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In the past, bullying was thought to be a “rite of passage” through a young person’s pre-teen and teenage years, giving children a tough skin and helping prepare them for the unforgiving reality of adulthood. However, bullying is more than simple childhood antics. It is behavior that can lead a bullied child to experience low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy that often extends through adulthood.
The Center for Disease Control and the Department of Education have recently defined bullying as an “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated over time.” A power imbalance can involve the use of physical strength, embarrassing information, or popularity to control or harm others. Often bullying includes verbal threats, circulating rumors, physical or verbal attacks, and/or purposefully excluding others with the intent to cause harm.
A study by the Department of Education showed that approximately one in three students in the US have reported being bullied at school, with most instances occurring in middle school. The majority of bullying takes the form of verbal and/or social bullying. Cyber-bullying and physical attacks are more rare. Bullying can commonly include groups of students who act as a unit to single out others, as opposed to interactions between individual students. Bullying most often is seen at school - in classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, bathrooms, playgrounds and/or school buses.
Although bullying can have a negative effect on a victim’s perception of himself or herself, it is not necessarily directly correlated to teenage suicide. The media often attempts to simplify the complex relationship between bullying and suicide. Bullying can lead to intense feelings of isolation, rejection, and despair, which could possibly lead to suicidal behavior. Youth suicide is typically a result of multiple contributing factors and the majority of children who are bullied do not commit suicide.
As bullying has recently been accepted as a common problem among today’s youth, prevention has also become a critical goal for parents and school officials. As a parent, teacher, or guardian, it is important to form healthy lines of communication with children at an early age and continue to foster that relationship as they reach pre-teen and teenage years. Get to know their peers and understand their daily routines so that red flags can be easily recognized.
Adults should explain bullying to children so they understand and are able to recognize it, in order to stand up to it in an appropriate manner. Teaching young people to use light-hearted conversation when they are feeling threatened can help to diffuse many situations. Additionally, being direct and firm in a demand for a bully to stop, or simply walking away from the situation can often be effective.
Encourage children to pursue activities they love, so that they develop unshakeable self-confidence and form strong bonds with other like-minded friends to help protect from bullying. Also, teach children to show kindnesses to others who they feel are being bullied. Let them know it is safe to speak to a trusted adult about any suspicions they have about bullying among their peers.
Lastly, it is imperative that adults set a positive example of kindness and respect for everyone. Even if it appears they are not paying attention, children are acutely aware of how adults treat others. Adults need to be mindful of this when handling stressful situations and conflicts, as well as when speaking about friends, family, neighbors and colleagues. Being a good role model is one of the most effective ways to help prevent bullying.
Source:
www.stopbullying.gov
