Bullying, Social Support, and Adolescent Mental Health (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for: Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, School Psychologists, and Marriage & Family Therapists

Course By: Ken Springer, PhD

Content By: Noret, N., Hunter, S. C., & Rasmussen, S. (2020). The role of perceived social support in the relationship between being bullied and mental health difficulties. School Mental Health, 12, 156-158.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-019-09339-9

Course Description: Social support can help protect adolescents against the negative impact of being bullied, but prior research has not clearly shown how the extent of protection is influenced by the source of support, the type of bullying, and the gender of the victim. In the present study, researchers examined these issues by means of self-report surveys administered online to students who were 12 to 13 years of age. The protective influences of social support were tested by means of four models, each corresponding to a different source of support (family, friends/peers, professionals, no support). Being bullied was linked to mental health difficulties in all models, while an association between cyberbullying and mental health was only found for girls in one model (professional support). Girls reported more social support from family, friends/peers, and teachers than boys did, and only among girls was the extent of social support linked to mental health. At the same time, no source of social support provided a buffer against the impact of bullying or cyberbullying among either boys or girls. These and other results have practical implications for the content of anti-bullying programs and interventions.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the need for studying relationships among different types of bullying, different sources of support, and mental health difficulties in adolescence
2. Describe the main findings from the researchers' analyses of their four models
3. Integrate the strengths and limitations of the study, and summarize the implications for interventions as well as preventive programs that address bullying

Course Outline:

• Read and understand The role of perceived social support in the relationship between being bullied and mental health difficulties
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Understand how the researchers examined links between bullying, cyberbullying, social support, gender, and mental health difficulties
• Summarize how bullying and cyberbullying were associated with mental health difficulties
• Summarize how social support was associated with mental health difficulties
• Analyze the gender differences that were found
• Integrate the study's key findings, strengths, limitations, and practical implications
• Work through the post-test questions, using the article as the sole basis for your answers
• Revisit the article for any missed questions and/or to better the relationships among bullying, social support, and mental health difficulties in adolescence

Approvals: