Citation

Sjursø IR, Fandrem H, Roland E. Int. J. Bullying Prev. 2020; 2(2): 139-148.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s42380-019-00024-8

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article investigates symptoms of post-traumatic stress in victims of long lasting cases of traditional and/or cyber victimization. The article presents findings from semi structured interviews with nine victims; eight girls and one boy, five Norwegian and four Irish--who had experienced either traditional or both traditional and cyber bullying. The informants were chosen because they had been victims of closed bullying cases lasting from 1-7 years. The findings showed that victims who had experienced only traditional bullying reported fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress than "poly victims", i.e., those who had experienced both traditional and cyber victimization. Furthermore, differences were detected between these two groups--victims of traditional bullying and poly victims--regarding when and where the symptoms were experienced and the kind of sub-symptoms that were described. It is important to be aware of these different symptoms when working with children who have experienced traditional and/or cyber victimization to ensure that these children obtain support customized to their needs. The findings could also have practical implications for anti-bullying programs that work with victims involved in both ongoing and closed cases of bullying.

Language: en