How to prevent a downward spiral of bullying?

What we researched:

• The team carried out qualitative studies to gain an understanding of former victims’ perspectives and interpretation of their bullying experience. In particular, the researchers investigated how those who had been chronic victims of bullying perceive their bullying experience from their initial attacks to their bullying exit, how they understood processes and actions causing a situation to become progressively worse, and how they interpreted their own coping behaviors.

How we did it:

• Nine individuals who were victimized for at least 6 years were interviewed. The grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data, which generated a grounded theory of the downward spiral of bullying, demonstrating hidden aspects of bullying—the victim’s inner process as a response to external victimizing and accompanying events.

What we discovered:

• The researchers discovered that victims are not passive but rather actively try to cope with the bullying events. The processes are cumulative over time and new vicious circles of bullying involving maladaptive coping strategies (e.g., self-blame) form an overriding pattern of behavior that thwarts victims from breaking it even if they enter a new peer group.

Why is it important?

• The study contributes to the research body on victimization by depicting and conceptualizing the psychosocial processes from long-term victims’ perspective. The result can contribute to the prevention of peer bullying in schools. In terms of policy implications, the findings suggest the need to introduce school transition programs supporting school adaptation, identify chronic victims, and take every victimhood narrative seriously.