School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Perceptions of Bullying:Contact with Victims, Strategies for Intervention and Preparedness

Abstract

Objective: Anti-bullying initiatives provide support for school-based programs that change the school climate and involve all school personnel. This study examined school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) contact with and exposure to bullying, intervention strategies and preparedness for addressing bullying issues. Methods: A mailed survey consisting of four factors on bullying was completed by 418 school-based SLPs. The majority of participants were female (95.5%) with a mean age=43.7 years old; a mean of 18.3 years working and mean caseload size of 47.8 students. Results: The majority of SLPs (84.9%) thought bullying was a problem in the school(s) where they worked. More than half (65.1%) reported they had observed students being bullied in the last month and 14.6% reported a student had told them directly about the bullying incident in the last month. All SLPs (100%) indicated they would confront or stop the bulling immediately, report the episode to administrators and offer support to victims. 14.8% of the original sample reported addressing bullying issues was not in their scope of practice or job responsibilities. Conclusions: Most SLPs thought bullying was a problem and reported they would assist student victims in various ways. SLPs were undecided about using questionable strategies like "telling the victim to ignore the bully" or "to stand up for themselves". SLPs were less likely to intervene with either the bully or bystanders when compared to the victim. SLPs stated they received training in addressing bullying issues but did not necessarily feel prepared.