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Most children are capable of bullying behaviour at some time, and it’s our job as parents to discourage this behaviour as soon as it appears.
Flat out trying hard to keep up with the ever-changing threats from cyberbullying, The Kids Research Institute Australia counts itself fortunate to have youth on its side.
Professor Donna Cross and her team at The Kids Research Institute Australia have challenged and overturned damaging attitudes that saw bullying tolerated in childhood.
Growing up in socioeconomic disadvantage increases risk of peer bullying at school. Both socioeconomic status and involvement in bullying are predictive of a range of adverse developmental outcomes. However, neither (a) the mechanisms whereby disadvantage increases bullying risk nor (b) the developmental outcomes for which bullying may mediate disadvantage are clear.
Previous studies have shown that when young people witness bullying, perceived social norms of their peer group affect their behavior. However, few studies have examined the specificity of norm misperception (i.e., overestimation of peer antisocial responses and the underestimation of prosocial responses relative to the objective group norm) on specific witness responses (joining in, bystanding or active defending).
Natasha Helen Jacinta Pearce Monks Francis PhD (Public Health), PostGrad Dip (Health Promotion), BApp Sc MPH BA(Psych) PhD BSc, MPH, PhD Honorary
Student bullying behaviours are a significant social issue in schools worldwide. Whilst school staff have access to quality bullying prevention interventions, schools can face significant challenges implementing the whole-school approach required to address the complexity of these behaviours.
School bullying is a public health concern affecting the physical and mental health of children and young people. While school-based interventions to prevent bullying have been developed internationally, the effectiveness of many interventions has been mixed and modest.
Honorary Research Associate
The Kids Research Institute Australia has two researchers and an innovative science engagement initiative as finalists in the 2017 Premier’s Science Awards.