A third of Maltese students are affected by bullying, as victims or perpetrators, putting themselves at risk of mental health problems in adulthood, a small-scale study has suggested.

Speaking to the Times of Malta, the study’s co-author and head of the Department of Psychology, Carmel Cefai, said the study focused on one college comprising seven schools (both primary and secondary).

“We are still in need of an updated, comprehensive and rigorous study of the prevalence of bullying in Malta,” he pointed out.

“But this study gives us some indication of the situation in our schools. We also suspect that there’s a lot of unreported bullying, especially among students with a disability, LGBT and ethnic minorities.”

Prof. Cefai delineated a clear difference between fighting/aggression and bullying. For bullying to occur, it must be done in anintentional, repeated manner with the aim of harming someone physically or psychologically. There must also be a power imbalance.

Bullying can have very serious consequences for both the victim and the perpetrator which can last well into adulthood, Prof. Cefai stressed. “We used to believe that bullying was a childhood experience, in some cases even considered as a rite of passage. But it is not the case. The residual effects of bullying can leave a scar which lasts into adulthood, where it is translated into depression and anxiety.”

Perpetrators, on the other hand, were at a higher risk of antisocial behaviour and of offending later on in life.

“If we don’t help perpetrators while we have access to them at school, they will learn that the way to obtain things is through violence.”

‘Some children victims and perpetrators’

Some children were both victims and perpetrators, being bullied at home by their siblings and going on to bully others in the classroom.

The so-called ‘bully-victims’ had the highest risk of psychological difficulties as a consequence of their behaviour, manifesting both internalised and externalised difficulties, such as depression and antisocial behaviour respectively.

Typically, boys tended to engage in more physical bullying than girls, while girls tended to go more for verbal (such as name-calling) and relational bullying (such as spreading rumours, gossiping and excluding students from their circle).

“Given the ‘right’ environment, almost anybody may become a bully. If a child is brought up in a culture where his family, community, peer group and school propagate the idea that it is acceptable to tease or coerce others or in an environment which is hostile or abusive towards people who are seen as being different – such as LGBT, migrants and people with disability – then it may be easier for children to engage in bullying behaviour in that context.

“For instance, in the recent past, the word ‘bully’ itself had positive connotations in some contexts in Malta, while physical violence was accepted and tolerated as being part of life which we have to live up with.”

Prof. Cefai questioned whether enough was being done in schools to create a climate which discouraged bullying.

“There needs to be a whole school policy which clearly defines what is bullying and what to do about it. Adults very often draft policies for children but children may harbour different views of what bullying is about. For instance, in the eyes of adults, certain behaviour might not constitute bullying but could, in reality, be affecting children very badly.”

Schools also needed to focus on promoting social and emotional learning, with an emphasis on teaching students the skills to be assertive, make friends, solve problems constructively and enhance their self-esteem and self-efficacy.

“We should ultimately work towards more inclusive and caring schools, promoting the values of solidarity, equity, democracy, diversity and interculturalism. It is difficult for bullying to thrive in such an environment.”

Prof. Cefai will be speaking during a national conference on bullying on October 23, organised by the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and the Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health at the University of Malta.