In the age of Covit-19 bulliying has been accentuated as a marked ailment that Victimizes many. In a recent report from the office for Juvenile Justice provided results from studies that demonstrated rates in which children suffer Bulliying, the report declared that the rates have remained constant, and data can vary considerably as the victims of Bulliying are often reluctant to report Bulliying. Victims experience inability to advocate for their self’s. This also comes across in the challenges of inadequate practices in data collection and lack of transparency from schools.
Bulliying is found in all levels of education, but its occurrence is heightening in the elementary and high School years currently with the availability of technology this has created the opportunity for those that victimized to engaged in Cyberbullying.
Bulliying varies by gender, race, disabilities, and social economic status (SES) as well as by what groups individuals identify with.
Reports were similar by gender, individuals enduring bulliying experience being threatened with harm or being forced to do things they dint want to, being pushed, physically attacked, shoved, sexually harrased, tripped, teased, excluded, made fun off or the subjects Cyberbullying.
Studies have found that Disadvantaged groups are at Higher risk of victimization compared to those of affluent means. Schools that are in areas were the Social Economic differences are demarcated, foster environments that present higher risks for students being bulliyed.
According to the Juvenile Justice report, research from Gini and Pozzoli 2008, documented Multiple negative associated outcomes with being Bulliyed, the study looked at association between being bulliyed and being a bystander.
Hostile school environments that harbor bulliying not solently affect the individual suffering the bulliying, for the bystanders it creates a school environment of uncertainty and fear.
Associations between bulliying and Psychosomatic problems are found in victimized children bulliyed- victims and bullies are at higher risk to suffer Psychosomatic disorders that manifesting in the body as physical pain and other symptoms. Symptoms resulting from traumatic stress from bulliying may include sleep disorders ailments, headaches, dizziness, stomach pain, ulcers, inattentiveness, unmotivated, withdrawal, night terrors.
Disorders transition into psychological disorders. Psychological stresses can adversely affect individual’s ability to function and learn, and often escalate to antisocial personality disorder, severe Anxiety, depression, panic attacks Loneliness, nervousness, and suicidal tendencies.
According to the study bullied young and bystanders forge a negative association with School environments, victimization also can negatively affect school engagement victims skipping school and performing poorly.
Being bullied also raises the risk of violent tendencies later in life.
According to study’s bullies’ tent to experience fever mental health and social problems, for the victims it increases the risk of suffering mental health and violent tendency’s that can lead to convictions of criminal offences, domestic violence, and substance abuse problems.
Bulliying in childhood and adolescence can have negative consequences that are carried into adulthood. The bullying has lasting consequences that perpetuate cycles of abuse.
According to the report in looking at the predictors of bulliying.
Bulliying occurs in a social context where individuals are engaged in ongoing relationships.
For victims, the strongest predictors of victimization included peer status.
And social competence, increased the likelihood of victimization. Contextual predictors of victimization included positive school climate and community factors both which were negatively correlated with victimization.
The report emphasizes the ineffectiveness of the current methods used to address bulliying.
School Exclusion “Zero Tolerance” and “three strikes and you are out policies.”
Student is identified as a bully and it is excluded from school. This practice promotes the school to prison pipeline.
Remediation is ineffective as expulsions further reinforced antisocial and bulliying behavior. Student is in most need of prosocial interventions that emphasizes involvement at school.
Mediation and conflict resolution practices that imply that both parties are at fault of bulliying, and victims are at fault. This practice further victimizes the target of the bully, enlarging trauma to victim.
Effective practices identify by the report.
Curricular approaches: curricula that has been developed for use in Schools programs explain bullying and its effects, teaching strategies to avoid bulliying, building of social cohesion among students. one example provided is the Kiva Anti bullying a school- based program that is delivered to students in Elementary, Middle, and junior High school. Its goal is to reduced school bulliying and victimization the central aims of the program are to:
Raise awareness towards victims. Increase empathy towards victims.
Promote strategies to support the victims and to support children’s self-efficacy to use the strategies.
Comprehensive approaches
Development and implementation of policy that starts at the executive levels in schools that keep children learning rather than expulsion policy that promote the introduction of victims to the juvenile system.
Trauma informed services and supports that help the victims of bulliying and the victimizer in remediating harmful behaviors that target and victimize.
These included but not limited to classroom – based programs that target the schools’ communities to change school climate and norm. long term fixed strategies to address bulliying in school community and successfully help children develop resilience strategies in handling emotional distress, peer pressure, bulliying, family circumstances peer relationships and integrated recovery from trauma strategies.
• Parent training and engagement.
• Student engagement.
• Student work group.
• Professional training that intel’s science based behavioral interventions and
strategies.
• Professional training in Mental health and trauma managing strategies.
• professional training in effective classroom management.
• Overall student peer interaction and collaboration.
• Ethnocultural exposures of the various groups in schools’ communities.
• Curricula and activities that promote positive experiences with education, peer
relationships and community.
• Preventive programs that engaged school’s community in collaborative
approaches, that promote positive school climate and emphasized prevention, and positive student interactions.
This article is for informational purposes it aims to promote awareness of bulliying and its effects. Information and research derived from public information and recent studies that are publicly available.
Article by Parent Education for Exceptional Children
Parent Education 