ABSTRACT
Th e study of social support as a contributing variable in bullying situations is especially important to investigate from an ecological perspective of bullying (Swearer & Doll, 2001). Th e level of support that students perceive from signifi cant individuals (e.g., peers, teachers, and parents) in their environments may be related to their involvement in bullying or the potential to intervene or defend students who are victims of bullying. Because social support is related to many positive outcomes for students that possess it and negative outcomes for students who lack it, understanding how this aspect of the environment is related to bully and victim problems is important. Th is chapter will provide a review of social support and the theoretical models of this construct that may lend support for past, present, and future empirical research on bullying and social support. A brief discussion of the measurement of social support will also be presented. An overview of the research on the perceptions of support for students who are victims of bullying and students who bully will be presented followed by the research on how social support relates to outcomes for students involved in bullying. Finally, conclusions, implications, and future directions will be discussed.
