Danny G Willis1, Catherine A Griffith. 1. Community & Psychiatric Mental Health Department, William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. danny.willis@bc.edu
Abstract
PROBLEM: Although two of the primary risk factors for being bullied include "male" and "middle school" status, a gap in knowledge exists of middle school boys' personal accounts and meanings of being bullied and their healing. METHODS: Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological approach using open-ended semi-structured individual interviews was used to collect and analyze evidence related to middle school boys' lived experiences of being bullied and healing. Roger's Science of Unitary Human Beings (SUHB) guided interpretation of the healing patterns. FINDINGS: Three patterns of healing were identified in boys' experiences: meaning-making, self-transcendence, and nonviolently claiming personal power. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of healing patterns exists in middle school boys' experiences of being bullied, offering a foundation for further research and practice focused on healing. When working with middle school boys who have been bullied, nurses need to ask about their experiences and promote their healing.
PROBLEM: Although two of the primary risk factors for being bullied include "male" and "middle school" status, a gap in knowledge exists of middle school boys' personal accounts and meanings of being bullied and their healing. METHODS: Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological approach using open-ended semi-structured individual interviews was used to collect and analyze evidence related to middle school boys' lived experiences of being bullied and healing. Roger's Science of Unitary Human Beings (SUHB) guided interpretation of the healing patterns. FINDINGS: Three patterns of healing were identified in boys' experiences: meaning-making, self-transcendence, and nonviolently claiming personal power. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of healing patterns exists in middle school boys' experiences of being bullied, offering a foundation for further research and practice focused on healing. When working with middle school boys who have been bullied, nurses need to ask about their experiences and promote their healing.