Health Resource Center

BULLYING

Bullying among children is a serious problem. It is estimated that 30 percent of children and youth in grades six through 10 have been involved with some aspect of moderate-to-frequent bullying, either as a bully, the target of bullying, or both, during a school semester, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. When a child bullies another child, the verbal, physical, and emotional abuse can cause lasting effects. Unfortunately, this type of abuse is often overlooked or trivialized because children or adolescents are the perpetrators. Bullying brings real psychological and social consequences for those who are being bullied and for those who are bullying.

Health Politics and the American Medical Association Alliance, which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Stop America's Violence Everywhere (SAVE) program, have partnered to bring you the following tips, tools, and information about bullying. The more you know, the more you can help.

What is Bullying?

Many young people have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional, repeated over time, and involves an imbalance of power or strength. Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Types of bullying include:

  • Physical (such as pushing or hitting)
  • Verbal (such as name-calling or threats)
  • Psychological and emotional (such as spreading rumors or excluding others from conversations and activities)

There are many ways that young people bully each other, even if they don't realize it at the time.

Unfortunately, not everyone takes bullying seriously, which is one of the main reasons that a Youth Expert Panel, made up of kids from across the United States, has worked alongside representatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau to develop the Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop Bullying Now! campaign. From the campaign's Web site, adults can find out more about the effects of bullying, and kids can explore a variety of anti-bullying resources including cartoons and a quiz to find out if they've ever bullied someone.

According to the Safe Child Program, bullying is not unlike other forms of victimization and abuse in that it involves:

  • differing emotional tones -- the victim will be upset whereas the bully is cool and in control
  • blaming the victim for what has happened
  • lack of concern on the part of the bully for the feelings and concerns of the victim
  • a lack of compassion

What Can You Do to Help Prevent/Stop Bullying?

The AMA Alliance's SAVE program recognizes that everyone deserves a safe place to learn and grow. To SAVE a community from violence, everyone must work together. Below are a few suggestions of what students, parents, and community leaders can do to help stop bullying, and a more comprehensive list of tips can be found in the SAVE Planning Guide, available online.

Students can…

  • Report any crime or suspicions immediately to school authorities or police.
  • Learn how to manage anger effectively. Find ways to settle arguments without physical force. Help others to do the same by creating a peer mediation group.
  • Become a peer counselor, working with classmates who need support and help with problems.
  • Mentor a younger student or welcome new students. As a role model and friend, make it easier for a younger person or new student to adjust to school and ask for help.

Parents can…

  • Recognize that keeping firearms in your home may put you at legal risk as well as expose you and your family to physical harm. If you do choose to keep firearms in your home, be sure that they are securely locked, that ammunition is locked and stored separately, and that children know weapons are never to be touched without your express permission and supervision.
  • Take an active role in your children's school. Talk regularly with teachers and volunteer in the classroom or in after-school activities.
  • Act as a role model. Settle your own conflicts peacefully and manage anger without violence.
  • Communicate clearly and explain that you do not accept and won't tolerate violent behavior. Answer questions thoughtfully and listen to children's ideas and concerns.

Community leaders can…

  • Develop an anti-violence competition, including speech, dance, painting, acting and other creative arts. Get the children to help suggest prizes and make it a community celebration.
  • Adopt a school. Help students, faculty and staff promote a sense of community in the school and with the larger community through involvement in a wide range of programs and activities.
  • Provide anger management, stress relief and conflict resolution training for your employees. They can help build an anti-violence climate at home, at school and in the community.
  • Speak up in support of funding and effective implementation of programs and other resources that help schools develop violence prevention strategies.


The AMA Alliance has developed several anti-bullying teaching tools, including the "I Can Handle Bullies" activity book and "Hands Are Not For Hitting" activity book and place mat, available for purchase at http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2160.html.



The Caring for Every Child's Mental Health Campaign also has suggestions for what parents and caregivers can do to help children not take part in - or become victims of - bullying. Children can be taught to assert themselves effectively. Caring adults can:

  • Demonstrate assertive behavior.
  • Teach children to ask for things directly and respond directly to each other. It is OK to say "no" to an unacceptable demand. Let children role-play with puppets or dolls.
  • Teach social skills. Suggest ways for children to compromise or to express their feelings in a positive way. Show children how to resolve problems firmly and fairly.
  • Identify potential friendship problems and correct them. Teach children how to ignore routine teasing. Not all provocative behavior must be acknowledged. Teach children the value of making new friends.
  • Identify ways to respond to bullies. Help children identify acts of aggression, bossiness, or discrimination. Encourage children not to give up objects or territory to bullies. This discourages bullying behavior.

The Caring for Every Child's Mental Health Campaign is part of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program of the federal Center for Mental Health Services. Parents and caregivers who wish to learn more about this organization can call 1-800-789-2647 or visit the Web site at http://www.mentalhealth.org/child to download a free publications catalog.

Do You Know a Bully or a Child Being Bullied?

Signs a child may be having trouble with bullying (according to the Patient Page of the Journal of the American Medical Association), he or she:

  • Avoids certain situations, people, or places, such as pretending to be sick so that he or she does not have to go to school
  • Demonstrates changes in behavior, such as being withdrawn and passive, being overly active and aggressive, or being self-destructive
  • Cries frequently or feels sad
  • Shows signs of low self-esteem
  • Is unwilling to speak or shows signs of fear when asked about certain situations, people, or places
  • Shows signs of injuries
  • Suddenly receives lower grades or shows signs of learning problems
  • Recurrent unexplained physical symptoms such as stomach pains and fatigue

What do you do when your bullied child confides in you? The National Crime Prevention Council says:

  • Take your child's complaints of bullying seriously. Probing a seemingly minor complaint may uncover more severe grievances.
  • Tell the school or organization immediately if you think your child is being bullied. Alerted caregivers can carefully monitor your child's actions and take steps to ensure his or her safety.
  • Work with other parents in your neighborhood. This strategy can ensure that children are supervised closely on their way to and from school.
  • Teach your child nonviolent ways to resolve arguments.
  • Teach your child self-protection skills. These skills include how to walk confidently, staying alert to what's going on around him or her and standing up for himself or herself verbally.
  • Help your child learn the social skills needed to make friends. A confident, resourceful child who has friends is less likely to be bullied or to bully others.
  • Praise your child's kindness toward others. Let him or her know that kindness is valued.
  • Don't bully your child yourself, physically or verbally. Use nonphysical, consistently enforced discipline measures as opposed to ridiculing, yelling or ignoring your child when he or she misbehaves.

The Department of Health and Human Services' Stop Bullying Now! campaign provides information on what to do when you see or hear bullying. Below are basic tips, but longer explanations and other materials can be found at the Web site:

  • Immediately stop the bullying: Stand between the child(ren) who bullied and those who were bullied, preferably blocking eye contact between them. Don't send any students away- especially bystander(s). Don't immediately ask about or discuss the reason for the bullying or try to sort out the facts.
  • Refer to the bullying behavior and to the relevant school rules against bullying. Use a matter-of-fact tone of voice to state what behaviors you saw/heard.
  • Support the bullied child in a way that allows him/her to regain self-control, to "save face," and to feel supported and safe from retaliation.
  • Include any bystanders in the conversation and give them guidance about how they might appropriately intervene or get help next time.
  • If appropriate, impose immediate consequences for students who bully others. Do not require students to apologize or make amends during the heat-of-the-moment (everyone should have time to cool off). All consequences should be logical-and connected to the offense.
  • Do not require the students to meet and "work things out." Unlike conflicts, bullying involves a power imbalance which means this strategy will not work.

Warning Signs and Risk Factors

Risk Factors for Bullying Peers

There are individual, familial, peer, and school factors that can place a youth at risk for participating in bullying behavior. Generally, boys are much more likely to engage in bullying behavior than girls. Girls who bully are less likely to be physically abusive than boys are. Although most bullying occurs between students in the same grade, older students sometimes bully younger students. The University of Colorado's Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence has identified the below risk factors related to bullying:

Individual Risk Factors:

  • impulsive, hot-headed, dominant personality lacking empathy
  • difficulty conforming to rules and low frustration tolerance
  • positive attitudes toward violence
  • physically aggressive
  • gradually decreasing interest in school (achievement)

Family Risk Factors:

  • lack of parental warmth and involvement
  • overly-permissive or excessively harsh discipline/physical punishment by parents
  • lack of parental supervision

Peer Risk Factors:

  • friends/peers with positive attitudes toward violence
  • exposure to models of bullying

School Risk Factors:

  • lack of supervision during breaks (e.g., lunchrooms, playgrounds, hallways, locker rooms, and bathrooms)
  • unsupervised interactions between different grade levels during breaks
  • indifferent or accepting teacher attitudes toward bullying
  • indifferent or accepting student attitudes toward bullying
  • inconsistent enforcement of the rules

Risk Factors for Being Bullied by Peers

Individual Risk Factors:

  • cautious, sensitive, insecure personality
  • difficulty asserting themselves among peers
  • physical weakness (particularly in boys)

Family Risk Factors:

  • over-protection by parents (possibly)

Peer Risk Factors:

  • lack of close friends

School Risk Factors:

  • presence of aggressive students in same or slightly higher grade
  • lack of supervision during breaks
  • indifferent or accepting teacher attitudes toward bullying
  • indifferent or accepting student attitudes toward bullying
  • uneven, inconsistent enforcement of the rules

Child Violence Prevention Resources

North American Anti-Bullying Hotline ………..………….…………..1- 877-443-9943
National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center …………1-866-SAFEYOUTH
KidsPeace Helpline ……………………………………………………1-800-334-4KID
National Child Abuse Hotline …………………………………………1-800-4-A-CHILD
National Youth Crisis Hotline …………………………………………1-800-HIT-HOME