Children Who Get Victimized at School: What Is Known? What Can Be Done?.

Abstract

All too often, children victimize other children at school. This peer victimization can take diverse forms and may range in severity from verbal (e.g., name calling, threatening, and taunting) and relational assaults (e.g., gossiping, excluding from social interactions, and destroying social relationships) to physical assaults (e.g., hitting, kicking, and shoving) and weapon use (Furlong, Sharma, & Rhee, 2000). A recent observational study of peer interactions in the classroom revealed that children victimize their classmates approximately two and one-half times an hour (Atlas & Pepler, 1998). This estimate is likely to be even higher in other school settings in which adult monitoring is less consistent than in the classroom such as playgrounds, hallways, or restrooms (cf., Whitney & Smith, 1993). Peer victimization is a troubling problem for school personnel because it can hinder teaching and learning in numerous ways. Not only does peer victimization cause disruptions in the classroom environment that directly interfere with instruction, but also the children who are involved in victimization, either as victims or perpetrators, are at risk for developing potentially severe social, emotional, behavioral, and academic problems that may further hamper education (Furlong et al., 2000; Hanish, 2000; Kochenderfer & Ladd, 1996; Schwartz, McFadyen-- Ketchum, Dodge, Pettit, & Bates, 1998). For example, aggressive and victimized children may display disruptive and delinquent behaviors, inattention in the classroom, symptoms of anxiety and depression, disrupted peer relationships, reduced interest in and attachment to school and diminished academic achievement. These behaviors can disrupt children's learning by interfering with their participation and engagement in schoolwork (e.g., Ladd, Birch, & Buhs, 1999). Thus, understanding and reducing school victimization is crucial for creating academic environments that facilitate learning. In this article we explain why peer victimization occurs and provide recommendations to school counselors about how to reduce it. Why Do Children Got Victimized? At one time or another, most children are victimized by peers; however, some children are much more likely than others to be victimized. On average, approximately 1 in 10 children are repeatedly and persistently victimized by peers, although prevalence estimates vary considerably (Olweus, 1994). The degree to which particular children are targeted for victimization by peers depends, in large part, on their personal characteristics and behaviors, the dynamics of the peer group, and the structure and climate of the school environment. Demographic Characteristics Prevalence estimates vary greatly and depend, in part, upon demographic characteristics-age, gender, and ethnicity-that make some children more vulnerable than others (Finkelhor & Asdigian, 1996; Hanish & Guerra, 2000). Age is an important risk factor for being victimized because younger children are less likely than older children to have developed physical, cognitive, and social skills that can protect them from peer attacks (Finkelhor, 1995). Rates of peer victimization are quite high among early elementary school-aged children, particularly for second graders who are beginning to spend increasing amounts of time with peers (Ellis, Rogoff, & Cromer, 1981; Hanish & Guerra, 2000; Olweus, 1994;). At these early elementary school ages, however, victimization is only minimally stable over time, and most young children experience victimization as relatively untargeted and transient (Hanish & Guerra, 2000). As children get older, however, this pattern changes. Victimization is less common among older children than among younger children, in part because older children have developed more self-protection skills. When it occurs for older children, though, it tends to be quite stable over time (Hanish & Guerra, 2000; Olweus, 1978). …

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