Implementing the KiVa antibullying program – recognition of stable victims
: recognition of stable victims
: Anne Haataja, Miia Sainio, Mira Turtonen, Christina Salmivalli
Publisher: Taylor&Francis
: 2016
: Educational Psychology
: 36
: 3
: 595
: 611
: 17
: 0144-3410
: 1469-5820
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2015.1066758
Teachers do not always recognise students who are victimised by their peers. In
this study, we examined the recognition of stable victims in 76 schools beginning
to implement the KiVa antibullying programme. We focused on 348 victims
(9–15 years) who reported victimisation at the pretest and still at wave 2, after
five months of programme implementation. Only 24% of these stable victims
received the attention of school personnel during the school year. Multilevel
logistic regression analyses revealed that male victims were recognised more
often than female victims, but only in elementary school level. Peer reputation
as a victim, as well as telling an adult about one’s plight increased the likelihood
of recognition by school personnel, whereas bullying others (in addition to being
victimised) decreased it. The study emphasises the importance of encouraging
school personnel to put more effort in reaching the victimised students.
Keywords: antibullying programme; indicated intervention; recognition;
victimization