This paper examines the effects of teacher bullying of high-school students; it reports on an investigation of the prevalence of teacher bullying and its relationship with students’ risk-taking behaviors, noting the research methodology and findings, and implications for practice.
Although the harmful outcomes of peer bullying are well-established, the effects of bullying by teachers are less understood. Teacher bullying occurs when a teacher uses their authority to punish or disparage a student beyond appropriate discipline. This study investigated the prevalence of teacher bullying and its relationship with student risk-taking behaviors in a sample of 106,865 high school students who completed a statewide school climate survey. Students were classified into four groups: no bullying (91 percent), only peer bullying (four percent), only teacher bullying (four percent), and both peer and teacher bullying (two percent). Logistic regression results indicated that all victimization groups were more likely to participate in risk behaviors (substance use, weapon carrying, fighting, suicidal ideation, and attempts) than nonbullied peers, and students bullied by both peers and teachers were at greatest jeopardy of participation. These results support greater attention to teacher bullying in antibullying efforts. (Published Abstract Provided)