Ian Rivers

Measuring workplace bullying

Workplace bullying is increasingly being recognized as a serious problem in society today; it is also a problem that can be difficult to define and evaluate accurately. Research in this area has been hampered by lack of appropriate measurement techniques. Social scientists can play a key part in tackling the phenomenon of workplace bullying by developing and applying a range of research methods to capture its nature and incidence in a range of contexts. We review current methods of research into the phenomenon of bullying in the workplace. We examine definitional issues, including the type, frequency, and duration of bullying acts, and consider the role of values and norms of the workplace culture in influencing perception and measurement of bullying behavior. We distinguish methods that focus on: (a) inside perspectives on the experience of bullying (including questionnaires and surveys, self-report through diary-keeping, personal accounts through interviews, focus groups and critical incident technique, and projective techniques such as bubble dialogue); (b) outside perspectives (including observational methods and peer nominations); (c) multi-method approaches that integrate both inside and outside perspectives (including case studies). We suggest that multi-method approaches may offer a useful way forward for researchers and for practitioners anxious to assess and tackle the problem of bullying in their organizations.

Recollections of bullying at school and their long-term implications for lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals.

This study explores the relationship between experiences of bullying at school, adult mental health status, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress among a sample of 119 UK residents who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Participants completed a series of questionnaires that focused upon school experiences, suicide ideation at school, sexual history, relationship status and negative affect, recent positive and negative life-events, internalized homophobia, and symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress. The results suggested that posttraumatic stress was a potential issue for 17% of participants who also scored significantly higher for depression, and reported having had more casual sexual partners than their peers. However, those who were found to exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress were also more accepting of their sexual orientation. A small number of participants used prescription or nonprescription drugs, or alcohol to help them cope with memories of bullying. It is suggested that posttraumatic stress may be a feature of the adult lives of men and women who experienced frequent and prolonged bullying at school as a result of their actual or perceived sexual orientation.

‘I h8 u’: findings from a five‐year study of text and email bullying

This study charts reports of nasty or threatening text and email messages received by students in academic years 7 and 8 (11–13 years of age) attending 13 secondary schools in the North of England between 2002 and 2006. Annual surveys were undertaken on behalf of the local education authority to monitor bullying. Results indicated that, over five years, the number of pupils receiving one or more nasty or threatening text messages or emails increased significantly, particularly among girls. However, receipt of frequent nasty or threatening text and email messages remained relatively stable. For boys, being a victim of direct‐physical bullying was associated with receiving nasty or threatening text and email messages; for girls it was being unpopular among peers. Boys received more hate‐related messages and girls were primarily the victims of name‐calling. Findings are discussed with respect to theoretical and policy developments, and recommendations for future research are offered.

“I Kiss Them Because I Love Them”: The Emergence of Heterosexual Men Kissing in British Institutes of Education

In this article, we combined data from 145 interviews and three ethnographic investigations of heterosexual male students in the U.K. from multiple educational settings. Our results indicate that 89% have, at some point, kissed another male on the lips which they reported as being non-sexual: a means of expressing platonic affection among heterosexual friends. Moreover, 37% also reported engaging in sustained same-sex kissing, something they construed as non-sexual and non-homosexual. Although the students in our study understood that this type of kissing remains somewhat culturally symbolized as a taboo sexual behavior, they nonetheless reconstructed it, making it compatible with heteromasculinity by recoding it as homosocial. We hypothesize that both these types of kissing behaviors are increasingly permissible due to rapidly decreasing levels of cultural homophobia. Furthermore, we argue that there has been a loosening of the restricted physical and emotional boundaries of traditional heteromasculinity in these educational settings, something which may also gradually assist in the erosion of prevailing heterosexual hegemony.

Developmental trends in peer victimization and emotional distress in LGB and heterosexual youth

OBJECTIVES: This study had 2 objectives: Our first objective was to provide the first evidence of developmental trends in victimization rates for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB)- and heterosexual-identified youth, both in absolute and relative terms, and to examine differences by gender. Our second objective was to examine links between victimization, sexual identity, and later emotional distress. METHODS: Data are from a nationally representative prospective cohort study of youth in England were collected annually between 2004 and 2010. Our final analytic dataset includes 4135 participants with data at all 7 waves; 4.5% (n = 187) identified as LGB. Analyses included hierarchical linear modeling, propensity score matching, and structural equation modeling. RESULTS: LGB victimization rates decreased in absolute terms. However, trends in relative rates were more nuanced: Gay/bisexual-identified boys became more likely to be victimized compared with heterosexual-identified boys (wave 1: odds ratio [OR] = 1.78, P = .011; wave 7: OR = 3.95, P = .001), whereas relative rates among girls approached parity (wave 1: OR = 1.95, P = .001; wave 7: OR = 1.18, P = .689), suggesting different LGB–heterosexual relative victimization rate trends for boys and girls. Early victimization and emotional distress explained about 50% of later LGB–heterosexual emotional distress disparities for both boys and girls (each P < .015). CONCLUSIONS: Victimization of LGB youth decreases in absolute, but not necessarily relative, terms. The findings suggest that addressing LGB victimization during adolescence is critical to reducing LGB–heterosexual emotional distress disparities but additional support may be necessary to fully eliminate these disparities.

Participant roles in bullying behavior and their association with thoughts of ending one's life.

BACKGROUND Studies have shown that students who are bullied at school are at an increased risk of poor mental health and suicide. Little is known, however, about those who have other participant roles in bullying interactions (e.g., bystanders). AIMS To better understand the implications exposure to bullying has upon thoughts of ending life among students who have multiple participant roles. METHODS This study was a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of 2,002 students (55% boys, 45% girls) aged 12 to 16 years (M = 13.60, SD = 1.06) attending 14 schools in the North of England. RESULTS The majority of students in this study were involved in bullying behavior at school as victims, bullies, bystanders, or a combination of all three. Those with multiple roles (victim, bully, and bystander) were significantly more likely to report having had thoughts of ending their life. CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study have significant implications for clinicians, educational, and school psychologists working with students involved in bullying behavior. Whole school antibullying initiatives are necessary to reduce the psychological distress and thoughts of ending life found among members of the school population. Further studies exploring covictimization among bystanders and revictimization among former victims of bullying are recommended.

‘Coming out’, context and reason: first disclosure of sexual orientation and its consequences

For many, ‘coming out’ to family members represents a critical milestone in lesbian, gay and bisexual development. This study explores the cognitive aspects of ‘coming out’ focusing on the inductive and deductive reasoning used by the authors of 400 ‘coming out’ stories and the conditional responses that followed. Results indicated that men were more likely to use inductive reasoning than deductive when compared to women. Furthermore, among those who reported conditionals being set or agreed upon, the majority were emotional in nature. This investigation suggests that there is a great deal to be learned about the nature of the reasoning employed by young lesbian, gay and bisexual people ‘coming out’ to family members, which may better inform those who counsel them.

The role of social and professional support seeking in trauma recovery: lesbian, gay and bisexual experiences of crime and fears for safety

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people are often victims of crime, hate crime or regularly fear for personal safety. Although very few LGB people report assaults or injury to law enforcement, many more are willing to seek counselling from mental health professionals. This article provides pilot data exploring the roles of multiple protective variables in reducing trauma symptoms, including willingness to seek counselling, among a UK sample of LGB victims of crime, who hate crime or who fear for personal safety. In addition to factors such as age and gender, results indicated that openness about ones sexual orientation, a willingness to seek counselling and family support were associated significantly with low trauma scores. These findings are discussed with respect to current developments in health service provision across the United Kingdom.

Mental Health in the Digital Age

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Being Connected: Friendships and Social Interactions

What is a “friend”? Through the evolution of the World Wide Web, several authors have argued that our understandings about what constitutes friendship and who we consider to be our “friends” has changed. This transformation has, to a certain degree, emerged as a result of the notion of “friending” on social networking and social media platforms such as Facebook; but online friendships or, at the very least, online social interactions that have personal meaning actually existed long before the emergence of the social networking and social media applications or “apps” we use today. For example, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and Internet provider chat rooms (such as those offered by AOL) led the way in connecting individuals from minority groups with one another, to build online networks and actual offline communities of support (Thomas, 2002).