Bullying Doesn't End With High School, A Study Reveals

Study Pushes New Information During National Anti-Bullying Awareness Month

Research conducted by two professors at Indiana State University shows that bullying and cyberbullying doesn’t stop at the end of high school, but continues into college years as well.

The study, conducted by assistant professor of counseling Bridget Roberts-Pittman and professor of educational and school psychology Christine MacDonald, found that almost 22% of college students reported being cyberbullied while 15% reported being bullied. The report defines cyberbullying as an occurrence when new technology such as social networking, text messaging or instant messaging is used to harass others with harmful text or images.

Up until now, studies on bullying have only looked at elementary, junior high and high school occurrences. In a recent study released by the Josephson Institute of Ethics in Los Angeles, more than 43,000 teens between the ages of 15 and 18 attending public and private schools were surveyed about bullying. Over half of them had been victims of bullying or had bullied other students.

McDonald and Roberts-Pittman’s report finds that among college students, 42% reported seeing someone being bullied by another student. 8% said they’ve bullied another student.  Perhaps the most alarming findings suggest bullying between professors and students. Nearly 15% reported seeing a professor bully a student, while 4% reported that a professor had bullied them.

In cyberbullying, the report notes that 25% of students reported being harassed through a social networking site, and 21% reported that they’ve received harmful text messages.

The professors stressed that intervention must take place from the residence halls to the classrooms.

Bullying has become one of the most common forms of violence in schools, so much so that October has become the national month for anti-bullying awareness.

For more information about the report click here.