Copyright Malvin Porter, Jr. 2010 - acumen - The University of ...

Being victimized has been correlated with low self esteem, depression, and increased anxiety
(Wolke, Woods, Bloomfield, & Karstadt, 2000). Victims of bullying are more likely to report
physical and mental health problems and to contemplate suicide than nonvictims (K. Rigby,
2001).
Social Support in the Context of Bullying
Social support is described as general or specific support from people in the social
network, which enhances an individual’s functioning and/or buffers them from adverse outcomes
(Malecki & Demaray, 2004). In the context of schools, peers and teachers are the core part of a
child’s social support network providing social support in its multiple forms, including
emotional, motivational, instrumental, and informational support (Tardy, 1985).
Peer Social Support
In contrast to supporting or reinforcing bullying, peers may also play an important role in
discouraging bullying or minimizing the negative effects of being victimized by bullies.
Interventions that target the whole peer group, not only the direct bullies and victims, may be
effective because peers who defend against bullying may be instrumental in promoting
antibullying behaviors (Sutton & Smith, 1999). Studies have shown that when peers intervene in
bullying incidents, they were successful at stopping the bullying more times than not (Hawkins
et al., 2001). The objective of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) is to encourage
children to shift their roles from supporting bullying to defending against bullying by creating an
atmosphere where bullying is not acceptable, rather than trying to change the behavior of the
bullies (Salmivalli et al., 1996). While formal forms of peer support, such as programs that
engage student in peer counseling or conflict resolution, have failed to reduce rates of bullying,
peer support programs are perceived as helpful by the bully victims because they show that
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