335P
The Likelihood of Cyberbullying Intervention in School Settings: The Role of Attitudes, Perceptions, and Self-Efficacy Beliefs
PURPOSE:Existing research suggests that attitudes, perceptions, and self-efficacy beliefs to intervene among school staff play a substantial role in the success of school-based bullying prevention and intervention efforts (Biggs et al., 2008). Moreover, limited evidence reveals that the ways in which teachers respond to bullying incidents among students is influenced by their attitudes toward victims and bullies as well as their self-efficacy to intervene (Bradshaw et al., 2007; Kochenderfer-Ladd & Pelletier, 2008; Mishna et al., 2005). Despite recognition that teacher support is a critical component to the success of anti-bullying interventions (Stauffer et al., 2012), few studies to date have investigated how attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs affect the likelihood of cyberbullying intervention. Of concern, early research findings on cyberbullying reveal that many teachers perceive cyberbullying to be less serious than other forms of bullying (Craig et al., 2011) and do not view it as a problem affecting schools (Li, 2008). Consequently, school based interventions targeting cyberbullying are less likely to be successful if teachers do not view cyberbullying as a problem needing to be addressed. Further research examining the relationship between teachers’ attitudes and beliefs and cyberbullying intervention is necessary to ensure the effective implementation of cyberbullying prevention and intervention programs.
METHODS: A total of 240 school staff (e.g., teachers, social workers, paraprofessionals, aides) participated in the study from six elementary schools (90% female; 84% White, non-Hispanic; mean age 43.6 years, SD= 10.7). Likelihood of intervention with cyberbulyling was regressed onto attitudes toward general bullying, attitudes toward bullies, and attitudes toward victims modified from Boulton (1997), attitudes toward boys’ bullying and attitudes toward girls’ bullying adapted from Troop-Gordon & Ladd (2010), and a measure of self-efficacy to intervene developed for the present study. To account for the nested data structure, Mplus Version 7 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2012) using full information maximum likelihood estimation (FIML) was used to estimate models using the cluster command in the variable statement, which appropriately corrects standard errors for clustering.
RESULTS:Results reveal a significant relationship between staff attitudes and beliefs and the likelihood of intervention with incidents of cyberbullying. Staff attitudes toward bullying and, in particular, attitudes toward boys’ bullying behaviors impacted the likelihood of intervention with cyberbullying incidents. Further, lower self-efficacy to intervene was significantly related to a decreased likelihood of cyberbullying intervention.
IMPLICATIONS: Staff who felt bullying was not a problem or perceived bullying to be a natural part of youths’ developmental process were less likely to intervene in cyberbullying incidents. Additionally, staff who felt they lacked the necessary skills and capabilities were less likely to intervene in incidents of cyberbullying. Importantly, these findings extend work on traditional forms of bullying and suggest that staff attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs may play a critical role in the effectiveness of school based cyberbullying prevention and intervention strategies. Implications for social work practice for addressing cyberbullying among students will be discussed.