CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. School Bullying: What It Is and Why It Hurts
2. The Role of Bullies, Victims, and Witnesses
3. Factors Contributing to Bullying and Violence
4. Screening and Assessment
5. Treatment For Children and Adolescents
6. Prevention and Intervention
7. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Case Studies
Fact Sheets
References
Resources

The ABCs of Bullying
Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression

The Consequences of Bullying

Research on bullying is still in the embryonic stages in this country. However, available figures indicate that school bullying can have major social, educational, health, and other consequences for the children who bully, the children who are bullied, the witnesses of violence, and their communities:

• Youth who are bullied have higher rates of suicide, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse.ref
• Hostile kids who mistrust others are much more likely than their peers to develop physical symptoms linked to diabetes and heart attacks in the future.ref
• Youth who bully others frequently behave badly in school and are more likely to smoke and drink alcohol.ref
• According to the latest Secret Service Safe School Initiative, almost 75 percent of students who used violent weapons at school (e.g., guns or knives) to attack others felt persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked, or injured by others prior to the incident.ref

Bullying and Violence

A groundbreaking report published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in 2003ref found that bullying at home or at school may lead to more aggressive behavior as the child gets older. The report analyzed information from a 1998 survey of more than 15,000 students in grades 6-10 in public and private schools across the United States. The report identified bullying as a strong risk factor for possible violence in the future. Among those who pose the greatest risk for violence are bullies who often feel threatened themselves.

The study found that both children who bully and those who are bullied carry weapons to schools:

• About 50 percent of boys and 30 percent of girls who had bullied others in school reported carrying a weapon.
• Thirty-six percent of boys and 15 percent of girls who had been bullied carried a weapon.
• Youth who are bullied and who also bully others away from school were nearly 16 times more likely to carry a weapon.

The short-term consequences of bullying for the victim are more than a black eye from a fight or a damaged reputation from an e-mail message. Those who are bullied feel tense and afraid and unable to concentrate on their studies. However, available figures indicate that bullying is coming at tremendous health, educational, and other costs to society.