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Bullying

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Handbook of Adolescent Behavioral Problems

Abstract

Bullying describes a subset of aggressive behavior defined by an imbalance of power between victim and perpetrator, by repeated aggressive acts and by a perpetrator’s intention to harm. The present chapter reviews findings on prevalence of bullying and relevant risk and protective factors discussed in the literature. It summarizes studies dealing with genetic, individual as well as social factors on narrow (e.g., peer group) and broad (e.g., school) contextual levels. Although not listed as a disorder, bullying experiences are clearly linked to risks for maladaptive psychological functioning. Therefore, available intervention and prevention efforts are presented and categorized according to evidence regarding their effectiveness.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Life success was a composite measure consisting of number of addresses, partnership success, employment status, drug use, and general level of anxiety and depressive affect.

  2. 2.

    Restorative practices are aimed at rebuilding a positive relationship between bullies and victims. The bully has to acknowledge his wrong behavior and act in a restorative way (e.g., directly apologizing to the victim for the offending behavior in an official meeting).

  3. 3.

    In a moral dilemma discussion the participants discuss age appropriate naturalistic conflict situations in a highly structured fashion moderated by an adult person. The structured setting ensures that possible arguments are related to each other and a productive discussion can develop.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Science and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, Berlin, 14195, Germany

    Markus Hess & Herbert Scheithauer

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  1. Markus Hess
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  2. Herbert Scheithauer
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Correspondence to Markus Hess .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, New London, Connecticut, USA

    Thomas P. Gullotta

  2. Value Options, Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA

    Robert W. Plant

  3. Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, Connecticut, USA

    Melanie A. Evans

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Hess, M., Scheithauer, H. (2015). Bullying. In: Gullotta, T., Plant, R., Evans, M. (eds) Handbook of Adolescent Behavioral Problems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7497-6_23

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