Adolescents with Emotional Problems: Responses to a Younger Sibling Who Has Experienced Bullying
Year: 2010
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Bullying is severe in many school settings. This study investigated how an older sibling, with an identified emotional disturbance, responded to a younger sibling who had experienced some form of peer bullying in school. Children in 17 urban families with pairs of siblings between 7 and 19 years of age were recruited from an upstate New York child service agency that serves emotionally disturbed adolescents. Personal interviews with the adolescents and use of Latane and Darley's five-step response paradigm revealed that although the teenage siblings were all receiving services, with a diagnosis as ‘emotionally disturbed’, yet they were significantly able to identify and interpret body language and facial expressions that revealed bullying of the younger sibling. Adolescent responses ranged from listening (emotional support), to offering advice (informational support) to the younger sibling. Direct confrontation with the child who had bullied the younger sibling was quite rare (instrumental support).
Authors: Alice S. Honig, Nicole Zdunowski
Institution: Syracuse University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2004002990