March 2004

Q: Can there be a relationship between bullying and emotional disorders?

A: The relationship between bullying and violence in schools, homes, and communities has been well documented. The impact of bullying can range from school phobia to mass murder. Gender is a factor that influences bullying and aggression. Studies frequently reveal that boys bully and are bullied more often than girls; boys are more likely than girls to engage in physical bullying; and girls are more likely than boys to engage in verbal or relational bullying (Olweus, 1993). Many youth do not "grow out of" their bullying or victimization role. These roles are often persistent and associated with severe emotional and behavior problems. Both perpetrators and targets of school aggression are, respectively, at risk for incarceration, oppositional defiant/conduct disorders, anxiety and depression-suicide, and problems in school functioning.

Bullying Defined

Bullying is most commonly characterized by the following three criteria:

1) Aggressive behavior or intentional 'harmdoing.' This includes physical (i.e., punching, strangling, hair pulling, beating), verbal (i.e., name-calling, teasing, gossiping), emotional/relational (i.e., rejecting, excluding, humiliating, blackmailing, peer pressure), and sexua l aggression (i.e., exhibitionism, sexual propositioning, sexual harassment).

2) Behavior is carried out repeatedly and over time.

3) Behavior occurs within an interpersonal relationship characterized by an imbalance of physical or psychological power (Blueprints, 2004; Hoover & Stenhjem, 2003; TA Center, 2004)

The Facts About Bullying

•  Bullying is the most common form of violence. 3.7 million youth engage in it, and more than 3.2 million are victims of bullying each year.

•  1.2 million youth are both victims of bullies as well as bullies themselves.

•  Since 1992, there have been 250 violent deaths in schools, and bullying has been a factor in almost every school shooting.

•  Direct physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school, and declines in high school. Verbal abuse remains constant across the primary through secondary school years (Hoover & Stenhjem, 2003).

Who is Involved with Bullying?

Bullying tends to involve three groups: bullies , victims, bulley-victims , and bystanders.

•  Bullies : Bullies are likely to be impulsive, hotheaded, easily frustrated, have dominant personalities, have difficulty conforming to rules, and view violence in a positive light (AMA, 2002; Olweus, 1993). Bullies tend not to be socially isolated and they have average or above average self-esteem.

Research has revealed several negative long-term effects associated with bullies:

•  Antisocial or delinquent behaviors such as vandalism, shoplifting, truancy, and frequent drug use

•  Antisocial behavior patterns that continue into young adulthood

•  Greater likelihood to drink, smoke, and perform poorly in school than non-bullies

•  One in four boys who bully will have a criminal record by age 30 (AMA, 2002)

•  Victims : Bullies tend to target peers who are vulnerable (Hoover & Stenhjem, 2003). Passive victims, the most commonly bullied group, tend to be cautious, insecure, sensitive, feel socially isolated and lonely, and have difficulty asserting themselves among peers.

Research has revealed negative effects of bullying on the victim, such as:

•  Short-term depression, anxiety, loneliness, and difficulties with school work

•  Low self-esteem and long-term depression (AMA, 2002; TA Center, 2004)

•  Bully-Victims : Bully-victims (also referred to as provocative victims) are children who are both bullies and recipients of bullying. They possess many of the social-emotional problems of passive victims, such as social isolation and insecurity, but they also display behavioral problems of bullies, such as being quick-tempered, aggressive, and retaliatory. These children tend to do poorly in school and to engage in problem behaviors, such as smoking and drinking (AMA, 2002; Nansel et. al, 2001).

•  Bystander : The vast majority of youth are neither bullies nor victims, but fall into the category of bystander. This group includes everyone, other than the bully and victim, who is present during a bullying incident. Though not directly involved with the incident, the bystander may experience such negative feelings of fear, guilt, and helplessness (TA Center, 2004).

According to a bystander focus group study conducted by Terry Baugh (2003), 7th- and 8th-grade youth made the following claims in regard to bullying:

•  Bullying happens all the time;

•  Bullying happens to everyone;

•  Youth who are viewed as different are targeted as victims;

•  They (bystanders) do not intervene because of fear;

•  They have a desire to not be involved;

•  They feel helpless; and

•  It's fun.

What Can Friends and Family Do?

•  Take seriously youth, teacher, and community concerns and complaints about youth bullying or being bullied.

•  Talk with teachers and school administrators about developing schoolwide interventions to stop bullying.

•  Role model assertive behavior.

What Can Schools/Communities Do?

•  Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

•  Families and Schools Together (FAST Track)

•  Bullying Prevention Program

What Can Clinicians Do?

•  Two-parent training programs: Living with Children , based on Patterson's and Guillions manual, and Problem Solving Skills Training by S. Spaccarelli, S. Coller and D. Penman;

•  Cognitive behavioral approaches , including: Multisystemic Therapy by Scott Hengyeler; Anger Coping Therapy by Lochman and Lochman; Assertiveness Training by Huey and Rank; Delinquency Prevention Program by Tremblay and Vitaro; Rational Emotive Therapy by Block; Videotape Modeling Parent Training by Webster-Stratton; or Parent-Child Interaction Therapy by Eyberg and McNeil.

References

American Medical Association (2002, May). Educational forum on adolescent health: Youth bullying : Chicago, IL: Author.

Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do . Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, Inc.

Hoover, J. & Stenhjem, P. (2003). Bullying and teasing of youth with disabilities: Creating positive school environments for effective inclusion. National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, 2 (3). Available at: http://www.ncset.org/publications/printresource.asp?id=1332 .

Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. Blueprints for violence prevention. Retrieved January, 2004 from www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/index.html .

The National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Drug Prevention and School Safety Program Coordinators (2004). Exploring the nature and prevention of bullying. Online event: February 2-6, 2004. Available at   http://www.k12coordinator.org/events.cfm .

Baugh, T. (2003). Bullying: Roles, rules, and coping tools to break the cycle. Bystander Focus Groups . Washington, DC.

Office of the Surgeon General (2001). Youth violence: A report of the Surgeon General . Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services.

Feller, B. (2003, December). U.S. frames bullying as health issue. The Associated Press . Retrieved January 23, 2004, from http://www.psycport.com/stories/ap_2003_12_07_-----_1653-0159-Bullying..xml.html .

Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. Journal of American Medical Association , 284 (16): 2094-100.