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How Adolescents Cope With Bullying

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2016

Jodie Martin  and
Robyn M. Gillies
Jodie Martin
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland
Robyn M. Gillies*
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland
*
School of Education, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia. E-mail: r.gillies@uq.edu.au
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Abstract

Bullying is a stressful event for adolescents at school and was the fourth most common reason for calls to Kids Help Line in 2002. This study sought to examine coping styles used by students affected by bullying in Years 8 and 10 attending three Queensland high schools. Eighty-eight students completed the Bully Survey containing questions about bullying experiences and the way they coped in those situations. No year level differences were found in terms of the type of bullying experienced or the way in which students coped with these experiences. A significant interaction was found between duration of bullying and perceived control for the proportional use of disengagement coping (i.e., denial, avoidance and wishful thinking strategies). A significant simple main effect was found between perceived stressfulness and proportional use of involuntary engagement coping (i.e., rumination, intrusive thoughts, emotional arousal, physiological arousal and impulsive actions). Implications of these findings for schools are discussed.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , December 2004 , pp. 195 - 210
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004

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