A script-cartoon narrative of bullying in children and adolescents

Abstract

Peer bullying in schools has become a common topic of research. Following the pioneering work of Dan Olweus1 in Scandinavia, large-scale surveys were administered throughout Europe to gather a picture of the incidence of bullying according to age, gender, school size and other demographic factors2. Data have revealed a hidden reality largely ignored by adults. These surveys have made use of questionnaires, which were unquestionably demonstrated to be reasonably quick sources of a vast amount of information on general developmental trends and gender differences in the bullying phenomenon, but rather limited as a tool for studying children’s and adolescents’ understanding of bullying interpersonal relationships. For these reasons, the need to explore new issues led to the integration of new methods in order to reach a deeper understanding of peer bullying to be used for a more efficient intervention. Children’s and adolescents’ views of the phenomenon, its causes and consequences, and how to cope with it should be a necessary starting point to devise meaningful interventions.