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Bullying Hurts Bystanders Too

by Jennifer O’Donnell, Senior Program and Media Coordinator

Bystanders are the students who stand by and watch others being mistreated.  Bystanders make up about 70-85 percent of the students in school. 

As we point out in our book, Safe School Ambassadors: Harnessing Student Power to Stop Bullying and Violence, when students observe mistreatment and don’t speak up, they not only give passive consent to the aggressors, but also pay a significant personal price.  This price can include feelings of helplessness, guilt and anxiety.

This argument was recently bolstered by new research published in the December 2009 issue of School Psychology Quarterly.  Researchers surveyed 2,002 students ages 12 to 16 at 14 public schools in England.  The students were presented with a list of numerous bullying behaviors, such as name-calling, hitting, kicking, spreading rumors and threatening violence.  The students indicated whether they had committed, witnessed or been a victim of any of these behaviors during the previous nine-week school term and, if so, how often.

In addition, students were asked whether or not they had experienced symptoms of psychological distress, such as feelings of depression, anxiety, hostility, and inferiority.

Surprisingly, students who witnessed acts of bullying were more likely to report greater psychological distress than those students who were bullies or victims, according to the results.

The implications of this study are that reducing bullying and violence in schools will help not only those that are victims of violence and mistreatment, but all students whether victims, bullies or bystanders.

To read a summary and access the article mentioned above, click here

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