Silent Suffering: A Phenomenological Study of the Life Experiences of Students Victims of Culture-Based Bullying in a Multicultural Elementary School in Jambi City

Muhammad Ferdiansyah; Desy Susanti; Ninil Elfira; Yulianti Yulianti

doi:10.19109/90jewn82

Authors

Muhammad Ferdiansyah Universitas Jambi, Indonesia
Desy Susanti Universitas Jambi, Indonesia
Ninil Elfira Universitas Jambi, Indonesia
Yulianti Yulianti Universitas Jambi, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19109/90jewn82

Abstract

Culture-based bullying in the context of multicultural elementary schools is a phenomenon that involves psychosocial factors that not only influence students' social interactions but also shape their self-identity and emotional well-being. Most previous studies focus on prevalence and risk factors quantitatively, thereby not delving into victims' subjective experiences, especially regarding the phenomenon of silent suffering. This study aims to explore and interpret the meaning of experience. subjective elementary school students who are victims of culture-based bullying, as well as construct a conceptual understanding of silent suffering. The research uses an interpretive phenomenological approach, involving students in Jambi City who have direct experience as victims. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The results of the study show that bullying is interpreted as an experience of rejection of one's own identity, which brings up hidden emotional wounds in the form of sadness, fear, social alienation, andhelplessness. Silence serves as a protective coping mechanism, but it also strengthens emotional isolation. This study concludes that silent suffering is the construction of the victim's main psychological experiences. The implication is that guidance and counseling services Needneed to develop an empathetic approach grounded in the subjective meaning of experiences to help restore students' psychological well-being.

References

Al-Qur’an, Surah Al-Hujurat: 11.

Al-Bukhari, M. I. (1997).Translation of the meaning of Sahih al-Bukhari (M. Muhsin Khan, Trans.). Darussalam Publishers. Google scholar

Al-Ghazali. (2010). Ihya’ Ulum al-Din (Revival of the religious sciences) (Vol. 3). Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah. Google scholar

Compas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Bettis, A. H., Watson, K. H., Gruhn, M. A., Dunbar, J. P., & Thigpen, J. C. (2017). Coping, emotion regulation, and psychopathology in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis and narrative review. Psychological bulletin, 143(9), 939. Google scholar

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications. Google scholar

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design (4th ed.). Sage. Google scholar

Jambi Province Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Service (DPPPA). (2024).Report on cases of violence and bullying against children in 2024. Jambi Provincial Government. https://shorturl.at/DRwfj

Eatough, V., & Smith, J. A. (2017). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. The Sage handbook of qualitative research in psychology, 193-209. Sage

Eccles, J. S., & Roeser, R. W. (2011). Schools as developmental contexts during adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 225–241. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532- 7795.2010.00725.x

Elliott, R., Bohart, A. C., Watson, J. C., & Murphy, D. (2018). Therapist empathy and client outcome: An updated meta-analysis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 399–410. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000175

Ferdiansyah, M., Lubis, M. A., Zubaidah, Z., & Zulfikar, M. (2026). Theoretical Construction of an Intercultural Counseling Module for Addressing Bullying in Multicultural Elementary Schools. Bulletin of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.51214/002026081710000

Finlay, L. (2008). A dance between reduction and reflexivity: Explicating the phenomenological psychological attitude. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 39(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1163/156916208X311601

Gross, J. J., & Jazaieri, H. (2014). Emotion, emotion regulation, and psychopathology: An affective science perspective. Clinical Psychological Science, 2(4), 387–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702614536164

Husserl, E. (1970). The crisis of European sciences and transcendental phenomenology: An introduction to phenomenological philosophy. Northwestern University Press. Google scholar

Ihda, S., Siregar, M. F. R., Susanti, S., & Albina, M. (2025). The Role of Teachers as Mediators in Reducing Verbal Bullying of Minority Ethnic Students at Swabina Karya Junior High School, Medan. FIKROTUNA: Journal of Islamic Education and Management, 14(1), 70-79. https://doi.org/10.32806/jf.v15i1.829

Jack, D. C. (1991). Silencing the self: Women and depression. Harvard University Press. Google scholar

Kasheem, M., Arpentieva, M. R., Setiana, N., & Menshikov, P. V. (2025). Bullying in Preschools: Prevention through Character Education from an Islamic Perspective. Khalifa: Journal of Islamic Education, 9(1), 37-51. https://doi.org/10.24036/kjie.v9i1.393

Lincoln , Y. S. , & Guba , E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage. Google scholar

Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Sage. Google scholar

Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. (2007).Translation of the meaning of Sahih Muslim(A. Siddiqui, Trans.). Darussalam Publishers. Google scholar

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International journal of qualitative methods, 16(1), 1609406917733847. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847

Pietkiewicz, I., & Smith, J. A. (2014). A practical guide to using interpretative phenomenological analysis in qualitative research psychology. Psychological journal, 20(1), 7-14. Google scholar

Priest, N., Paradies, Y., Trenerry, B., Truong, M., Karlsen, S., & Kelly, Y. (2013). A systematic review of studies examining the relationship between reported racism and health and wellbeing for children and young people. Social science & medicine, 95, 115-127. Google scholar

Rogers, C. R. (2012). On becoming a person: A therapist’s view of psychotherapy. Houghton Mifflin. (Original work published 1957). Google scholar

Smith, J. A., Larkin, M., & Flowers, P. (2021). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. Google scholar

Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2015). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (3rd ed., pp. 25– 52). Sage. Google scholar

Wang, M. T., Degol, J. L., & Henry, D. A. (2020). An integrative development-in-sociocultural context model for children’s engagement in learning. American Psychologist, 75(9), 1086–1102. Google scholar

Zhao, Y., Li, X., Wang, M., & Zhang, Q. (2023). School bullying and psychological well-being among children: The mediating role of self-esteem and anxiety. Child Indicators Research, 16(2), 789–805. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-022-09985-4