Hello everyone, today I want to talk about the article “Bullying as a Developmental Precursor to Sexual and Dating Violence Across Adolescence” by Espelage et al. (2022), which I found very interesting. It explains how adolescents who bully others are more likely to later commit acts of sexual violence or teen dating violence. As we learned in class, bullying happens for a reason, like to obtain self-esteem, power, etc., as some people use domination to obtain their goals (Rigby, 2012). Therefore, when bullies grow up, they tend to act this way to obtain attention, social status… in their relationships (Vanden Abeele et al., 2014; Volk et al., 2014).
Also, the paper reviews over 500 articles and presents the BSVP model (Bully–Sexual Violence Pathway), which explains that bullying can be the first step in a chain of behaviors that lead to sexual harassment or violence in romantic relationships. The authors highlight that this pattern is stronger in boys, especially those who grow up in environments that reinforce dominance, traditional masculinity, or disrespect towards girls. This is often linked to internalized social and gender norms that normalize violence as part of masculinity (Sidanius & Pratto, 2012; Espelage & De La Rue, 2013).
One thing that makes this problem even more serious is the lack of proper sexual education. According to Kosciw et al., (2018), only 20% of students in the U.S. receive sexual education and many adolescents learn about relationships through misinformed social scripts (Schneider & Hirsch, 2018). This lack of education reinforces myths about consent and encourages aggressive behaviors in dating.
Alcohol use is also identified as a factor that increases the likelihood of perpetration. It reduces inhibition and increases impulsivity, making violent behaviors more likely in social contexts like parties (Abbey, 2011; Espelage et al., 2018b; Temple & Freeman Jr., 2011). These same effects also make it harder for individuals to give or interpret clear consent, which further increases the risk.
Moreover, negative peer norms play a significant role in reinforcing violent behavior. These are social environments where aggression is normalized and even rewarded by peers. As highlighted in the article, “youth engage in bullying, sexual violence (SV), and teen dating violence (TDV) to gain social status or secure inclusion,” and this behavior is often “reinforced by reward with few repercussions” (Faris & Felmlee, 2014).
In class, we discussed how zero-tolerance policies, like immediately expelling a student after a bullying incident, are often not effective. The article supports this idea, arguing that punishing students without helping them understand their behavior doesn’t solve the problem, it just pushes it aside. Without proper intervention and education, harmful behaviors can escalate into more serious forms of violence later on.
This research really made me reflect on the importance of early intervention, not only to protect the victims, but also to prevent bullies from continuing down a damaging path. The truth is that bullying isn’t just a phase that students outgrow. If we ignore it, it can become the start of much more serious forms of violence in adulthood. That’s why prevention programs should go beyond simple punishment. As highlighted in Espelage et al. (2021), programs like Coaching Boys Into Men (Miller et al., 2012) or Shifting Boundaries (Taylor et al., 2013) focus on teaching empathy, respect, and healthy communication, key elements to stop the cycle of violence and help both victims and aggressors build safer relationships.
Espelage, D. L., Ingram, K. M., Hong, J. S., & Merrin, G. J. (2022). Bullying as a developmental precursor to sexual and dating violence across adolescence: Decade in review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 23(4), 1358–1370. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211043811
Salma Garrijou
Comments
Post a Comment