Citation

Williford A, Depaolis KJ, Colonnieves K. J. Soc. Social Work Res. 2021; 12(1): 83-107.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Society for Social Work and Research, Publisher University of Chicago Press)

DOI

10.1086/713360

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Staff intervention is critical for the prevention of peer victimization in school settings. However, the likelihood that staff will intervene may depend on the form of victimization to which students are exposed. We examined the likelihood of certified (e.g., teachers, school social workers) and noncertified (e.g., paraprofessionals, teachers' aides, custodial staff) elementary school staff intervention with students targeted by different forms of peer victimization.

METHOD: A sample of 155 certified and noncertified staff from six elementary schools responded to items assessing their perceptions of seriousness, pro-victim attitudes, self-efficacy to intervene, and intervention likelihood in response to a series of vignettes that included verbal, relational, physical, and cyber incidents of victimization.

RESULTS: We identified several differences by form. Notably, staff perceived physical victimization as more serious than the other forms but indicated less self-efficacy to intervene with cyber victimization than with physical or relational victimization. Additionally, whereas self-efficacy was a significant predictor of intervention for each form of victimization, perceptions and attitudes were not significant predictors of verbal victimization but were for all other forms.

CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest important differences in how staff perceive and address different forms of victimization. Implications for staff training efforts are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

elementary school students; form of victimization; peer victimization; school staff intervention; self-efficacy beliefs