Silent Bruises, Strong Voices: Lived Experiences and Coping Mechanisms of Filipino High School Students in Bullying Contexts

Abstract

Bullying in Philippine high schools presents significant challenges to students’ emotional well-being, social relationships, and academic engagement. This study explored how Filipino adolescents in Grades 9–12 who experienced bullying understand and cope with these incidents. Using a transcendental phenomenological design, twelve students from urban and rural public and private schools participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed following a modified Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen method, focusing on bracketing, horizontalization, clustering of meaning units, imaginative variation, and synthesis of textural and structural descriptions. Analysis revealed four major themes: living in fear, silenced voices, navigating coping strategies, and seeking safe spaces. Students described pervasive anxiety, reluctance to disclose victimization, engagement in both adaptive and maladaptive coping, and reliance on supportive peers, family, and teachers. Institutional support was perceived as inconsistent and insufficient. These findings suggest that Filipino students actively negotiate their emotional, social, and institutional realities in response to bullying. Implications include the need for culturally responsive interventions encompassing policy development, teacher training, peer support, and mental health services within schools.