Peer abuse and its contexts in industrial schools in Ireland

Purpose – In the century from 1868 to 1969, over 105,000 children were detained in industrial schools in Ireland, having been committed by the courts. The purpose of this paper is to examine, and offer suggestions regarding the contexts of the peer physical and sexual abuse and bullying that went on in the industrial schools. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on the accounts of survivors, the results of research conducted by academics and journalists and recent reports compiled by legislative enquiries into industrial schools in Ireland, with particular reference being made to the the six industrial schools run by the Christian Brothers. Findings – The specific parameters of how the industrial school system developed in Ireland rendered detainees powerless and voiceless, and these factors also facilitated the physical and sexual abuse of child and adolescent detainees by adults in this institutions. Serious instances of peer physical and sexual abuse also went on in these schools. It is argued that such patterns of peer abuse are best understood as occurring within the psychosocial contexts of primary adjustment, collaboration and re-enactment. Practical/implications – It is suggested that the context of peer abuse in institutions is important for researchers and practitioners to attend to. Originality/value – The realities of life in industrial schools in Ireland has been slow to emerge, due to the secrecy with which those institutions have been surrounded. Most accounts have focused on abuse at the hands of adults; this examines peer abuse in those institutions in context

Students' experiences of aggressive behaviour and bully/victim problems in Irish schools

Since the 1980s, a greater understanding of the frequency and typology of bullying/victim problems in schools has been accrued in many countries, including Ireland, where a nationwide study of bullying behaviour in schools was undertaken in 1993-1994. However, rather less is known about Irish school students' involvement in other forms of aggressive behaviour. The purpose of the survey described here was to ascertain the prevalence of school students' experiences of certain categories of general aggressive behaviour, as well as the prevalence of bully/victim problems, in Irish schools. Data were obtained via the administration of a specially and extensively modified version of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire to 5569 participants (2312 primary and 3257 post-primary) in Ireland in the autumn/winter school term of 2004-2005. Principally, it was found that experiences of aggressive behaviour appeared to be widespread; whilst age trends varied according to individual categories of aggressive behaviour, gender differences were more clear - boys were more frequently the targets of 'direct' forms of aggressive behaviour, whereas girls were more frequently the targets of 'indirect' forms. Furthermore, bully/victim problems appear to be persistent in Irish schools, with 35.3% of primary students and 36.4% of post-primary students reporting having been bullied over the last three months. It was contended that inroads into preventing and dealing with bullying and aggressive behaviour in Irish schools might best be made via governmentally-supported nationwide intervention programmes, as has been the case in Norway. © 2010 Educational Studies Association of Ireland

Homophobic bullying: Evidence-based suggestions for intervention programmes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the basic factors of age and gender in homophobic bullying behaviour, in order that recommendations for the design of anti-bullying programmes specific to homophobic bullying could be made. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 475 fifth year students (ca. 16-17 years old) and 561-second year students (ca. 13-14 years old) at six secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland completed an Englishlanguage translation of a questionnaire previously used in a Norwegian study of sexual orientation and bullying behaviour (Roland and Auestad, 2009). Findings – No evidence of “age-related declines” were found in reports of either bullying or homophobic bullying. Males were significantly more likely than females to report involvement (as both perpetrators and targets) in both bullying and homophobic bullying. Practical implications – It was concluded that senior secondary school students, as well as their younger counterparts, should be involved in anti-bullying interventions; that males should be especially focused upon; and that programmes specific to anti-homophobic bullying, potentially targeting pre-adolescent students, should be supported. Originality/value – This paper suggests evidence-based priorities for intervention programmes specific to homophobic bullying, accounts of which have been, to date, absent in the research literature

Alterophobic bullying and pro-conformist aggression in a survey of upper secondary school students in Ireland

Purpose: "Alterophobia", which refers to prejudice directed towards members of "alternative" sub-cultures, has been manifest in criminal cases such as the murder of Sophie Lancaster in 2007 (UK). The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether alterophobia is also evident in patterns of school bullying behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 820 fifth-year students (16-17 years old; 339 male (41.3 per cent), 481 female (58.7 per cent), at nine secondary schools in Ireland, were asked to respond to a short, specifically constructed questionnaire, concerning membership of groups and sub-cultures, and bullying behaviour. Findings: Self-identified membership of sub-cultures was infrequent; reports of perceiving that one was identified by others as a member of a sub-culture were more frequent. Self-identified members of sub-cultures reported both having been bullied and having bullied others more frequently than did members of the general sample. Participants expressed that members of "alternative" sub-cultures ("moshers/rockers", "goths", and "emos") were more likely to be bullied, and that members of "non-alternative" sub-cultures ("chavs" and "D4s") were more likely to bully others. It was concluded that "alterophobic bullying" was a reality, and that members of "alternative" sub-cultures may be considered to be "at risk" of being bullied. Research limitations/implications: This study is based on a simple and original questionnaire, and therefore provides indicative/exploratory findings; if a subsequent survey method were attempted, equivalent definitions of sub-cultures would have to be ensured. It is possible to see how alternative research methods (e.g. focus groups) would permit for advances in understanding in this area. Practical implications: It is suggested that specific mention of alterophobia in school anti-bullying policies should be made, and that closer attention to the psychology of prejudice and "pro-conformist aggression" could inform future anti-bullying efforts. Originality/value: The paper is the first to focus explicitly on "alterophobia", and provides the first empirical evidence on "alterophobic bullying". © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Cyber-bullying: The irish experience

Good indications as to the incidence rates concerning bullying, aggressive behaviour and violence in schools have been developed both in Ireland (Minton & O’ Moore, 2008; O’ Moore, Kirkham & Smith, 1997; O’ Moore & Minton, 2003) and internationally (see Smith, 2003; Smith et al., 1999, for reviews). However, very few empirically-based surveys of cyber-bullying (Li, 2006; Smith et al., 2006; Vandebosch et al., 2006) have been conducted (Minton, 2008). The present chapter will report on a study of 2, 794 students from eight post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland (the entire student body of the first, second, third and fourth years - ca. 12 - 16 years of age) who completed a specially-designed 38-item questionnaire, administered according to standardised instructions by class teachers in normal school time. Across the sample, around one in seven students reported having been cyber-bullied over the past couple of months, and around one in eleven reported having taken part in the cyber-bullying of others at school within the past couple of months. Incidence rates of having been subjected to and having perpetrated sub-categories of cyber-bullying were also obtained (text message bullying, the sending of pictures and video clips via mobile telephones, threatening calls, e-mails, Instant Messages, and abuse via the Internet (social networking sites and chat rooms) were also obtained. In many sub-categories of cyber-abuse (see below) the incidence rates were slightly higher amongst girls than they were amongst boys. A further finding was that the use of social networking Internet sites was very frequent, with over three-quarters of the sample having used Bebo and You Tube within the past couple of months. Few people who had been cyber-bullied (about 6 per cent) reported it to adults at school; they were over twice as likely to do nothing at all, five times more likely to send an angry message back, and five times more likely to talk to a friend. The findings confirm that the incidence of cyber-bullying amongst post-primary students in schools in Ireland is significant, and that its seriousness as an issue should not be underestimated

The effectiveness of a nationwide intervention programme to prevent and counter school bullying in Ireland

The purpose of this paper is to set out what is known about (large-scale empirical research) and what has been done about (large-scale whole-school intervention programmes) bullying behaviour in Irish schools, with a view to indicating likely future developments in Irish anti-bullying action. Results from a 1993 nationwide representative survey of bullying behaviour in schools (O'Moore, Kirkham & Smith, 1997) are compared with those of a hitherto unpublished survey from 2004-2005 (the 'ABC' survey). Essentially, whilst the proportion of primary students involved in bully/victim problems was lower in the 'ABC' survey (35.3%) than it was in the 1993 nationwide survey (43.5%), the opposite was true for post-primary students (36.4% and 26.5% respectively). The background and methodology to two whole-school anti-bullying programmes in Ireland -one regional, the 1998-2000 Donegal Primary Schools Anti-Bullying Programme (O' Moore & Minton, 2005), and one attempted nationwide initiative (the 2004-2006 ABC programme (Minton, 2007)- is presented, along with the programmes' principal evaluation findings. Whilst the regional programme was evaluated as having produced statistically significant reductions in reports of having been bullied (19.6%), frequently bullied (50%), having bullied others (17.1%) and having frequently bullied others (69.2%) within the last three months (O' Moore & Minton, 2005), the same levels of success were not obtained in the ABC programme initiative. A comparison of the implementation of the two programmes and a reflection on both contemporary and overall developments in the field of anti-bullying research and action in Ireland is undertaken, as indications for future directions are mapped out. © Intern. Jour. Psych. Psychol. Ther

A 'whole-school/community development' approach to preventing and countering bullying: The Erris Anti-Bullying Initiative (2009-2011)

This paper describes how a 'whole-school/community development' anti-bullying programme was designed, implemented and evaluated in an initiative in Erris, Co. Mayo, Ireland, involving local primary and post-primary schools and community groups. Students from seven participating schools (five primary, two post-primary) completed modified versions of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire both prior to and following programme implementation. Thereafter, there were reductions in students' reports of involvement in bully/victim problems and increases in their reports of feelings about bullying and countering bullying that were consistent with an anti-bullying ethos. The sizes of these effects were modest, in some cases perhaps due to the significantly low incidence of students' involvement in bully/victim problems prior to the programme. This model is in continued use in Erris, and in its further development it is intended to seek out opportunities to implement and evaluate it in other locations. © 2013 Copyright Educational Studies Association of Ireland

A qualitative study of patients’ feedback about Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) services in Northern England: implications for service improvement

Objective Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) provides opportunities for improved cost savings, but in the UK, implementation is patchy and a variety of service models are in use. The slow uptake in the UK and Europe is due to a number of clinical, financial and logistical issues, including concern about patient safety. The measurement of patient experience data is commonly used to inform commissioning decisions, but these focus on functional aspects of services and fail to examine the relational aspects of care. This qualitative study examines patients’ experiences of OPAT. Design In-depth, semistructured interviews. Setting Purposive sample of OPAT patients recruited from four acute National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in Northern England. These NHS Trusts between them represented both well-established and recently set-up services running nurse at home, hospital outpatient and/or selfadministration models. Participants We undertook 28 semistructured interviews and one focus group (n=4). Results Despite good patient outcomes, experiences were coloured by patients' personal situation and material circumstances. Many found looking after themselves at home more difficult than they expected, while others continued to work despite their infection. Expensive car parking, late running services and the inconvenience of waiting in for the nurse to arrive frustrated patients, while efficient services, staffed by nurses with the specialist skills needed to manage intravenous treatment had the opposite effect. Many patients felt a local, general practitioner or community health centre based service would resolve many of the practical difficulties that made OPAT inconvenient. Patients could find OPAT anxiety provoking but this could be ameliorated by staff taking the time to reassure patients and provide tailored information. Conclusion Services configurations must accommodate the diversity of the local population. Poor communication can leave patients lacking the confidence needed to be a competent collaborator in their own care and affect their perceptions of the service

An exploratory survey of the experiences of homophobic bullying among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered young people in Ireland

While developments have been made concerning the understanding of general bullying behaviour in Irish schools, considerably less is known about homophobic bullying. Presented here are the findings of a study into the views and perspectives of a self-selected sample of 123 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT) secondary school-aged young people in Ireland. Findings highlight the extent to which such students experience name calling, teasing and bullying in their everyday lives. While exploratory in nature, the study indicates (i) the LGBT population is one 'at risk' of school bullying; (ii) homophobic bullying should be included as a matter of concern in pre-service and in-service teacher training; (iii) that homophobic bullying should be explicitly considered in school anti-bullying policy. Furthermore, from a consideration of the current level of expertise, there are grounds for optimism regarding the development of an inter-agency approach to providing resources and addressing curriculum development in this area in schools in Ireland. © 2008 Educational Studies Association of Ireland