Citation

Voisin DR, Takahashi L, Miller DB, Hong JS. J. Pediatr. (SBP) 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria)

DOI

10.1016/j.jped.2023.04.001

PMID

37148910

Abstract

The U.S. government has defined bullying victimization as "any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated".1 Conceptualizations of bullying and the use of the term vary by audience and context. For instance, for some, bullying behaviors might include acts of aggression or violence, whereas for others bullying might center on name-calling, exclusionary social practices or even spreading rumors and vicious lies.2

Notably, in addition to persons who are directly involved in bullying, there is also the emerging notion of "bystanders" who observe the bullying act and may exacerbate or mitigate bullying behaviors and dynamics.3 The research on the effects of bystanders in bullying situations is scant. However, the few studies that do exist suggest that girls are more likely to be empathetic toward victims while males tend to believe that victims are deserving of the treatment being handed out to them.4

Worldwide, youth bullying victimization is escalating.5 Among adolescents in the United States, 20-25% of youth in public schools nationwide report some type of bullying victimization or bystander observation.3,6 Bullying victimization is commonly associated with several negative psychosocial sequelae including mental health distress, negative health outcomes, low self-esteem, suicide, school absences, and bullying perpetration,7 while bystander observation also has been shown to have negative effects such as substance use, mental health distress, and school absences...

Language: en