Perceived collective efficacy in schools: does it predict help-seeking behaviors among bullied students?
Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Although little empirical work has examined whether the school context impacts help-seeking behaviors among adolescent bullied victims, extant research suggests that there is reason to believe that students’ perceptions of a school’s climate are impactful for promoting help-seeking. Still, much of the research investigating help-seeking in adolescent populations is seldom theoretically driven and often relies on hypothetical vignettes of bullying, rather than actual help-seeking behaviors for direct bullying experiences. Using data from the 2013 School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), this study extends our knowledge of the factors related to help-seeking behaviors by victims of bullying. Guided by theories of collective efficacy, this paper examines whether victims’ perceptions of social cohesion and shared expectations for control impact their decision to notify an adult at school about their bullying victimization. Logistic regression analyses indicate that perceived school social cohesion, particularly student-school official connectedness, increases the likelihood of help-seeking. Overall, findings support the need to increase student comfortability in help-seeking by strengthening levels of collective efficacy in school.