BULLY VICTIM PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL - FACTS AND INTERVENTION/

Bully/victim problems among school children are a matter of considerab le concern in Scandinavia and, more recently, in a number of other cou ntries as well. Estimates based on the author's large-scale surveys in dicate that some 9% of the students in grades I through 9 are fairly r egular victims of bullying and that 6-7% engage in bullying others wit h some regularity. It is argued that it is a fundamental democratic ri ght for a child to be spared the oppression and repeated humiliation i mplied in bullying. The author has developed a school-based interventi on programme against bullying, the effects of which were evaluated in 42 schools over a period of two years. Analyses indicate that the freq uency of bully/victim problems decreased by 50-70%. In addition, the p revalence of antisocial behaviours in general such as vandalism, theft , drunkenness and truancy showed a substantial drop. The main content of the ''core'' programme as well as its key principles are presented. The overriding goal of the programme can be described as a ''restruct uring of the social environment''. The programme emphasizes behaviours and attitudes characterized by a combination of positive involvement from teachers and parents, firm limits to unacceptable behaviour (''we don t accept bullying in our class/school''), and consistent use of n on-hostile non-corporal sanctions on rule violations. Explanations of the positive results include changes in the opportunity and reward ''s tructures'' for bullying behaviour.