Is your child the victim of school bullying? One in four American children face some form of bullying on a persistent basis. 160,000 children in the U.S. miss school on any given day due to being bullied. Bullying can take many forms. Some involves being attacked by physical force. Other forms of bullying are not physical but in some ways even more harmful: verbal abuse, isolation, and rumor spreading are among these. Studies of school-age children over the years have discovered that bullying can have devastating effects on children.
Mental Effects of bullying
Children who are bullied are more prone to develop mental disorders such as anxiety and depression and have low self-esteem. The damage to these children’s sense of self-worth can impede their progress later on in life. For example, a child may grow up to be an adult who is highly introverted because he automatically always expects to be attacked.
Physical Effects of bullying
Aside from the bruises and cuts that come from being physically assaulted, kids who are bullied often suffer from stress related illnesses such as stomachaches and headaches. In addition, their immune systems may be weaker, causing an increase in common childhood illnesses.
Poor Academic Performance
Children who are bullied often experience a lower GPA and do less well on standardized tests. This is in partially due to the fact that many bullied kids miss school to avoid their tormentors and in part because they view school and school related activities as a source of emotional pain. 15% of all school absences are directly the result of children fearing bullies. Mediocre grades may mean fewer possibilities for advancement.
Increased Risk of Violent Behavior
Following the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre, in which thirteen people were killed and twenty-four wounded, the U.S. Secret Service investigation discovered that the two students who had committed these atrocious acts had been the victims of severe bullying and that it served as a significant motive for a majority of the attacks. In addition, other studies have shown that bullying may lead to desensitization toward violent behavior in children.
Help Your Child
You may feel helpless to do anything for your child to assist him or her with getting past bullying at school. The worst thing you can do, however, is nothing. Eighty-five percent of all bullying incidents result in no substantive action by persons in authority. One of the best ways you can help your child is to encourage him or her to talk to about the bullying and be supportive of him or her. It is important that your child knows that you are on his or her side.
Another avenue that may be helpful in assisting your child overcome bullying is hypnotherapy. It gives your child the opportunity to process and eliminate negative emotions in a safe environment. In addition, I can help your child bolster his or her self-esteem. If the bullying is just a bad memory that keeps impacting his or her ability to make new friends, I can help your child to let go of what happened and help their minds anticipate having healthy relationships with others.
Bullying in school is very common and most kids will experience it to one degree or another. Evidence shows that it can be very damaging to children if it is prolonged and severe. The sooner you act to help your child stop being bullied the better off your child will be. I can be reached at 310-720-7786.
Sources:
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/school-bullying-statistics.html
http://urbandojo.com/2010/06/09/how-to-prevent-bullying-part-1-bullying-statistics/
http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/factors/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying