Male Adolescent Bullying and the School Shooter

An extensive review of the literature reveals that adolescent male victims of peer bullying suffer somatic and emotional consequences from being victimized. Limited research on school shooters found that a significant number of them were adolescents who were targets of bullies and claimed their shootings were in response to their victimization. To date, there is no profile of the school shooter, although research has suggested various dynamics that contribute to an environment that can predispose a community to a school shooting. No published nursing research has examined the relationship between bullying and the school shooter or that of adolescents who experience peer bullying. Despite findings from other disciplines, such as law enforcement, education, sociology, and psychology, school nurses need to be part of the team to recognize the bullied teen and intervene before there are serious life-threatening consequences.