Bullying exists within an environment of other forms of violence and aggression by and toward youth: The U.S. child homicide rate (2.6 per 100,000 for children younger than 15 years) is five times higher than the rate of 25 other industrialized countries combined, according to the CDC. Suicide is the third leading cause of death [...]
Posts from ‘May, 2009’
Bullying’s Long-Term Effects
The effects of bullying extend beyond the school years. Bullying may lead to criminal behavior for those who bully and future health and mental health problems for both the bully and the victims: Six out of 10 kids identified as bullies in middle school are convicted of a crime by the time they reach age [...]
Truancy has been labeled one of the top ten major problems in schools
Truancy has been labeled one of the top ten major problems in schools in the United States and identified as one of the most powerful predictors of delinquency. Many students stay home from school because they are afraid of being bullied. Students who are not in schools learning may find other, less acceptable ways to [...]
Bullying can distract bullies, victims, and witnesses from learning.
Bullying can distract bullies, victims, and witnesses from learning. Bullies who are plotting their next attack or victims who are consumed with anxiety and fear about their next encounter with a bully will have difficulty focusing on the lesson at hand. Witnesses may: Be afraid of associating with the victim for fear of lowing their [...]
Bullying and Violence
A groundbreaking report published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in 2003ref found that bullying at home or at school may lead to more aggressive behavior as the child gets older. The report analyzed information from a 1998 survey of more than 15,000 students in grades 6-10 in public and private schools across [...]
The Consequences of Bullying
Research on bullying is still in the embryonic stages in this country. However, available figures indicate that school bullying can have major social, educational, health, and other consequences for the children who bully, the children who are bullied, the witnesses of violence, and their communities: Youth who are bullied have higher rates of suicide, depression, [...]
Bullying can increase the “fear factor” in school environments
Adults have a responsibility to understand-and intervene-when antisocial behavior crosses the line and becomes bullying used to gain control or power over another individual. Intervention also means empowering children, particularly the victims and those who are witnesses to bullying, to be part of the solution. Recognizing bullying for what it is shouldn’t lead to the [...]
Bullying is An Underreported Problem
How serious is the problem? Many students fail to report bullying to teachers and other adults, making bullying an underreported problem. As researchers probe more deeply into what goes on among school-aged children, however, alarming statistics are surfacing: According to the results of a nationwide survey funded by the National Institute of Child Health and [...]
Bullying is Not Just Child’s Play
The image of the class bully lording over weaker students goes back as far as the one-room schoolhouse. The class bully hasn’t disappeared from our schools’ classrooms, playgrounds, hallways, bathrooms, cafeterias, stairways, and school buses. In fact, children today have to put up with not only physical and verbal threats and intimidations, but also new [...]
MORE BASIC QUESTIONS TO START CONVERSATIONS ABOUT BULLYING
Questions: What was the best thing that happened to you today? What do you love about school/work? What does success mean to you? What makes you scared? What do you remember about your first day at school/work? What three things make a person popular in your school/at work? What makes you laugh? Why do you [...]