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What are the Effects of Bullying?
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
The effects of bullying can be serious and both the child who bullies and is bullied are at long-term risk for a series of negative consequences. This issue is now treated with such seriousness, that in the early part of the 2000s, the American Medical Association came out with stringent guidelines for doctors to look for the symptoms of children being bullied in order to intervene early. Yet one thing has become particularly clear, and that is that less obvious bullying behavior is not always recognized. Psychological and even online bullying involving simple things like name-calling, may be just as damaging as bullying that threatens violence or demands obedience.
Studies estimate that about a fourth to a third of children will routinely experience bullying. In early school years, children may not be particularly singled out for differences but gender, ethnic, and sexual preference related bullying becomes more common in older kids. The figure of those affected is relatively stark; 25% or more of kids will have the experience of being made to feel bad, unwelcome, abnormal, frightened or physically threatened, and possibly injured.
It is not surprising that children begin to manifest effects of bullying in a variety of symptoms. These include higher absenteeism, which makes logical sense for children trying to avoid a negative environment. Younger and older children, and even those outside of school may begin to have significant issues with depression and/or anxiety. In fact, risk for developing long-term mental health issues greatly increases as self-esteem is regularly assaulted.
The very nature of the bullied child may change as part of the effects of bullying. He or she may toughen up, which means often being less sensitive to others. Some kids who are bullied even become bullies. Other children get less aggressive and withdraw from their peers or family.
The effects of bullying are not limited to the children who bully. Allowing kids to bully places them at high risk for poor social adjustment later in life. Though statistics do not agree on this matter, there is a small to large potential for children who act in this manner to act criminally at a later point.
Bully behavior also suggests poor parenting with less attention than is useful to development. Correcting that behavior and the situations from which it arises early may be a saving grace to all involved. It’s also been posited that the bully model may not be accurate, and that children in well-adjusted families can become bullies and are less often suspected of this behavior.
The trouble with the effects of bullying is that even schools do not always note it. Certain things that seem overt get banned, but there are many insidious ways in which one child or group can bully another child. Cyber bullying has proven to be one of these areas, and simply flinging constant, but not swear word, insults at someone else is another method of bullying. These “softer” bullying forms prove not to be much less damaging that more recognizable forms of bullying; yet many schools draw a line at prohibiting the overt bully behavior and don’t always catch more subtle actions.
Tricia Christensen
Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.
Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.
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![Children who become withdrawn may be victims of bullying.]()
By: auremarChildren who become withdrawn may be victims of bullying. -
![Victims of bullying are likely to become depressed.]()
By: AlexandreNunesVictims of bullying are likely to become depressed. -
![Cyber bullying has many of the same effects as other forms of harassment.]()
By: creative soulCyber bullying has many of the same effects as other forms of harassment. -
![Bullying may include sending or receiving harmful text messages.]()
By: Maksim KostenkoBullying may include sending or receiving harmful text messages. -
![The very nature of the bullied child may change as a result of being bullied.]()
By: stefanolunardiThe very nature of the bullied child may change as a result of being bullied. -
![Bullying can cause low self-esteem in children.]()
By: godferBullying can cause low self-esteem in children. -
![Many incidents of online bullying start out as incidents of real life bullying.]()
By: Monkey BusinessMany incidents of online bullying start out as incidents of real life bullying. -
![Bullying might escalate into physical violence.]()
By: Monkey BusinessBullying might escalate into physical violence. -
![Victims of bullying may isolate themselves from others.]()
By: fasphotographicVictims of bullying may isolate themselves from others.
Discussion Comments
Icecream17-The effects of obesity on children are so negative that we really have to help them try to lose weight.
First, not only can children develop diabetes and diseases usually developed by adults, but the cruelty that they receive from other children could be even worse.
They don’t understand that their situation will not always be this painful and the future will be better. Compound that will the despair that these children feel because of the weight that they have to lose really put these children at the highest risks. The effects of bullying on children like these are the most devastating.
The National Youth Violence and Prevention Center offers bullying statistics that are staggering. About 30% of all children in U.S. schools have experience some form of bullying either as the aggressor or as a target of the bullying.
We need to start an anti bullying campaign beginning in the preschool grades, much like the schools do with the Red Ribbon anti drug agenda. If children are conditioned when they are young that this behavior is wrong we might be able to curb the incidents of bullying.
Sneakers41-Sometimes children act out negatively which is part of the effects of divorce. I try to explain what it may be like for the child that had an intact home and now has to visit his or her father on the weekends.
I explain what a difficult transition this is. While I don’t excuse the bullying or name calling of the other child, I do try to make them understand that the bullying has nothing to do with them, so that their self esteem does not get affected.
I think if we educate our children like this they will be less likely to internalize the bullying. However, we do need to have a good relationship with our children in order to find out that this is happening because children don’t always volunteer this information.
If you get in the habit of asking your child how their day went daily, they will often open up and tell you.
Sunshine31- Watching movies in the classroom that clearly demonstrate bullying behavior is a good way to get the children talking about their feelings.
A great movie that pertains to this subject is, “Carissa Takes a Stand”. This is a story about a girl name Chrissa who is bullied in her new school and it shows how she overcame the situation.
If we educate children on why other children do this it may give the victim of the bullying additional perspective that will allow them not to personalize the bullying like most children do.
I often tell my children that when another child is nasty or not nice, I tell them that the child is somehow “broken” and that there is a piece of them that is missing which is why they act out.
Negative effects of bullying on children results in reduced self esteem and self worth. Often the effects of bullying on victims can lead to poor grades and a feeling of despair that life may not get better.
The dangers in the effects of childhood bullying are that children do not have the capacity yet to develop perspective in life. Since their lives have been limited thus far they assume that the torment will continue forever.
Some children tragically are so consumed with this torment that they end their lives. I think that we should make anti bullying a part of every school curriculum and make it a requirement for all teachers who get certified.
All schools should have psychological services available to children who feel that they are threatened.
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