Identifier

etd-11042015-191214

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Bullying among school-aged youth is associated with negative short- and long-term consequences. Research suggests that teachers can be influential in reducing bullying but that they often do little to address it. Occupational burnout is high among educators and can significantly affect students’ motivation, learning, and feelings of support. The current study examines the effect of occupational burnout on educational staff’s likelihood of responding to bullies and victims of physical, verbal, relational, and cyber bullying. Participants (N = 109) were administrators, teachers, and other school staff serving secondary-level students. Overall, most participants reported experiencing low levels of burnout, viewed bullying as severe, and were likely to respond to bullies and victims of bullying. Typical responses to bullies of all types of bullying included indicating that the behavior was intolerable, sending to higher authority, and contacting parents, while responses to victims of each type of bullying typically involved providing comfort, contacting parents, and referring to a school counselor. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that perceived severity of the bullying incident significantly positively predicted likelihood of responding to both the bully and the victim of each type bullying. Occupational burnout was not predictive of likelihood of responding more so than perceived severity, but trends were identified. The implications, limitations, and areas for future research are discussed.

Date

2015

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Kelley, Mary L

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.2789

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Psychology Commons

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