CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Introduction

Rationale of the Study

Bullying, as defined by Philippine Republic Act No. 10627, otherwise known as

the Antibullying Act of 2013, is "a slanderous act or statement of accusation that

causes the victim emotional distress, like directing foul language or profanity at

the target or name-calling, tormenting, and commenting negatively on the victim's

looks, clothes, and body." is typically understood as a phenomenon that occurs

at school; it has been present in every school, even in the school where

researchers were assigned (Cebu City's Don Carlos A. Gothing Memorial

National Highschool). It comes in four forms: (1) verbal bullying, the use of

offending and insulting words towards the victim; (2) physical bullying, the use of

hurtful action towards the victim; (3) social bullying, destroying someone's social

relationship; and (4) cyber bullying, the use of social media by harrassing the

victim online. Although there are rules being implemented to address bullying in

schools, bullying stayed the same, and in such circumstances, it got worse. One

of the researchers on this study had experienced verbal bullying when she was in
elementary school. Gen, her nickname, was called "malnourished," "bamboo

stick," and "skeleton" because of her thin physique. She shared that it was a

tough situation because, with her young mind, she still does not know how to

cope with it. And somehow it has affected how she thinks about her body and the

people around her. Bullying causes a lot of negative impacts on a student,

affecting their mental health aspects such as emotional, psychological, and social

well-being.

Almost one out of every four students (22%) reports being bullied during the

school year (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2015). In the study of

Nazir and Piskin (2015), they stated that everyone can be impacted by bullying,

including those who bully others and those who witness bullying. Bullying has a

number of detrimental effects, such as harm to mental health, substance abuse,

and suicide. Bullying can have a negative impact on someone's physical,

academic, and mental health. Children who are bullied become upset, sad, and

sometimes even fearful. Also, it gives individuals a sense of unease and forces

them to believe they are flawed.Furthermore, they lack the self-assurance and

desire to attend school, which may contribute to their illness. Studies indicate that

bullies often come from homes where physical punishment is used, where the

children are taught to strike back physically as a way to handle problems, and

where parental involvement and warmth are frequently lacking. Students who

regularly display bullying behaviors are generally defiant or oppositional toward

adults, antisocial, and apt to break school rules. In contrast to prevailing myths,

bullies appear to have little anxiety and to possess strong self-esteem. There is
little evidence to support the contention that they victimize others because they

feel bad about themselves (Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993). According to

Galabo (2019), in the narrative and thematic analysis of the study, bullying

victims experienced verbal or physical abuse, physical bullying, and social

prejudice.Students can deal with the negative and painful experiences of bullying

by being passive, being optimistic and persistent, and having a strong peer

support system. The study also underlined that campus bullying causes

emotional discomfort and low self-esteem, that bullies should be attentive to

others' emotions, and that bullying should be limited, if not completely prevented,

in schools. These findings went along with the study's insights and realizations.

Therefore, it is strongly advised to handle this situation in order to create a

learning environment where children are safe and protected from any kind of

abuse.

According to a global study of 79 countries, Macasero (2023) reports that the

Philippines has the highest proportion of students who are exposed to bullying in

schools. In relation to that, 65% of high school students in the Philippines report

being the target of bullying occasionally. This was significantly higher than the

79-country survey's average of 23%. Among the victims, age that ranges from

12-18 in middle school are the most frequent target of bullying. Using online

sources, several research studies only focused on the entire population of

student victims of bullying in school. Additionally, in the Philippines setting, there

are no research studies that focus on campus bullying in junior high and the

mental effects of it ; they only focus on the effect of bullying on students'

academic performance and experiences, but it is not specified. The gap of this

study is that it deeply facilitates the investigation of the mental health of students

who experienced bullying, answering the cause, the motive, the effects, and

exploring it specifically with junior high school students.

The researchers of this study stated that to minimize bullying, providing monthly

orientation should be conducted. School bullying is the schools responsibility,

schools should tighten the bullying policies and implement the right

consequences for the bullying behaviour. Additionally parents should be attentive

when it comes to the mental health of their children, because it is not a case

where you can see. The purpose of this case study is to investigate the campus

bullying on junior highschool’s mental health.