Bullying among Italian middle school students: Combining methods to understand aggressive behaviours and victimization

Abstract

This article illustrates the relevance of combining methods to understand bullying. The aim of the study was twofold. First, to measure the prevalence of bullying in a middle school in Rome by administering a self-report questionnaire. Second, to understand and interpret the results of the questionnaire by adopting a qualitative method. Combining methods can be a useful research method to validate quantitative results and further investigate complex social problems such as bullying in school. Results from the structured questionnaire revealed that a high proportion of students reported being victims, bullies or both. To disclose some of the causes and possible explanations of the onset and persistence of these behaviours, a focus group discussion with students was then conducted. According to the students, the bully harasses others to gain a social status and affiliation to a group and to dominate the weaker members. Some victims, in order to defend themselves, start picking on weaker peers, thereby reinforcing the cycle of violence. Bullying should be stopped, but punishing the perpetrator is unlikely to solve the problem. Victims should be helped to find someone they trust to talk to without fear of being threatened or blamed.