Bullying is “Attack or intimidation with the intention to cause fear, distress, or harm that is either physical (hitting, punching), verbal (name calling, teasing), or psychological/relational (rumors, social exclusion);” (CDC, 2011)
Today there’s a new form of bullying ,“Bullying can occurthrough technology (electronic aggression, or cyber bullying).” (CDC, 2013)
Bullying is becoming more prevalent as “about 28 percent of 12- to 18-year-old students reported they were bullied at school in the previous six months” (Healthy Children, 2013)
More evidence proves this as “a 2009 nationwide survey, about 20% of high school students reported being bullied on school property” (CDC, 2013)
The impacts of bullying are both physical and psychological like “physical injury, social problems, emotional problems, and even death.” (National Institutes of Health, 2012)
The physical effects of bullying include, “headaches, stomach pains or sleeping problems” (MESPA, nd)
Psychologically the effects include, “struggling to hold down a regular job, and poor social relationships” (Mikulak, 2013) which manifest themselves even in adulthood.
What causes bullying? “Children who bully may be older or bigger than their victim, or they may have some other advantage which gives them a sense of power.” (NSPCC, 2011)
The home environment also plays a huge part, “they may have had a difficult upbringing in which they have learned aggressive behaviors.”(NSPC,2011)
Children from aggressive homes where there is no empathy and compassion are likely to become bullies.Also children that get bullied at home are likely to bully others so as to feel better about themselves.
The victims of bullying are not only students, “when bullying continues and a school does not take action, the entire school climate can be affected.”(Violence Prevention Works, 2013)
“Such schools often develop an environment of fear and disrespect. “(Violence Prevention Works, 2013)
The students also develop learning problems; they are fearful and even dislike school
Bullying is a national problem that needs to be solved urgently through the cooperation of all stakeholders.
References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. (2011). Understanding Bullying: Fact Sheet.
Retrieved 31October, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/Bullying_Factsheet-a.pdf
Healthy Children. (2013). Bullies Beat Down Self Esteem. Retrieved 31 October, 2013
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Bullies-Beat-Down-Self-Esteem.aspx
MESPA. (n.d). The Impact of Bullying on Students and Schools. Retrieved 31 October, 2013
http://www.mespa.net/The_Impact_of_Bullying_on_Students_and_Schools.html
Mikulak, A. (2013). Far From Being Harmless, the Effects of Bullying Last Long Into Adulthood. Retrieved 31October, 2013 from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/far-from-being-harmless-the-effects-of-bullying-last-long-into-adulthood.html
National Institutes of Health. (2012). How Does Bullying Affect Health and Wellbeing?
Retrieved 31 October, 2013 from http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/bullying/conditioninfo/Pages/health.aspx
NSPCC. (2011). Bullying. Retrieved 31 October, 2013 from
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/help-and-advice/worried-about-a-child/online-advice/bullying/bullying-a_wda87098.html
Staffordshire Learning Net. (2013). Bullying and Its Effects. Retrieved 31 October, 2013
http://education.staffordshire.gov.uk/PupilSupport/Anti-Bullying/BullyingEffects/
Violence Prevention Works. (2013). How Bullying Affects Children.
Retrieved 31October, 2013
http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/bullying_effects.page
