Bullying Prevention using Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports

Bullying Prevention using Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports

Despite the fact that Bullying is frequently viewed as an example of disrespectful and aggressive behavior. According to research, the majority of Bullying and destructive behaviors occur in order to gain attention, praise, or social status from bystanders, peers, or even the victim. As a result, bullying prevention is defined as an effective social culture in the methodology for processing and limiting the social rewards available for Bullying, destructive, and harmful behaviors. With its wide range of negative and emotional consequences, we must investigate bullying prevention approaches that include the following background, research findings, practicum applications in a school setting, recommendations, future direction, and closing statements.

Background

In terms of Bullying, there have been more than forty years of research on Bullying among school-age youth in the United States. “Yet bullying as a distinct form of interpersonal aggression was not systemically studied until the 1970s,” according to Bullying: What We Know Based on 40 Years of Research (apa.org). The article discusses Bullying and its prevention in the past and present, as well as what to do in the future. Bullying has an impact on today’s youth that lasts into adulthood, especially if it is not dealt with properly. “In the 1980s, the United States witnessed a different horror of youth violence,” according to Measuring the Impact of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program: An Evaluation Study. Inner cities were being destroyed by the combination of crack cocaine, semi-automatic weapons, and youthful indiscretion. The number of youth homicides caused by gun violence has increased dramatically. National and local organizations offered a variety of programs in an attempt to halt the bloodshed” (Kuykendall, 2014). Bullying in the United States began more than four decades ago, and youth violence and crime were on the rise. Finally, a child’s aggressive attitude and cognitions, as well as having low levels of empathy for others, are associated with both general aggression behaviors and their association with Bullying.

Findings from the Research

According to research, Bullying, and peer victimization in school settings are major concerns for both school staff and students. A National Survey of School Counselors’ Roles and Responsibilities in Bullying Prevention “In terms of bullying, the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors state explicitly that school counselors “provide services to victims and perpetrators as appropriate, which can include a safety plan and reasonable accommodations such as schedule change, but school counselors defer to administration for all discipline issues for this” (Swank, 2019). The school staff and everyone involved must collaborate so that a safety plan for bullying prevention can be implemented and such aggressive behaviors are reduced in a school system. The literature on school counselors’ roles in bullying prevention is very limited; however, an upcoming study has broadly discussed the roles and responsibilities of school counselors in addressing Bullying and suggests the importance of counselors in safety plans.

People didn’t know much about bullying prevention and how to address it when it first emerged in research studies due to a lack of resources. Bullying has always occurred, according to history, but prevention strategies were not as readily available as they are today. According to STOMP Out Bullying, “the leading national nonprofit dedicated to changing the culture for all students, calls on the nation to support their mission by raising awareness around the need to develop a society focused on kindness and inclusivity” for World Day of Bullying Prevention and National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month in October 2019. (Oct.14, 2019). Bullying persists in schools, despite the fact that some schools have successfully implemented bullying prevention techniques. STOMP has been raising awareness about bullying prevention for 14 years. However, there are numerous factors that influence people’s perceptions of bullies, such as low self-esteem, deficiencies in social information processing, low social standing in the peer group, and other adjustment issues.

Practicum applications in the classroom

Bullying behaviors, according to research, can have emotional, academic, and mental consequences for students. Who does what, when, and where, according to Bullying? Bullying behavior involving children, teachers, and parents, “Bullying does not only occur between children who bully and those who are bullied but is considered a group phenomenon in which other children participate” (Fekkes, 2004). School-aged children can be bullied, or they can bully others because they themselves have been bullied, or it can be a group effort in which everyone bullies a student. Bullying should not be tolerated in schools because, as history has shown, it can lead to tragic events. Children who are bullied are more likely to have health problems such as sleeping problems, headaches, stomach aches, bedwetting, and depression, as well as suicidal thoughts. Finally, being a victim or an active bully is linked to an increased risk of mental and physical health issues.

Bullying behaviors are a growing concern in American schools, so here is a behavior approach for bullying prevention that can be implemented schoolwide. “When applied to bullying, public health strategies provide a scientific approach to community planning, the use of evidence-based programs, coalition development, and the ability to change the culture in a school and community to one that is positive and strong,” according to Evidence-based bullying prevention (Collier, 2013). “BP-PBS blends schoolwide PBS, explicit instruction of a three-step response to problem behavior, and an emphasis on removing the antecedent and consequence events that control bullying behaviors,” according to Bully Prevention in Positive Behavior Support (Ross, 2009). The first tier of PBS focuses on creating positive, predictable environments for all students at all times of the day, as well as teaching expected behaviors, appropriate behaviors, consequences for problem behavior, and data collection for decision-making. The second tier consists of the first tier plus smaller groups of support for children, such as more reinforcement and more individual assistance with antecedents and consequences. Finally, if the child does not respond to one and two, the third tier of the BP-PBIS model would include a more thorough analysis of the antecedents and consequences that control the student’s problem behavior. “When applied to bullying, public health strategies provide a scientific approach to community planning, the use of evidence-based programs, coalition development, and the ability to change the culture in a school and community to one that is positive and strong,” according to Evidence-based bullying prevention (Collier, 2013). If such bullying prevention programs are positively received in the communities, it will be a cost-benefit analysis, and parents can be involved in these formal public health strategies for community bullying prevention planning.

Recommendations

Bullying is one of the most serious public health issues in the United States. It is a serious problem that can harm a student’s academic performance, leading to school avoidance, lower academic achievement, and conflicting relationships with teachers and peers. According to the study’s findings, “the results of this study facilitate a proactive approach to dealing with school bullying-an approach that allows school psychologists, teachers, and other school staff to work together in a coordinated fashion, across multiple levels of the school environment, to address school bullying” (Brown, 2011). The goal of this study was to carefully test the program’s ability to analyze intervention effects at the school level rather than the student or classroom level and to avoid some of the design limitations that have been noted in previous evaluations of school bullying prevention programs.

School bullying necessitates effective strategies because it is a major issue that must be addressed for the sake of students’ and teachers’ health and safety. “As a result, we recommend in future research to include measurements from alternative sources, such as peers and teachers, to provide supplementary validity evidence of self-reports,” according to Preventing School Bullying: Investigation of the Link between Antibullying Strategies, Prevention Ownership, Prevention Climate, and Prevention Leadership (Li, 2017). According to the study’s recommendations, principals’ bullying prevention leadership is highly recommended as being positively related to teachers’ psychological possession of their school’s antibullying system and teachers’ shared perceptions of a bullying prevention environment.

Youth and adolescents tolerate such Bullying behaviors in order to get by in school without being seen or noticed, but they are victims who are bullied simply because they are different, smart, and so on. According to Preventing Bullying Through Science, Policy, and Practice, “the first three recommendations are directed to the cognizant federal agencies and their partners in state and local governments and the private sector, for improving surveillance and monitoring activities in ways that will address the gaps in what is known about the prevalence of bullying behavior, what is known about children and youth who are at increased risk of being bullied, and what is known about what is (Rivara, 2016). Furthermore, Bullying is a public health concern in the United States. It is seen in many ways now due to technology, as youth are cyberbullied, and minority groups are the most affected. Youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) and youth with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to Bullying. Finally, universal prevention programs are designed to reduce risks and strengthen skills for all youth within a specific community or school setting. These intervention programs may include more intensive social/emotional skills training, coping skills, or de-escalation approaches for youth who are bullied.

Future Prospects

The purpose of this study was to investigate principals’ perceptions and practices regarding bullying prevention in schools in the United States. “From a purely litigious standpoint, it would benefit principals to take a proactive approach to reduce bullying rather than a reactive one,” according to Principals’ Perceptions and Practices of School Bullying Prevention Activities. The passive denial of bullying issues, or the belief that it is a rite of passage through adolescence, will simply no longer be defendable” (Dake, 2004). Children have the right to learn in a safe school environment, and parents will almost certainly continue to fight for that right, even if it means suing the school district. Bullying prevention activities and appropriately addressing bullying situations will help reduce the level of youth bullying in the United States while also protecting schools from costly lawsuits. It will reduce the level of physical, social, and psychological trauma experienced by schoolchildren as a result of Bullying. Bullying in schools: the state of knowledge and effective interventions states that “raising awareness among students about the role of the whole group has an impact on maintaining bullying, and improving antibullying norms and responses within classrooms is critical” (Ersilia, 2017). Using effective intervention techniques in the classroom helps students be aware of other students’ personal space, and implementing such interventions and following through on them helps to reduce bullying prevention.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Bullying is still on the rise in schools and communities, and bullying prevention has been used in research with Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS). The research does not address parent involvement, which I believe is critical because parents are their children’s advocates. This was a critical topic for me because a client who was being bullied by two classmates was suffering emotionally. To resolve the issue, an emergency IEP was implemented right away. My client benefited from the other students being moved to a different classroom.

References

Brown, E. C., Low, S., Smith, B. H., & Haggerty, K. P. (2011). Outcomes from a school- randomized controlled trial of steps to respect: A bullying prevention program. School Psychology Review, 40(3), 423-443. Retrieved from https://nuls.idm.oclc.org/login? url=https://search-proquest com.nuls.idm.oclc.org/docview/901135827?accountid=25320

Bullying: What We Know Based On 40 years of Research https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2015/05/bullying-research

Collier, R. (2013). Evidence-based bullying prevention. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 185(11), E527. Retrieved from https://link-gale- com.nuls.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A341456789/HWRC?u=nu_main&sid=HWRC&xid=0022887e

Dake, J., Price, J., Telljohann, S., & Funk, J. (2004). Principals’ Perceptions and Practices of School Bullying Prevention Activities. Health Education & Behavior, 31(3), 372-387. Retrieved April 25, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/45055837

Ersilia Menesini & Christina Salmivalli (2017) Bullying in schools: the state of knowledge and effective interventions, Psychology, Health & Medicine, 22:sup1, 240- 253, DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2017.1279740

Kuykendall, S. (2014). Measuring the impact of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program: An evaluation study. SAGE Research Methods Cases.doi:10.4135/978144627305013516576

Li, Y., Chen, P. Y., Chen, F., & Chen, Y. (2017). Preventing School Bullying: Investigation of the Link between Antibullying Strategies, Prevention Ownership, Prevention Climate, and Prevention Leadership. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 66(4), 577–598. https://doi-org.nuls.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/apps.12107

Fekkes, F. I. M. Pijpers, S. P. Verloove-Vanhoric. (2004) Bullying: who does what, when, and where? Involvement of children, teachers, and parents in bullying behavior, Health Education Research, 81–91, https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyg100

Rivara F, Le Menestrel S.(2016) Preventing Bullying Through Science, Policy, and Practice. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK390406/

Ross, S. W., & Horner, R. H. (2009). Bullying prevention in positive behavior support. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 42(4), 747–759. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2009.42-747

STOMP Out Bullying Announces World Day of Bullying Prevention and National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, October 2019. (2019, October 14). Mental Health Weekly Digest, Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.nuls.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A602569749/HWRC? u=nu_main&sid=HWRC&xid=fe477b4c

Swank, J. M., Smith-Adcock, S., & Weaver, J. L. (2019). School counselors’ roles and responsibilities in bullying prevention: A national survey. Professional School Counseling, 22(1) doi:http://dx.doi.org.nuls.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/2156759X19851465

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Instructions: Bullying prevention is a growing research field that investigates the complexities and consequences of bullying.  There is also a complex relationship between bullying and suicide.

Visit http://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/index.html and identify resources for preventing bullying and assisting children who have been bullied.

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