The Effects of Bullying on Children
Bullying is an epidemic that has plagued the children in our society for decades. According to Pacer.org, about 20.2%, or one out of every five children in the United States, has reported being bullied at some point during their time in public school. This includes not only physical bullying but verbal and cyberbullying as well. Of the children who reported being bullied, 23% of them sought out psychiatric help before the age of 30. Adolescent bullying has a multitude of harmful and long-lasting effects on victims that are not talked about enough or properly dealt with.
There are tons of effects bullying can cause a victim. However, some of the most prevalent are depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and even the contemplation or action of suicide.
The most common effects on children after being bullied are depression and anxiety. The two often go hand in hand, as they are a way for children to cope with the situation. Unfortunately, the signs of depression or anxiety can often fly under a person's radar and go unnoticed for a long period of time. Children who are bullied may develop a sense of irritability or a withdrawn personality. These are/ can be symptoms of adolescent depression or anxiety. And in extreme cases of bullying, research shows that anxiety can develop into Acute Stress Disorder or even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. And depression can worsen over time with or without the help of a psychiatrist.
"Having a low self-esteem from bullying can have an impact on mental health and can also affect young people later on in their lives," writes Andy Martin, from Stonebridge University. He also states that, "Low self-esteem leads to becoming socially anxious and feeling withdrawn from others..." While low self-esteem does not look so bad in comparison to depression or suicide, it can still be very damaging. Children who have false images of themselves due to bullying often start with self-esteem problems and develop other issues along the way.
Over 4,000 young people commit suicide each year because of altercations or involvement in bullying. People who have been bullied are 2-9 times more likely to have either contemplated suicide or attempted. Bullying is one of the biggest causes of suicide in children from the ages 10-14. However, even children under the age of 10, and to as young as 5 years old, have attempted suicide, or succeeded. In the last thirty years, suicide rates among those ages have risen over 50%.
It is easy to put down others for the way they cope with a traumatic event, and people often believe that victims of bullying are overreacting. Some may argue that bullying is a part of childhood, and that it is detrimental in making a person emotionally stronger. And while that may be true for some individuals, most statistics show that bullying is extremely harmful to children. Furthermore, this way of perceiving bullying undermines the victim's trauma and pushes past the mental, or physical, effects it may have on the person.
More than 100,000 kids resent going to school each day because they fear other students. They are missing out on their education because they are afraid of being bullied. Those same kids are the ones who end up contemplating suicide, or in extreme cases contemplate hurting, or killing, other students. A study by the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center showed that a majority of school shooters were, infect, bullied in school. With proper violence protection programs or anti-bullying programs in schools, some of those tragedies could have been prevented. Those programs could also help prevent future threats, by aiding to the individual before they make it to the point of no return.
Regardless of age, bullying is damaging to oneself, and our school systems in America have hardly recognized that. While public schools do have counselors for students to talk with, it can be intimidating to actually bring themselves to speak with them. Allowing students, the options to speak anonymously or within groups of other students who are experiencing the same things, would be more beneficial and less menacing. It might also be very beneficial to implement more assemblies against bullying into school calendars. Having guest speakers and hearing the stories of adults who had been bullied in their youth or hearing from the parents of children who had been bullied, would be a great way to relate back to the students and allow them to reflect on their actions. Something like this might also encourage students to speak up, or speak out, against the bullying they have endured.
It is important to know the signs of bullying and how you can prevent it from happening. Noticing changes in the behavior of your children/ other children can stop long-term effects ahead of time. Creating a safe space for your children to speak about their experiences is also very advantageous. If your child is not comfortable speaking about an issue to you, consider getting them a therapist or having them speak with someone they are comfortable around. Getting their problems off their chests and seeking advice can prove to be very helpful. It is also important to create a positive environment for your children to be in, words of affirmation can often relieve a person of stress or help them get through their troubles. Remind your children that they are not alone and that you are there to help them.
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