Written by Dr. Sanjana V.B Bhms,dbrm,cdn

Founder & medical director of siahmsr wellness.in

All rights reserved with siahmsr digital healthcare[siahmsr wellness]

Reviewed by SIAHMSR medical team.

  Bullying and its impact on children as well as adults is an emerging mental health problem with varying intensities.  Bullying happens in offices, homes and schools.   Various study reports show that in schools children as well as teachers are victims of bullying. The consequences of bullying are terrible and depression and suicide often come out as its most detrimental impact on young generation.

According to CDC [ Center for disease control &prevention ] about one in five high school students reported being bullied on school property in the last year. More than one in six high school students reported being bullied electronically in the past year including through texting and social media.

What is bullying?

Bulling happens in almost all part of the world. Across the globe bullying encompasses a wide range of types, frequencies and aggression levels, ranging from teasing and name calling to physical, verbal and social abuse.

CDC defines bullying as any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or current dating partners. It involves an observed or perceived power imbalance, and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated.

Bullying may inflict harm or distress on the victim including physical, psychological, social, or educational harm.

There is substantial regional variation in the prevalence of bullying across the world, ranging from 22.8% of children being victimized in Central America, through 25.0% and 31.7% in Europe and North America, respectively, to 48.2% in sub-Saharan Africa. There is also significant geographical variation in the type of bullying reported, with direct physical and sexual bullying being dominant in low-income and middle-income countries, and indirect bullying being the most frequent type in high-income regions.

                                  SIAHMSR                                                    

Types of bullying & characteristics

     Two large-scale international surveys regularly conducted by the WHO—the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS)13 and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study14—provide data from 144 countries regarding the nature of bullying. The data obtained from these studies show that :

Boys are more likely to experience direct physical bullying; girls are more likely to experience direct verbal and indirect bullying.

Boys are more likely to be perpetrators of direct physical bullying, while girls are more likely to be perpetrators of indirect and emotional bullying.

Girls are more likely than boys to experience bullying based on physical appearance.

Physical and learning disability is associated with increased risk of being bullied.

Bullying based on race, nationality or colour is the second most frequent reason for bullying reported by children.

Both sexes are victims of bullying in various forms- direct physical, direct verbal and indirect bullying.

 Cyber bullying is another serious kind of bullying happening worldwide, which has led to many suicidal deaths  particularly in adolescent  age group.

Warning signs to suspect bullying

If a child is suffering silently from bullying he or she may show some signs which can make the parent suspicious of bullying happening in school premises. The warning signs include:

·       Unexplained injuries on the body of child.

·       Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry.

·       Frequent headaches or stomachaches, feeling sick, or faking illness.

·       Difficulty in sleeping or frequent nightmares.

·       Poor performance in schools, loss of interest in going to school.

Impact of bullying

   Bullying affects both the bullies and victims. Various studies point out the fact that those who bully others suffer from many physical and mental issues. Impact of bullying on children is more profound as this age is emotionally very vulnerable. In bullying the victims suffer more.

Impact of bullying on children include:

·       Low self esteem

·       Depression

·       Aggressive behaviour

·       Depression

·       Stress

·       Emotional instability

·       Suicide

·       Physical diseases – headache, palpitations, gastric ailments.

·       Poor academic performances

·       Sleep and memory problems

·       Social withdrawal

·       Post traumatic stress disorder

·       Drug & alcohol abuse

In adults also bullying causes devastating impacts such as depression, anxiety, poor work efficiency, sleep problems ,social withdrawal , low self esteem , drug or alcohol abuse and suicidal attempts.

How to address bullying ?

   Bullying prevention is vital for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. There is substantial evidence that bullying happening during childhood or adolescence may lead to the development of mental health issues later in life, including depression, anxiety and suicidal tendency. Therefore, prevention as well as management of impact of bullying in children is crucial. Frequently bullied adolescents are twice as likely to develop depression in early adulthood compared with non-victimized adolescents.

1.    Educate your child about appropriate behaviour and ettiquettes. Teach your child to act and speak with respect , kindness ,humility and confidence.

2.    Offer the victims of bullying with emotional support and emboldening them to how to respond to bullying. Parents as well as school workers ,staff can do much in this matter.

3.    Report the issue to an authority as early as possible.

4.    Bullying in schools needs inviting the attention of teachers into this matter.

5.     Counselling the bullies as well as victims is vital to prevent its frequent occurrence.

6.    Family support and communication can be an important protective factor.

7.    Educate health professionals about the consequences of childhood bullying and provide training and resources to allow identification, appropriate management and timely referral of such cases.

8.    In schools bullying prevention requires whole-school cooperative learning interventions.

9.    Increase awareness of the presentation[ signs& symptoms] and impacts of bullying on child health among primary care professionals.

10.Encourage kids to do what they love so they can build confidence and make friends.

   School-based interventions have been shown to significantly reduce bullying behaviour in children and adolescents. The most widely adopted approach is the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme (OBPP), a comprehensive, school-wide programme designed to reduce bullying and achieve better peer relations among school-aged children. However, its outcome is mixed.

Cooperative learning, in which teachers increase opportunities for positive peer interaction through carefully structured, group-based learning activities in schools, is an alternative approach to bullying prevention

 Written by dr sanjana vb [copyright]

References

1.    https://www.cdc.gov/youth-violence/about/about-bullying.html#:~:text=CDC%20defines%20bullying%20as%20any%20unwanted%20aggressive%20behavior,times%20or%20is%20highly%20likely%20to%20be%20repeated.

2.    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7957129/#s2

3.    .UNESCO . Behind the numbers: ending school violence and bullying, 2019. Available: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000366483 [Accessed 27 Nov 2020].

4.    https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/non-explicit-image-child-abuse_94965166.htm#fromView=search&page=1&positio