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Abstract
Many studies have found a decrease in traditional bullying. Yet cyberbullying, while still impacting a fraction of those impacted by traditional bullying, is on the rise and it seems that society is beginning to not only accept, but expect, electronic communication behaviors that are emotionally and physically damaging. It seems that cyberbullying is simply part of the bullying spectrum. The current research relied on a self-reported study to determine the prevalence of the four categories of cyberbullying and victimization: cyberbullies only, victims only, bully/victims, and witnesses of bullying/victimization. The survey population was Howard University graduate and undergraduate students (N = 165, aged 19-45 years distributed equally between males and females. Findings included little difference in college level (undergraduate versus graduate) among victims of cyberbullying; significant differences in how male and female students felt about cyberbullying, with females expressing more distress; and the fact that female students were more likely to know the people who were bullying them. Another notable finding was that 49% of students felt that their school could not or would not do anything about cyberbullying, even if it was reported, and 47% felt that university staff would not believe or understand them if they complained. The role of the school psychologist is central to prevention programs. School psychologists can help coordinate the prevention team, help conduct the needs assessment, analyze the results, and set priorities and goals.
Keywords: Youth, adolescence, bullying, cyberbullying, college, university, public health
Introduction
The first use of the term bully, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is attributed to Samuel Palmer (1652-1724) in 1710. The act of bullying has appeared in literature since at least the time of Charles Dickens (1812-1870) Oliver Twist, first published as a serial in 1837. Two decades later, Thomas Hughes (1822-1896) wrote "Tom Brown's schooldays" where he tackled the topic of bullying.
Although bullying is clearly an old phenomenon, formal research on bullying did not begin until the 1970s in Scandinavia. In 1983, after the suicide of three Norwegian boys, the Norwegian government hired Dan Olweus to research the problem of bullying. Similarly, school shootings in the United States prompted many professionals to take a look at bullying and its impact on students. Nearly forty years after its introduction as a...