Bullying & How to Stop It

Bullying is atrocious, it is not just insults. It’s morally degrading to those who are victims.  It is unjust, judgmental, prejudiced and completely wrong. Bullying can happen to anyone and anywhere! Your economic or social status, physical appearance, age, sexual orientation, race or religion does not matter. Anyone can be affected. APA defines bullying as a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort and can take the form of physical contact or words. According to Bully Statistic Organization in the United States 77% suffer from school bullying and from those 14% have a sever reaction to it. 80% of students in high school have been cyberbullied and this is not counting bullying that occurs in the work place, community or even within families. Victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims.

There are various forms of bullying:

Physical bullying: The act of physically harming by hitting, kicking, tripping, pinching and pushing.

Verbal bullying: Is spoken abuse by name calling, insulting, teasing and intimidating.

Covert bullying: This type of bullying is carried out behind the bullied person’s back in order to damage their social reputation and/or cause humiliation.

Cyberbullying: This type of bullying uses digital technologies, such as computers, smartphones and social media to humiliate and abuse.

Parents and teachers cannot ignore bullying and act like it is just a phase children go through. It is not an acceptable outcome that teaches children and teens to stand up for themselves. Bullying has terrible psychological consequences that not only affect the bullied, but also those around them. A study conducted by psychologist Dieter Wolke at University of Warwick and William Copeland at Duke University studied the impacts of bullying. The research team found that those bullied are at a higher risk of developing health problems and are 6 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder and smoke regularly than those who have never been bullied.

Those being bullied may find it hard to seek help or open up to others. Intervention is important to prevent and/or stop bullying. Parents, teachers and friends should be aware of the behaviors and emotional signs a victim will show. Some of these are:

• Constant fear to go to out
• Appears anxious or fearful
• Has low self-esteem
• Constantly makes negative comments
• Complains of feeling unwell for example having headaches
• Loses or has no interest in activities previously enjoyed
• School or work performance lowers drastically
• May have injuries, such as bruising or bleeding
• Appears unhappy, irritable, sad and/or angry
• May experience sleep changes
• Makes threats to hurt themselves or others

Thankfully there are strategies to prevent or stop bullying. APA recommends that teachers and school administrators should always emphasize to students that talking to school personnel in not tattle telling. If a teacher sees an act of bullying, they should intervene immediately, record the incident, and report it to the proper school administrators, so it can be investigated. The bully and bullied should not be put together in a meeting because it is very intimidating to the victim. The school should offer a safe environment for students to learn, by teaching them the harm that can be done by bullying. Not only that, but the school should create an anti-bullying document that students and parents need to sign and return to the school, so they can understand the consequences and seriousness of bullying.

If parents realize their child is being bullied, do not tell them to “suck it up”, talk to them, so you can understand what is happening to them. Let them know you will help them along the way and that they are not alone. Parents need to go to the school and/or authorities to correctly handle the situation. Also, helping your child identify friends and teachers they can go to in a moments of need will help tremendously. Parents should set boundaries with technology, by monitoring their children’s text messages, emails and social sites to prevent any form bullying.

Bullying should never be taken lightly. Many lives are affected and it is devastating when a bully victim considers suicide as a way out. If you or someone you know is affected by bullying to such an extent that their work or school, family and friendships are affected then professional help is needed. Do not be afraid to ask for help, this does not make you weak and the bullying you are going thorough is not your fault. Never feel guilty or shame for what you are going through. Take this situation and turn it around by instead of considering yourself as a victim tell yourself you are a survivor. What are your thoughts on the subject? Feel free to comment on the bottom.

References

APA. (2015). Bullying. http://www.apa.org/topics/bullying/

APS. (2015). Far From Being Harmless, the Effects of Bullying Last Long Into Adulthood. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/far-from-being-harmless-the-effects-of-bullying-last-long-into-adulthood.html

Bullying Statistic Org. (2015). School Bullying Statistics. http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/school-bullying-statistics.html

Bullying Statistic Org. (2015). Bullying and Suicide. http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html

National Centre Against Bullying. (2015). Types of Bullying. http://www.ncab.org.au/parents/typesofbullying/

PrevNet. (2015). Signs of Bullying. http://www.prevnet.ca/bullying/signs