Teachers’ Reaction in Homophobic Bullying Incidents: the Role of Self-efficacy and Homophobic Attitudes

Literature on homophobic bullying underlines that many teachers do not intervene in this kind of issue and often underestimate this type of bullying. At the same time, the protective role of teachers’ support for victimized students is well recognized. The present study aims to understand the processes that can lead to teachers’ activation against homophobic bullying. Two hundred and thirteen teachers belonging to different schools in Rome completed an anonymous questionnaire that assessed (a) reactions to homophobic bullying (feeling of powerlessness and positive activations), (b) homophobic attitudes, (c) teachers’ general perceived selfefficacy, and (d) perceived self-efficacy in managing homophobic bullying incidents. Results higlight the role of teachers to combat homophobic bullying.