Bullying and Cyberbullying in School: An Exploratory Study on Students Aged 9 to 14 in Rome

This study illustrates the results of an empirical research, conducted in order to explore the phenomena of bullying and cyberbullying, on a sample of students, in the years between the end of childhood and the preadolescence. The focus of the investigation was on the most common forms of bullying and cyberbullying, and their identification by the bully, victim and witnesses. The study was conducted on a sample of 286 pupils, aged between 9 and 14, attending an educational institution located on the northern outskirts of Rome. 24.8% of the participants said they had been bullied or cyberbullied. The largest group of students who have suffered abuse, are boys. 37.7% of the victims said they had been bullied in the schoolyard and 29% in the classroom. The largest group of respondents recognizes the bully’s ability to be respected, but do not appreciate his aggressiveness. These results can be useful because they highlight the opportunity to identify educational strategies that take advantage of the group’s low appreciation of the aggressiveness to weaken the aggressor’s antisocial leadership.