October is National Bullying Prevention Month
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about the impact of bullying. The Centers for Disease Control reports that bullying remains a widespread problem, with 20% of high school students asserting that they were bullied last year. As both a parent and psychiatrist, I know the significant impact that bullying can have on a young person’s mental, physical and emotional well-being.
Because children who are bullied don’t always speak up or report it, parents should recognize the different types of bullying, both in-person and cyber bullying, and also be aware of warning signs that their child is being bullied. Additionally, parents should watch for signs to determine if their own child is acting as a bully.
What are the different types of bullying?
It’s important to recognize that there are three types of bullying: physical, emotional or verbal, and social. Knowing these can help you determine whether your child is a victim of bullying.
- Physical bullying involves inflicting bodily harm by punching, kicking, tripping, etc. It may also include the bully taking or breaking their target’s belongings and making rude gestures.
- Emotional or verbal bullying involves name-calling, teasing, taunting, or threatening.
- Social bullying typically involves spreading rumors, exclusion from groups, or embarrassing someone publicly. Social media also plays a large part in what’s known as cyberbullying, which is when the bully posts mean, embarrassing, or false content about someone online or across social media platforms.
How is bullying today different from earlier generations?
A new study shows that while teachers and school administrators are concerned about physical bullying – emotional bullying, cyberbullying, and social bullying have the most impact on feelings of sadness or hopelessness and thoughts of suicide among today's youth. About 5% of students surveyed in the study had attempted suicide in the last year.1
What are the warning signs that your child is being bullied?
These can be some of the signs that your child is being victimized by a bully:
- Frequently comes home from school with injuries
- Is having trouble sleeping
- Cries for seemingly no reason
- Is struggling in class, with dropping or failing grades
- Frequently tries to avoid going to school
- Complains of physical symptoms on school days i.e. headaches, stomach aches or nausea
- Emotional or verbal bullying involves name-calling, teasing, taunting, or threatening.
- Social bullying typically involves spreading rumors, exclusion from groups, or embarrassing someone publicly. Social media also plays a large part in what’s known as cyberbullying, which is when the bully posts mean, embarrassing, or false content about someone online or across social media platforms.
If your child experiences any of these and you believe they are being bullied, have a conversation with them about the incidents, role-play with them to improve their self-confidence, and encourage them to think about the qualities of a good friend. And make sure to tell your child to report any bullying as soon as possible to a trusted adult at school.
What can you do if you think your child is involved in bullying?
If you think your child is bullying others, take your child’s actions seriously. Before things can go further, take these steps address and put a stop to your child’s bullying:
- Reach out to your child’s school to ask them if they are aware of any reported incidents concerning your child and keep them involved.
- Talk to your child about being more sensitive to others’ feelings.
- Start supervising your child’s activities.
- Praise your child when they use kind words and actions.
Kaiser Permanente delivers award-winning pediatricians and pediatric specialists who are committed to keeping your child’s health and development on track. Connected by your child’s medical record, they can track vaccines that are needed, review test results, and medication, and communicate seamlessly with one another to provide both the routine and targeted specialty care your child requires.
Check out the Healthier You podcast hosted by physicians at Kaiser Permanente for more actionable strategies to improve your health and live a fuller life.
Asha Patton-Smith, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente in Virginia.
1 The research analyzed data from the 2018 Iowa Youth Survey of 6th, 8th, and 11th graders to see whether there was a link between bullying and mental health and suicidal ideation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9931156/