Non‐physical forms of bullying among school pupils: a cause for concern

Abstract

Considers which behaviours pupils and teachers regard as bullying. Finds that a substantial proportion of people fail to include non-physical acts - such as deliberately leaving somebody out of activities, laughing at someone’s misfortunes, and name-calling - in their definition of bullying. Reports on the frequency with which various behaviours were experienced by young people, and how they might affect standardized measures of psychological wellbeing. Finds that many children were bullied in non-physical ways, and that these experiences were associated with psychological disturbances. Suggests that health educators should do more to widen teachers’ and pupils’ conceptions of bullying to include non-physical acts of violence, and to encourage schools and other institutions to do more to combat them.