Nollning i gymnasieskolan

Skolkuratorers erfarenheter av förekomst, följder och förebyggande arbete

Abstract

This article explores Swedish upper secondary school counsellors’ experiences of student hazing and their efforts to address and prevent it. Hazing typically occurs at the beginning of the school year when older students assign tasks or challenges to new students, often framed as community-building but frequently involving degrading or coercive elements. Drawing on qualitative data from an online survey completed by 39 school counsellors across 14 municipalities, the study investigates the prevalence, forms, and perceived consequences of hazing, as well as the strategies employed to manage it. The findings reveal two main types of hazing practices: traditional hazing, often unsupervised and occurring off school grounds, and a more recent form where students are given points for completing tasks, and the class with the most point win. While counsellors report positive aspects such as increased class cohesion, they also highlight risks including humiliation, peer pressure, and activities bordering on illegality. The dual nature of hazing—as both a social ritual and a potential source of harm—emerges as a central theme. The article discusses how hazing practices reflect and reinforce age-based hierarchies and social norms within the school environment and situates the findings within the broader context of school social work in Sweden, where counsellors are mandated to promote psychosocial well-being and prevent degrading treatment. Despite this, preventive work in relation to hazing-activities is often underprioritized, and collaboration between school staff, parents, and external actors varies widely. The findings highlight the importance of school professionals, such as school counsellors, being systematically present and actively intervening during hazing activities.