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Bullying Manual

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Index Manual Bullying

  1.  Bullying and Virtual Reality
  2. Evaluation protocol / psychological intervention proposed by Psious
    1. Evaluation and psychological intervention for the Bulliyng
    2. Evaluation of victims of bullying 
      1. Evaluation objectives
      2. Some useful instruments for evaluation 
    3. Intervention for victims of bullying
      1. Therapy steps to overcome the bullying
      2. Proposal for intervention for victims of bullying
  3. Recommendations for use
  4. Recommended Bibliography
  5. Annexes 
    1. Self-registration of negative thoughts
    2. Protocol for action in situations of bullying – UNICEF

1. Bullying and Virtual Reality 

As Morán Sánchez (2006) points out, it is very difficult to detect how a harassment process. A small lie, a slight lack of respect, or an attempt at manipulation are sometimes such daily acts that they are even considered normal (Hirigoyen, 1999; Morán Sánchez, 2006). However, these types of behaviors can get worse, especially in the school context. This phenomenon considered on many occasions as a circumstantial issue typical of the immaturity of children and adolescents is, today, an alarming issue both due to its high incidence and the alteration it causes in the person who suffers from it (Morán Sánchez, 2006). 

Bullying is a concept that is used to refer to those aggressive and intentional behaviors that are constantly practiced among schoolchildren. Although it may occur in other areas, the most common place where we find cases of bullying is at school (remember the concept of mobbing associated with the workplace). This harassing behavior can vary between more direct manifestations such as physical or verbal aggression (insults, threats, coercion, humiliation, nicknames …), to other more indirect forms in the form of social exclusion (defamatory rumors, contempt …) (Cerezo, 1997 ; Morán Sánchez, 2006; Ma Jesús Irrutia, Victor Arias, 2009). 

Although the application of support therapies using Virtual Reality for the treatment of bullying cases is still a very novel fact, its effectiveness has already been proven in certain pioneering investigations in this field (Carmona et al, 2011; Langer et al, 2016 ; Quero et al., 2017; Seinfeld et al., 2018). In these studies we can see how immersive therapy through Virtual Reality is a very helpful tool both to carry out the evaluation process and the victim’s intervention. This new therapeutic format allows us to bring the victim closer to the threatening environment with the possibility of controlling the variables that occur in the situation of harassment and influence its maintenance.

In this way, Psious offers the therapist, through this new school environment, a useful tool to conduct evaluation and intervention sessions in relation to cases of bullying.

2. Psychological evaluation / intervention protocol proposed by Psious

All the information contained in this section is for guidance only. Psious environments are therapeutic tools that must be used by the healthcare professional within an evaluation and intervention process designed according to the characteristics and needs of the user. Also remember that you have the General Clinical Guide in which you have more information on how to adapt psychological intervention techniques (exposure, cognitive restructuring, etc.) to Psious settings. 

2.1. Psychological evaluation and intervention for bullying

The psychological evaluation / intervention protocol for dealing with bullying cases is usually divided into three phases. A first evaluation phase, where information is collected on the psychological profile of the affected person (levels of self-esteem, anxiety, communication skills, problem solving skills, educational deficits of the parents, etc.) and information on the case of bullying. (type of assaults, frequency, place of occurrence, subjective assessment of the severity of the assaults, feeling of security and information about the assailants). A second intervention phase whose objective is usually focused on improving social skills and the degree of assertiveness (equipping the victim with effective strategies to improve their communication skills, increase their self-esteem, learn to protect and defend their rights, as well as express effectively and socially acceptable their emotions and desires to promote integration into the group). And finally a followup phase post-intervention-. 

2.2. Assessment of victims of bullying 

2.2.1. Evaluation objectives 

  • Evaluate risk:

factorsIndividual factors associated with the victim, such as: Low self-esteem; insufficient social skills to relate to other classmates; visible physical or cultural traits, different from those of the majority (ethnic, racial and cultural minorities); disability; anxiety disorders or other psychopathological disorders: mood disorders (depressive disorder), behavior disorders (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, challenging disorder), adaptive disorders (with mixed alteration of emotions and behavior). 

Family-related factors, such as: Inappropriate, authoritative, or negligent parenting practices; education on the margins of society; restricted family life forms (social, religious or cultural group communities); dysfunctional families; high pressure, demand and / or little objective expectations; little family communication. 

Factors associated with the school, such as: Low participation in group activities; little communication between students and teachers; absence of reference authority figure in the school, profile of “good boy / girl” who never gives or gets into trouble; threats such as imposing silence on the victim on the part of the aggressor, on the part of other students, or in exceptional cases on the part of a teacher or the school itself, can lead to general behavior of self-deprivation of expression in the school environment, Poor relationships with peers … 

Factors associated with the case of bullying, such as: Type of assaults (insults, physical assaults, comments, teasing …); place / is where these attacks occur (patio, classroom, bathrooms …); frequency of assaults; subjective assessment of the severity of the attacks; feeling of security (possible help) and information about the aggressors (number of people against them). 

  • Assessing the profile of the child / adolescent: 

Research on bullying and victimization [Schwartz, 2000] has identified four different types of children:

  • Normal children / adolescents (neither victims nor aggressors).
  • Non-aggressive victims: those who are generally victims. They show a hostile attribution style and have negative expectations of outcomes for aggression.
  • Aggressive victims: Those who habitually exhibit reactive aggression. They tend to have a hostile attribution style, but no expectation of positive or negative results for aggression. 
  • Non-victimized offenders: Those who show proactive aggression. They have positive hopes for aggression, but do not have a hostile attribution style. 

2.2.2. Some useful instruments for the evaluation 

For bullying: Bullying

  • and Violence (AVE) (Piñuel and Oñate, 2007a)
  • Brief Assessment Test of Bullying (TEBAE) (Piñuel and Oñate, 2007b)
  • Questionnaire on School Violence (CVE ) (Serrano and Iborra, 2005) 

For PTSD symptoms

Childhood post-traumatic stress syndrome explains that bullied children / adolescents develop a sense of imminent danger, pervasive restlessness or nervousness, and a type of recurrent and nonspecific anxiety with permanent sensation that something terrible is going to happen imminently to them or their loved ones. 

The harassed child / adolescent develops a hyperreaction to frustration, or to environmental stimuli such as a strong light, a door that closes suddenly, loud noises, etc …

Childhood post-traumatic stress syndrome generates an extraordinary and intense irritability that the victim of bullying she projects immediately on her family and colleagues. 

It also causes a type of hypervigilance that consists of enormous mistrust and suspicion of the intentions of others. 

Among the tests that can be used to assess post-traumatic harm among victims of bullying in childhood and adolescence are the following:

  • Child Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI; Pynoos et al. 1987)
  • Post Stress Scale Traumatic of Bullying and School Violence (AVE) (Arce, Velasco, Novo, & Fariña, 2014)
  • Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (Ezpeleta, De La Osa, Domenech, Navarro, & Losilla, 1997) 

For anxiety symptoms

  • Questionnaire of thoughts automatic negatives (ATQ-30, Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire) (Hollon and Kendall, 1980. Adapted by Cano and Rodríguez, 2002). 
  • Bullying Anxiety Scale School Violence (Arce, Velasco, Novo, & Fariña, 2014)
  • Revised Anxiety Scale in Children (CMASR-2) (Reynolds & Richmond’s, 2012)
  • State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) (Kirisci, Clark, & Moss, 1997)

For symptoms of depression

  • Childhood Depression Questionnaire (CDI) (Kovacs, 1992; del Barrio et al, 1999)
  • School Violence Bullying Depression Scale (AVE) (Arce, Velasco, Novo, & Fariña, 2014)
  • Depression Self-Rating Scale in Childhood (Birleson et al, 1987)

Others:

  • Profile of Educational Styles for Parents (PEE) (García Pérez and Magaz Lago, 2011 a)
  • Magellan Adaptation Scales (EMA) (García Pérez and Magaz Lago, 2011 b)

2.3. Intervention for victims of bullying 

It is important to note that in this section we will only show and suggest some points to guide the intervention through the virtual environment of Psious to address bullying or bullying. The treatment must be adapted to the characteristics of each patient and the therapist may adapt it according to their criteria. A good first orientation can be obtained in Protocol of action in situations of bullying – UNICEF 

2.3.1. Therapy steps to overcome bullying

As we have seen in the evaluation section, the treatment of bullying cases is usually carried out in 3 phases: evaluation, intervention and follow-up. 

By using our environment it will be possible to bring the victim of bullying closer to a similar situation that helps us carry out the approach of the different phases of bullying treatment.

  • Evaluation:

In this first phase we will confront our patient with the environment in order to evaluate his behavior in relation to the problem. During the course of the scene and once its execution is finished, we will try to collect relevant information about the case, through a semi-structured interview 2. We will therefore focus on knowing the patient’s profile. It is important to collect information both from the intrapersonal part (as I am), and from the interpersonal part (as they see me and I relate to others). In this way, once the initial exploration has been carried out, we will have more information to determine a personalized action plan. 

  • Intervention: 

In this second phase our objective of locating the patient in the environment will be to try to execute theaction plan appropriateor training in relation to the evaluation phase. Therefore, we will provide the patient with those tools that help them solve psychopathological aspects that contribute to aggravating or maintaining the problem of bullying.

The following table summarizes groups different useful aspects to work in cases of bullying and the different techniques often applied:

Aspects psychopathologicaltherapeutic techniques
DeficitselfesteemRestructuringcognitive
anxietydiaphragmatic breathing / relaxation (can leverage environments relaxation Psious)
Deficit problem solvingTraining in problem solving / Training in self-instruction
Social skills / assertivenessTraining in communication skills / debate / discussion / argumentation

Summary table: Adapted from Morán Sánchez, 2006

2 The relevant information to collect is detailed in section 2.2 .one.

  • Follow-up:

It is important, once the intervention has been carried out, to schedule follow-up sessions after a period of time. In this way we can ensure the effectiveness of the intervention and detect possible aspects that may need to be reinforced again.

2.3.2. Proposal for intervention for victims of bullying 

Below we show you a proposal for intervention with PSIOUS for victims and participants in situations of bullying. 

The following proposal is made to evaluate coping styles in a school conflict situation. 

Session 1

  • Inform the patient about discomfort in relation to problems at school, as well as about the emotional responses involved: anxiety, sadness, anger …
  • Present and justify the techniques that will be used throughout the treatment: evaluation of thoughts and strategies for dealing with situations of conflict and aggression at school, empathy
  • Observation and evaluation of thoughts in a neutral school situation (in the hallway of the institute and during the exam.
ItemEnvironmentSettingEvent
Psychoeducation anxietyWhat are emotions
How do we feel emotions
Being alone in the hall, waiting for the teacher to arrive and start the exam Institute, easy, just
Being with a few classmates in the hall before an exam and they seem very calmInstitute, easy, few people
Being doing an exam that is short in a classroom full of peopleAnxiety before examsInstitute, easy, many peoplemany people Start exam 

Session 2

  • Review achievements previous session and establishing objectives of the session: Assessment behavior, thoughts and emotions in a situation of aggression at school. 
  • Evaluation of thoughts and strategies for dealing with situations of conflict and aggression at school. 
  • Identification emotional states 
ItemEnvironmentConfigurationEvent
Being with a few classmates in the hallway before an exam and they seem very calmAnxiety examsInstitute, easy, many people
Being in class and being approached by a classmate alone to rebukeBullyingJustBegin
Identification emotional states (up to 12 years old)Mindfulness kids: SummerExercises in Summer environment, especially Energy recharge and end of summerBegin
Control of physiological activation: Breathing exercisesRelaxation Breathing Under the sea / PrairieAt the patient’s choice, adjust the frequency of comfortable breathing for the patient Begin

Session 3

  • Review achievements of the previous session and establish objectives of the session: Evaluation of behavior, thoughts and emotions in a situation of aggression at school.
  • Cognitive restructuring 
  • Orientation of the attention focus 
ItemEnvironmentConfigurationEvent
To be in class and to be approached by a single partner to reprimand bullyingAccompaniedBegin
Focus Attention Mindfulness kids: WinterIntroduction, home and lighthouseBegin
Control of physiological activation: Breathing exercisesRelaxation Breathing Sea / MeadowAt the patient’s choice, adjust the comfortable breathing rate for the patient.Begin

Session 4

  • Review achievements of the previous session and establish session objectives: Assessment of behavior, thoughts and emotions in a school environment. 
  • Cognitive restructuring
  • Social skills training
  • Generation of pleasant emotions
ItemEnvironmentConfigurationEvent
Being with a few classmates before an exam and they seem very calmAnxiety examsInstitute, easy, many peoplestart
Social skills trainingAudienceFew peopleStart, easy questions
Generation pleasant emotionsMindfulness kids: AutumnIntroduction, Pinwheelstart

Session 5

  • Review previous session achievements and set session objectives: Assessment behavior, thoughts and emotions in school environment. 
  • Restructuring Cognitive
  • Trainingsocial skills
  • emotionsGeneration nice
ItemEnvironmentSettingEvent
Being with few peers in class before an exam and they seem very calmanxiety examsInstitute, difícill, many peoplebegin
Generation pleasant emotionsMindfulness kids: AutumnIntroduction, Pinwheel and Projection joy and end of autumnbegin

Session 6

  • Review achievements of the previous session and establish objectives of the session: Evaluation of behavior, thoughts and emotions in a school environment. 
  • Cognitive restructuring
  • Social skills training
  • Energy generation = Activation
ItemEnvironmentConfigurationEvent
Being in class and being approached by a companion to be shocked bullyingAccompaniedBegin
Training in social skillsAudienceMany peopleStart, difficult questions
Generation Activation Mindfulness kids: summerIntroduction, magic items , recharges energy, End of summerbeginning

Session 7

  • Review achievements of the previous session and establishment of session objectives: Assessment of behavior, thoughts and emotions in a school environment.
  • Cognitive restructuring
  • Activation generation
  • Relaxation
ItemEnvironmentConfigurationEvent
Being with a few classmates before an exam and they seem very calmAnxiety exams Institute, easy, many peoplestart
Generation ActivationMindfulness kids: summerIntroduction, magic items, recharge energy, End of summerstart
control physiological arousal: breathing exercisesRelaxation breathing Under the sea / Meadowa choice of the patient, adjust frequency comfortable breathing for the patientstart

RECALLS thathave the Clinical Guide toabout PROCEDURES THERAPEUTIC wITH EVIDENCETHUMB AND HOW TO ADAPT THEM TO THE INTERVENTION WITH THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS OF PSIOUS

3. Recommendations for use

It is always interesting and positive to try to complement the Virtual Reality experience with comments, questions or indications to facilitate that the patient can more easily put himself in situation and feel a greater immersion in the environment. 

Some examples could be: “Imagine that these are your classmates with whom you are having problems” … “How does it feel to see them?” “What do you think they think of you?” “Which one do you feel the most uncomfortable with and why?” “Which generates the most fear or anxiety?” “Which one do you trust or give you greater security?” “Do they make you nervous?” “What do they usually do when the teacher is away?”, Etc.

In turn, it is highly recommended to try to keep the patient in the same body position in which the protagonist of the scene is (in this case, sitting at the classroom desk).

Similarly, it can be useful to add any element of the scene or context where the events happen. In this case, offering the patient a pen or pencil and a notebook can help to make the immersion more effective and provide the child / adolescent with the sensations of the conflictive environment. 

4. Recommended Bibliography

Arce, R., Velasco, J., Novo, M., & Fariña, F. (2014). Preparation and validation of a scale for the evaluation of bullying. Iberoamerican Journal of Psychology and Health, 5 (1), 71–104. 

Birleson P. Hudson I, Gray-Buchanan D, Wolff S. (1987). Clinical Evaluation of a Self-Rating Scale for Depressive Disorder in Childhood (Depression Self-Rating Scale). J. Child Psychol. Psychiat 28, 43-60 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1987.tb00651.x

Cerezo, F. (1997). Aggressive behavior at school age. Madrid: Pyramid. 

Da Silva, JL, de Oliveira, WA, de Mello, FC, de Andrade, LS, Bazon, MR, & Iossi Silva, MA (2017). Anti-bullying interventions in schools: a systematic literature review. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 22 (7), 2329–2340. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232017227.16242015

Del Barrio, V., Moreno-Rosset, C., López-Martínez, R., (1999). The Children’s Depression Inventory [CDI; Kovacs, 1992]. Its application in the Spanish population. Clinica y Salud 10, 393-416.

Ezpeleta, L., De La Osa, N., Domenech, JM, Navarro, JB, & Losilla, JM (1997). Test-retest reliability of the Spanish adaptation of the diagnostic interview for children and adolescents (DICA-R). Psicothema, 9 (3), 529–539.

García Pérez, EM and Magaz Lago, A. (2011 a). PEE Profile of educational styles (ed. Rev.). Bilbao: COHS Human Sciences Consultants.

García Pérez, EM and Magaz Lago, A. (2011 b). EMA Magellan Adaptation Scales (ed. Rev.). Bilbao: COHS Human Sciences Consultants. 

Guillén, KG, Rojas Molina, L., Astorga, R., Joya, R., & et al. (2015). Protocol of action in situations of Bullying, 57. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/costarica/Documento-Protocolo-Bullying.pdf

Hollon, SD, & Kendall, PC (1980). Cognitive self-statements in depression: Development of an automatic thoughts questionnaire. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 4 (4), 383–395. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01178214

Hirigoyen, MF (1999). Moral harassment. Barcelona: Paidós. 

Irurtia Muñiz, MJ, Avilés Martínez, JM, Arias González, V., & Arias Martínez, B. (2009). The treatment of victims in the resolution of bullying cases. AMAzônica (Revista de Psicopedagogia, Psicologia Escolar E Educaçao), 2 (1), 76–99. 

Kirisci, L., Clark, DB, & Moss, HB (1997). Reliability and Validity of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children in Adolescent Substance Abusers: Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 5 (3), 57–70. 

Kovacs, M. (1992). Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Toronto, ON: Multi-Health Systems Inc. 

Langer, LI, Aguilar-Parra, JM, Ulloa, VG, Carmona-Torres, JA, & Cangas, AJ (2016). Substance Use, Bullying, and Body Image Disturbances in Adolescents and Young Adults Under the Prism of a 3D Simulation Program: Validation of MySchool4web. Telemedicine and E-Helath, 22 (1), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2014.0213

Melero, S. (2017). Cognitive-behavioral intervention in an adolescent victim of bullying. With Children and Adolescents, 4, 149–155.

Morán Sánchez, C. (2006). Cognitive-behavioral intervention in bullying: a clinical case of bullying, 2, 51–56.

Piñuel, I and Oñate, A. (2007a). AVE, Harassment and School Violence Test. Madrid: TEA Editions.

Piñuel, I. and Oñate, A. (2007b) Bullying and School Violence in Spain: Report Cisneros X. Madrid: IIEDDI 

Pynoos, RS, Frederick, C., Nader, K., Arroyo, W., Steinberg, A., Eth, S., et al. (1987). Life threat and posttraumatic stress in school-age children. Archives of General Psychiatry, 44, 1057–1063.

Quero, S., Andreu-Mateu, S., Moragrega, I., Baños, RM, Molés, M., Nebot, S., & Botella, C. (2017). A Cognitive-Behavioral Program Using Virtual Reality for the Treatment of Adaptive Disorders: A Case Series. Argentine Journal of Psychological Clinic, 26 (1), 5–18.

Reynolds, CR and Richmond, BO (2012). CMASR-2. Revised Anxiety Scale in Children Revised (2nd ed). Mexico: Modern Manual.

Seinfeld, S., Arroyo-Palacios, J., Iruretagoyena, G., Hortensius, R., Zapata, LE, Borland, D., … Sanchez-Vives, MV (2018). Offenders become the victim in virtual reality: impact of changing perspective in domestic violence. Scientific Reports, 8 (1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-19987-7

Serrano, A. and Iborra, I. (2005). Report Violence between classmates at school. Valencia, Spain: Reina Sofía Center for the Study of Violence. Recovered from http://www.centroreinasofia.es

Schwartz, D. (2000). Subtypes of Victims and Aggressors in Children’s Peer Groups. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 28 (2), 181–192.

5. Annexes

5.1. Self-registration of negative thoughts

Name: _________________________________________ Date: ___________

DateDay and TimeSituation what happened?With whom?ThoughtEmotionBehavior

5.2. Action protocol in bullying situations – UNICEF