Saturday, 15 January 2005 - 8:00 AM

This presentation is part of: The Difficulty of Disclosure: Issues Related to Disclosing Trauma, Abuse and Victimization

Disclosure of Peer Victimization: To Tell or Not to Tell?

Purpose: While considerable research has studied children who bully, there is little research on victims’ experiences (Crick & Bigbee, 1998). This study examined bullying from the perspectives of children, their parents, and teachers, vice principals and principals, to explain interpersonal processes that protect or place a child at risk for continuing victimization. One essential variable is disclosure. A finding of concern is that many children do not admit to victimization (Hanish & Guerra, 2000). This paper presents factors that influence children’s disclosure of victimization.

Methods: A mixed methods approach was utilized in this study. 157 grade four and five students in four schools in a large city completed a questionnaire asking about experiences of bullying. After identifying as victims, 19 children, their parents, teachers and school administrators were selected and interviewed using a grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Fifty-six in-depth individual interviews were conducted. Questions related to the child’s experiences of victimization, disclosure, peer involvement, and adult awareness and intervention. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and categories developed using the constant comparative method (Creswell, 1998). Measures to ensure trustworthiness included prolonged engagement, persistent observation, and member checking.

Results: In the survey, 29% of students reported being bullied once or twice during the current school term, 9% said more than once or twice, 5% said once a week, and 6% reported being bullied several times a week. Of these students, 59% responded that a teacher had not spoken with them about this, whereas 36% said that a parent or another adult at home had not talked with them about this. In the interviews, both children and adults reported that children frequently did not tell adults about their victimization. Findings revealed several factors that appear to impede disclosure: 1) secrecy, which often extends to peers, since most bullying incidents occur in the presence of peers (Hawkins & Craig, 2001); 2) powerlessness; 3) shame and isolation; 4) fear and the threat of violence and retaliation; 5) fear of losing the relationship if the bully is a friend; 6) hope the bullying will lessen or stop naturally; and 7) expectations that adults would not intervene or would be ineffective. Factors that foster children’s disclosure included feeling the bullying was “serious” and too much to bear, and expecting adults would protect them or help them assert themselves or problem solve. The degree of agreement between adult and child perceptions regarding whether particular situations constitute bullying can either promote or impede disclosure.

Implications for Policy and Practice: We know that the adult-child relationship mediates children’s ability to manage peer relations (Atlas & Pepler, 1998). Substantial literature has established that peer relations and friendships influence development (Boivin, Hymel, & Hodges, 2001; Salisch, 2001). Despite their reluctance to disclose, evidence suggests that children and youth still turn to adults for help. On individual and school wide bases, it is essential to understand and address factors that impede disclosure and build on factors that foster children’s disclosure.

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