BULLYING: IS YOUR CHILD A VICTIM?

BY Kalie Griffin

WHAT IS BULLYING

Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions.

Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time.

Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength.

BULLYING: FYI

1 in 7 Students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying

56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school

71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.

1 out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school

revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings

Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school-shooting incidents

Verbal Bullying

Physical Bullying

Cyber bullying

THREE MAIN TYPES OF BULLYING

Name-calling

Making offensive remarks

Joking about a person's :

• Religion• Gender• Ethnicity• Socioeconomic

status

VERBAL BULLYING

Boys and Girls are subject to verbal abuse, but girls more than boys tend to carry out verbal abuse.

Physical Bullying can take many forms:

• Hitting• Pushing• Tripping• Slapping• Spitting• Destroying

possessions

PHYSICAL BULLYING

Fact:Physical bullying is more likely to occur among males, though females may also be the perpetuators or victims of physical bullying.

Cyber bullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person.

Cyber bullying is a problem that affects almost half of all American teens.

CYBER BULLYING

Email

Chat rooms

Text message

On a website

FORMS OF CYBER BULLYING

Some youth who cyber bully:

• Pretend they are other people online to trick others

• Spread lies and rumors about victims

• Send or forward mean text messages

WHY STUDENTS BULLY

Students who bully have strong needs for power and (negative) dominance

Students who bully find satisfaction in causing injury and suffering to other students

Students who bully are often rewarded in some way for their behavior with material or psychological rewards

Bullies-Students who want to bully

Followers-students positive towards bullying

Supporters- Support through laughing and drawing attention

Onlookers-do not get involved or take a stand

Defenders-dislike bullying and take a stand

THE BULLYING CYCLE

Bullies

Followers

Supporters

Onlookers

Defenders

Depression

Low self-esteem

Health problems

Poor grades

Suicidal thoughts

Get into frequent fights

Steal and vandalize property

Drink alcohol and smoke

Report poor grades

Perceive a negative climate at school

Carry a weapon

IMPACT OF BULLYING

Students who are Bullied Students who bully

Have higher risk of depression and anxiety, including the following symptoms:

• Increased feelings of sadness and loneliness

• Changes in sleep and eating patterns

• Loss of interest in activities

EFFECTS OF BULLYING

Have increased thoughts about suicide

Are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school

HOW TO PREVENT BULLYING

Talk with and listen to your kids - every day

Be a good example of kindness and leadership

Learn the signs

Create healthy anti-bullying habits early

Help your child’s school address bullying effectively

Teach your child how to be a good witness

HELP?

Contact local school administrator when your child’s teacher is not keeping your child safe from being bullied

Contact the State School Department your school is not keeping your child safe from being bullied

Contact counselor or local health professional your child is sick, stressed, not sleeping, or is having other problems because of bullying

REFERENCES

http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00117/typesbullying.html

http://olweus.org/public/bullying.page

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/physical-bullying.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/cyberbullying.html

http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying

http://www.education.com/reference/article/help-prevent-bullying-at-school/

http://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/get_help/index.html