Supportive school climate and student willingness to seek help for bullying and threats of violence

• Published in: Journal of school psychology Vol. 48; no. 6; pp. 533 - 553
• Main Authors: Eliot, Megan, Cornell, Dewey, Gregory, Anne, Fan, Xitao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Aggression; Attitude; Bullying; Bullying - psychology; Crime Victims - psychology; Educational Environment; Faculty; Female; Gender Differences; Grade 9; Help Seeking; Helpseeking; High schools; Humans; Male; Positive thought; Prevention; School climate; School Health Services; School Safety; School violence; Schools; Social Support; Staff Role; Student Attitudes; Students - psychology; Teachers; Violence; Violence - prevention & control; Violence - psychology; Bullying; Help seeking; School climate; School violence
• ISSN: 0022-4405; 1873-3506
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsp.2010.07.001

This study investigated the relations between student perceptions of support and student willingness to seek help for bullying and threats of violence in a sample of 7318 ninth-grade students from 291 high schools who participated in the Virginia High School Safety Study. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that students who perceived their teachers and other school staff to be supportive were more likely to endorse positive attitudes toward seeking help for bullying and threats of violence. In schools with more perceived support, there was less of a discrepancy in help-seeking attitudes between girls and boys. Findings suggest that efforts by school staff to provide a supportive climate are a potentially valuable strategy for engaging students in the prevention of bullying and threats of violence.