Forms and effects of verbal bullying: Perceptions of junior high school students in Indonesia

Abstract

One form of bullying that frequently occurs is verbal bullying. Several studies have shown that perpetrators of verbal bullying often do not realize that their actions are categorized as violence, which is why these actions have not received sufficient attention. Therefore, it is important to take steps to stop verbal bullying, one of which is to scientifically explore the utterances categorized as bullying and their effects. This study aims to describe the forms and effects of verbal bullying according to students' perceptions. The research uses a case study approach. The participants were 200 students from public, private, and sports schools in Surakarta. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews, then analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results showed that the majority of junior high school students agreed that verbal bullying has negative emotional and psychological impacts. Most students identified words referring to physical deficiencies or body shaming (71%), academic achievement (56%), and family background (57%) as significant forms of bullying. Verbal bullying related to physique and family background was reported as the most hurtful. Approximately 40% of students reported feeling hurt, and 38% felt embarrassed by verbal bullying, which impacted their self-confidence and emotional well-being.