Australian researcher Erin Wolfe is developing a programme to counteract school bullying. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age
An Australian researcher is developing a programme she hopes will counteract school bullying and the psychological problems it produces.
Erin Wolfe, a PhD student at the University of Queensland's School of Psychology, said the study to be launched later this year would take into account the way children
stand up to bullying and seek help.
Ms Wolfe said current interventions simply didn't work.
"I'm hoping to improve how the children interact with each other, as opposed to building resilience and that sort of thing," Ms Wolfe said.
"There are some pretty serious long-term outcomes for children who are bullied," she said.
Studies have shown bullying victims are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, poor social adjustment, low self-esteem, as well as poor academic achievement.
"It can have a huge impact on the kids involved, academically, socially and mentally, and I believe it's an issue that really needs to be addressed," Ms Wolfe said.
The bullies themselves also are at risk of becoming aggressive delinquents and embarking on a life of crime, she said.
The study will initially involve developing an intervention programme, and then gradually use feedback from the schools involved to further improve the programme.
The project is expected to run for three-and-a-half to four years.
No schools have yet been approached to participate but Ms Wolfe hopes to include upper-primary and lower-secondary grades from schools in the greater Brisbane area.
- AAP
