ABSTRACT
Students at school are often involved in and harmed by peer bullying (Hanish & Guerra, 2002; Nishina, Juvonen, & Witkow, 2005; O’Connell, Pepler, & Craig, 1999; Pepler, Jiang, Craig, & Connolly, 2008). Bullying is the act of intentionally and repeatedly hurting someone with less power (Solberg & Olweus, 2003). It can be physical (kicking, slapping, taking belongings), verbal (ridiculing, insulting, mean-spirited teasing), or social/relational (ostracizing, spreading rumors). Large-scale studies in the US indicate that peer bullying increases during the late elementary years and peaks in middle school (Espelage, Bosworth, & Simon, 2001; Frey, Hirschstein, Edstrom, & Snell, 2009; Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simon-Morton, et al., 2001). Approximately 30% to 40% of students claim regular victimization at school (Davidson & Demaray, 2007; Swearer & Cary, 2003).
