|
Abstract
|
Bullying is a prevalent societal concern with one in three children being victims of bullying globally (UNESCO, 2019). Bullying during adolescence is associated with a comprehensive cluster of symptoms including loneliness, suicide ideation and intent (Moore et al., 2017), depressive symptomology (Ferraz de Camargo and Rice, 2020), generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and more recently separation anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptomology (Ferraz de Camargo et al., 2022). Bullying victimization is associated with reduced cognitive flexibility and emotional regulation capacity (Palamarchuk and Vaillancourt, 2022), and behavioral issues (Idsoe et al., 2021). Many of these outcomes may persist into adulthood (Moore et al., 2013, 2017).
Investigation of the literature to date suggests that efforts to reduce the negative effects of bullying on adolescent mental health have focused on reducing bullying behavior, and that this approach has had limited success (Gokkaya, 2017; Menesini and Salmivalli, 2017; Jadambaa et al., 2020). Further, treatment for the effects of bullying typically often occurs in school group settings (Gokkaya, 2017). By comparison, research investigating specific psychological treatment that directly supports the individual victim has been neglected. The present paper aims to address this by investigating existing evidence that supports the adoption of the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) model (Beck, 1976) as a potential framework for psychological treatment targeted at the sequelae of psychological issues associated with bullying victimization. BV-CBT takes a developmental perspective and considers the impact of victimization during the developmental stage of childhood and adolescence. It is hoped that future research will build on this proposal and test this model through appropriately designed studies.
Bullying defined
Bullying comprises of three key aspects: (1) intent to harm; (2) repeated over time; and (3) an imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim. Thus, bullying refers to ongoing, aggressive, unwanted and unjustified behavior, that the victim feels powerless to combat (Olweus, 1978). This definition has continued to be adopted by researchers internationally (UNESCO, 2019). Types of bullying include verbal, physical, and social and can occur in different settings. Verbal, physical, and social bullying can occur in person. Verbal and social bullying can occur online which is often referred to as cyber bullying (Cross et al., 2009). Traditional bullying refers to more easily observed overt behavior including being hit, kicked, or having personal belongings stolen or destroyed while covert bullying refers to subtle yet aggressive, disguised, non-physical behavior that is hidden from teachers, parents, and other adults (UNESCO, 2019). For example, peer relationships can be used to inflict harm through social exclusion, ignoring the victim, or the spreading of malicious rumors, with the aim to destroy self-esteem and sense of belonging and acceptance (Cross et al., 2009). Covert types have been found to be equally or more psychologically damaging compared to overt bullying (Baldry, 2004; Ferraz de Camargo and Rice, 2020), at times resulting in social and psychological scars that may continue into adulthood (Crick and Bigbee, 1998; Prinstein et al., 2001; Archer and Coyne, 2005)...
Language: en |