 2009, 2011), researchers noted that antibullying programs
are an effective way to reduce victimization, with an expected reduction of
20 percent to 23 percent.
When evidence-based antibullying programs are implemented well,
they have the power to restructure and strengthen the school environment
by teaching everyone how to identify acts of bullying, how to react to
bully­ing, and how to work together to reduce opportunities for bullying
behavior. The results from this report show that bullying is still a major issue
facing students and that further commitment is needed from schools and
communities around the country to work together to stop bullying and to
make schools a safe place for all students to learn.
When evidence-based
antibullying programs
are implemented
well, they have the
power to restructure
and strengthen the
school environment
by teaching everyone
how to identify acts of
bullying, how to react
to bully­ing, and how
to work together to
reduce opportunities for
bullying behavior.
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16
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
Bullying in U.S. Schools:
References
Byrne, B. J. 1994. “Bullies and Victims in School Settings with Reference to Some
Dublin Schools.” Irish Journal of Psychology 15 (4): 574–86.
Cook, C. R., K. R. Williams, N. G. Guerra, T. E. Kim, and S. Sadek. 2010. “Predictors
of Bullying and Victimization in Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-analytic
Investigation.” School Psychology Quarterly 25 (2): 65–83.
Harris, S., G. Petrie, and W. Willoughby. 2002. “Bullying among 9th Graders: An
Exploratory Study.” National Association of Secondary Schools Bulletin 86 (630):
3–14.
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2001. “Bullies, Victims, and Bully/Victims: Distinct Groups of At-Risk Youth.”
Journal of Early Adolescence 21 (1): 29–49.
Jimerson, S. R., S. M. Swearer, and D. L. Espelage. 2009. Handbook of School Bullying:
An International Perspective. New York: Routledge.
Klomek, A. B., F. Marrocco, M. Kleinman, L. S. Schonfeld, and M. S. Gould. 2007.
“Bullying, Depression, and Suicidality in Adolescents.” Journal of the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 46 (1): 40–49.
Kyriakides, L., C. Kaloyirou, and G. Lindsay. 2006. “An Analysis of the Revised Olweus
Bully/Victim Questionnaire Using the Rasch Measurement Model.” British
Journal of Educational Psychology 76 (4): 781–801.
Olweus, D. 1993. Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do. New York:
Blackwell.
Olweus, D. 1996. The Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Mimeo. Bergen,
Norway: Research Center for Health Promotion (HEMIL), University of Bergen.
Olweus, D. 2007. The Olweus Bullying Questionnaire. Center City, MN: Hazelden (www.
violencepreventionworks.org).
Olweus, D. 2009. “Understanding and Researching Bullying: Some Critical Issues.” In
Handbook of Bullying in Schools: An International Perspective, edited by S. R.
Jimerson, S. M. Swearer, and D. L. Espelage, 9–33. New York: Routledge.
Olweus, D. 2012. “Cyber Bullying: An Overrated Phenomenon?” European Journal of
Developmental Psychology 9 (5): 520–38.
Olweus, D. 2013. “School Bullying: Development and Some Important Challenges.”
Annual Review of Clinical Psychology 9: 751–80.
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible.
17
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
Olweus, D., and S. P. Limber. 2009. “The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program:
Implementation and Evaluation over Two Decades.” In Handbook of Bullying
in Schools, edited by S. R. Jimerson, S. M. Swearer, and D. L. Espelage,
377–402. New York: Routledge.
Pellegrini, A. D. 2001. “Sampling Instances of Victimization in Middle School: A
Methodological Comparison.” In Peer Harassment in School: The Plight of the
Vulnerable and Victimized, edited by J. Juvonen and S. Graham, 125–44. New
York/London: The Guilford Press.
Radliff, K. M., J. E. Wheaton, K. Robinson, and J. Morris. 2012. “Illuminating the
Relationship between Bullying and Substance Use among Middle and High
School Youth.” Addictive Behaviors 37 (4): 569–72.
Reijntjes, A., J. H. Kamphuis, P. Prinzie, and M. J. Telch. 2010. “Peer Victimization
and Internalizing Problems in Children: A Meta-analysis of Longitudinal
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Solberg, M., and D. Olweus. 2003. “Prevalence Estimation of School Bullying with
the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire.” Aggressive Behavior 29 (3): 239–68.
Ttofi, M. M., and D. P. Farrington. 2009. “What Works in Preventing Bullying:
Effective Elements of Anti-bullying Programmes.” Journal of Aggression,
Conflict and Peace Research 1 (1): 13–24.
Ttofi, M. M., and D. P. Farrington. 2011. “Effectiveness of School-Based Programs
to Reduce Bullying: A Systematic and Meta-analytic Review.” Journal of
Experimental Criminology 7 (1): 27–56.
The results from this
report show that
bullying is still a major
issue facing students
and that further
commitment is needed
from schools and
communities around
the country to work
together to stop bullying
and to make schools
a safe place for all
students to learn.
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible.
18
Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report
Bullying in U.S. Schools:
Declaration of Interests
Since 2007, Professional Data Analysts Inc. (PDA) has been providing
reports for a fee to schools and school districts who use the Olweus Bullying
Prevention Program about their prevalence of bullying recorded using the
Olweus Bullying Questionnaire. PDA also received a small fee from the
Hazelden Foundation for its work on this report.
For more information about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program or
the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire, visit www.violencepreventionworks.org
or call 1-800-328-9000.
©2013 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible.
19