Comprehensive solutions, not patches
Bullying is a phenomenon that happens to people of all ages, but school-age children are particularly susceptible, according to statistics compiled by the National Association of School Psychologists.
More than 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year and close to 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying. The American Psychological Association states that 70 percent of all high school students said they have been bullied.
Dr. Barzanna White is the system school psychologist for Caddo Parish Public Schools and a certified trainer for the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. White said, “Unfortunately, bullying has been around for a long time. Bullying is usually seen as real or perceived aggressive, negative and unwanted behavior from an individual or individuals that are repeated over time. In other words, it is a pattern of behavior, not necessarily a one-time event.”
White said, “Today, bullying can take place anywhere – at work, at school, in the neighborhood or in the community. Bullying behavior can take many forms such as verbal, emotional and physical abuse and can be carried out by both adults and children. By the time we reach adulthood, we would hope that adults have learned better coping mechanisms besides belittling and being aggressive to others, but this is not always the case.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services divides bullying up into three main types: verbal, social/relational or physical.
Verbal bullying includes:
• Teasing • Name-calling
• Inappropriate sexual comments
• Taunting, and
• Threatening to cause harm.
Social or relational bullying, which hurts someone’s reputation or relationships:
• Leaving someone out on purpose,
• Telling other children not to be friends with someone,
• Spreading rumors about someone, and
• Embarrassing someone in public.
Physical bullying – harming a person’s body or possessions,
• Hitting, kicking or pinching
• Spitting on them
• Tripping or pushing and
• Taking or breaking someone’s things.
With the advent of the Internet and burgeoning new electronic media, cyberbullying is a new term that has come about, which describes bullying that takes place using electronic technology and which may include both verbal and social types of bullying, according to HHS. Examples of cyberbullying HHS lists include intentionally cruel or humiliating text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites or fake profiles.
Although being bullied can usually be tied to one or more of these risk factors, it does not necessarily follow that the risk factors will necessarily lead to bullying.
White advocates a comprehensive, longterm solution to the bullying problem. “Just adding posters on the wall or talking about bullying once every year, I call these onetime shots or train-and-hope models, and they don’t have long-term success. Instead, it takes a slow and steady delivery of services year after year to be successful.”
“There are many wonderful programs on the market that address bullying,” White said. In Caddo Parish, we use a variety of programs, including Olweus at various sites. Some others include Second Step, Steps to Respect, Project Northland, Class Action, Character Education, Check and Connect, Stop Bullying Now, etc.”
The NIH suggests that parents look for any of the following signs of bullying:
• Depression, loneliness or anxiety,
• Low self-esteem,
• Headaches, stomachaches, tiredness or poor eating habits,
• Missing school, disliking school or a drop in school performance,
• Self-destructive behaviors,
• Thoughts of suicide,
• Unexplained injuries,
• Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics or jewelry,
• Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares, and
• Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations.
White said, “We have policies in place that address bullying, but it must go beyond that if we want real change to occur. If any faculty member sees students engaging in types of behavior that they would consider bullying, they must act immediately. They should also check with other teachers to see if this student has engaged in this type of behavior with others before this incident. And a consequence should follow. Administration should also call the parents of the child that was targeted.
“If a parent feels that their child is being bullied, they should contact school administration first. Give them an opportunity to resolve the situation before they involve central office staff. They can also work with their child at home.”
