Effects of Bullying on Adolescent Suicidal Behavior (Published)
Bullying is in the area of interest of various disciplines, such as Psychology, Pedagogy, Sociology, Criminology, and some social fields, namely public health and social assistance, representing one of the problems that the entire human society must face, seeking and identifying up-to-date solutions. The fact that bullying is associated with the life stage between childhood and adolescence does not mean that the population belonging to other age segments is exempt from involvement in this problem. Children and adolescents have guardians responsible for their safety, well-being, and functioning within the parameters of social normality. Equally, a complex system of specialized services, governmental and non-governmental organizations are involved in active efforts to counteract, or at least succeed in limiting the force of this phenomenon, the magnitude of which has become – and continues to threaten – unparalleled in history.Structurally, the article approaches the issue of bullying from perspectives considered relevant for understanding its forms of manifestation: the main historical and conceptual landmarks, bullying as the pre-eminence of suicidal tendencies in adolescents, bullying in childhood/adolescence, and its potential reverberations in adulthood, conclusions.
Keywords: Adolescence, Bullying, Depression, Suicide
THE EFFECTS OF AN ANTI-BULLYING BIBLIOTHERAPY INTERVENTION ON CHILDREN’S ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR (Published)
Although minimal research supports bibliotherapy in specifically reducing bullying, researchers and practitioners often recommend children’s books and stories to address this topic. The aim, of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an anti-bullying bibliotherapy intervention on primary school children’s bullying behavior and victimization, participant roles, attitudes towards bullying, intentions to intervene in bully–victim problems, perceived efficacy of intervening and actual intervening behavior. An experimental pre-test/post-test design was used. The sample consisted of 98 pupils drawn from the fifth grade classrooms of four primary schools in central Greece. Data were collected using self-report measures, before and immediately after the intervention. The results indicated that the programme contributed to a positive reduction in ‘outsider’ behaviour and enhanced students’ pro-victim attitudes and self-efficacy for intervening in bully/victim incidents. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for anti-bullying interventions.
Keywords: Bibliotherapy, Bullying, Elementary School, Intervention, Victimization