Being Bullied: Its Effects on Mental Health in Adolescents

Introduction

Bullying has become a very prevalent topic in the news, and each day there are constant reports of it going on. If your child came home from school acting unusual, or there were unexplained injuries, loss of self-esteem, and appetite, declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or faking illness, or not wanting to go to school, then most likely the child is experiencing the effects of bullying. Being bullied affects millions of school-age children and young people year around. According to one study 20 percent of students ages 12–18 reported being bullied at school during the school year. Of students ages 12–18, about 13 percent reported being the subject of rumors; 13 percent reported being made fun of, called names, or insulted; 5 percent reported being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; and 5 percent reported being excluded from activities on purpose (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 2005 through 2017).

The adolescence stage can be a tough period to go through especially when you have peers that’s not so nice. Bullying is a very big deal that should be taken very seriously by teachers, parents and peers because early intervention in childhood bullying can help prevent its long-term traumatic effects. Children learn how to behave, how to think, and how to respond to challenging situations from us. Therefore, we need to modify our behavior and pay attention to what is going on with our children. Children as young as age five are killing themselves because they don’t have the capacity to deal with bullies. Bullying involves committing the same hurtful, dangerous, mean-spirited, hateful, malicious acts over-and-over again, in an effort to intimidate, shame, degrade, dominate, and humiliate another person. 

The Forms and Effects of Being Bullied

We are aware of what traditional bullying looks like, but bullying comes in many forms, and the effects are still just as damaging. Truth be told any form of harassment from traditional bullying to cyberbullying can cause physical, emotional, psychological pain and distress. Cyberbullying is new, but it can cause anger, fear, shame, guilt, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem/self-confidence in its victims, just like traditional bullying. Some children even experience physical ailments, such as headaches or migraines, stomachaches, and high blood pressure due to bullying. Children, tweens, and teens are often the recipients of bullying (both in the real world and online), adults can also be bullied, especially with the explosion of social media. In a similar fashion, children, adolescents, and adults can also be bullies themselves. Adults often experience bullying from other adults. According to a recent study found that approximately 31% of Americans have been bullied as an adult. This bullying primarily happens in the workplace but can also happen in social groups. As mentioned, cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and trolling fall under the umbrella of bullying and is done through technology such as the internet, in chat rooms, and other forums on social media. The goal of the bully is to force someone to submit to her. In other words, it’s a power move that arises for a variety of reasons. For instance, some bullies mistreat other children because they are being abused or neglected at home. Others may bully due to peer-influences and wanting to be liked, and respected. Some do it because they are jealous, have learned the behavior from others, or have some form of mental illness. Bullying is one of the main issues affecting children and young people today. It’s talked about on the news, on TV shows, in academic literature, and by policymakers on a regular basis. It is still a statistically significant trend, and a cause for concern.

Factors Influencing Bullying

Peer-Influence is when you choose to do something you wouldn't otherwise do, because you want to feel accepted and valued by your friends. Sometimes our peers can have more influence over our behavior due to wanting to fit in. Adolescents within a clique will pressure their peers to participate in bullying. This bullying can include everything from leaving mean notes, name-calling to sabotaging another person in order to be accepted.

Accountability accepting responsibility for your actions, choices, and behaviors. Sometimes bullying occurs when parents are too nonrestrictive or lack established rules. Giving your child a set of guidelines regarding everything from schoolwork and outside activities to respect, to digital etiquette and time spent online. Also, be sure the adolescent knows what will happen if they don’t follow the rules. For example, if the adolescent cyberbullies other kids, he will lose his internet privileges. Or, if he engages in peer bullying, he will be punished. When determining how to discipline your child for bullying, it is important to be sure the consequences are in line with the severity of the offense.

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Bullying and depression often go hand in hand and can leave your child with bruises that will eventually heal, but there can be lasting effects of bullying that can really wreak havoc on your child’s life way into their teenage years. Depression is one of those side-effects that can cause serious long-term problems from being the victim of bullying.

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Sometimes depression and suicide can go hand in hand when it comes to bullying and can cause a wide range of issues, and in extreme circumstances, could lead to suicide. Suicide is devastating to not only the person that commits the act, but to their family as well, but bullies tend not to understand the damages that their actions may cause to others.

Peer Victimization the action of singling someone out for cruel or unjust treatment. Peer victimization includes being bullied and experiences of being the target of physical, social, emotional, or psychological harm from a peer. According to studies in both the U.S. and other countries, children who are bullied by their peers are lonelier and unhappier, have greater difficulty making friends and have more health problems than their non-bullied peers.  

Socioeconomic-Status is the social standing or class of an individual or group. It is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation. Bullies exists in all socioeconomic groups and are as likely to be found in underprivileged inner-city schools as well as in preppy, suburban neighborhoods. Emerging evidence shows that bullies are more prevalent in social settings characterized by hierarchical social structures, and financial and social inequality all increase the risk of children bullying others.

The Impact of Bullying on Mental Health

Bullying is a universal phenomenon that exists worldwide and is seen as a harmful action due to the hurt and pain it can cause on its victims. This physical and psychology power trip comes in many forms from verbal abuse, physical aggression, and relational victimization (also known as peer exclusion). Thirty percent of school aged children are bullied at any given time during school hours, while 5-10 percent are bullied on the regular. Boys are more prone to become the victims and perpetrators of bullying, than girls.

Bullying was measured, the item used to determine the findings was a general question asking the participants how often did he or she experienced bullying during the school term. Later in the study another category of “never bullied” was added and the variable was recoded to obtain further results on bullying. Educational achievement was then measured a few years after the survey using a Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Symptoms of depression were measured using statements concerning the emotions and behavior of the respondent. Examples included statements such as, “I felt miserable or unhappy,” and “I didn’t enjoy anything at all.” The score was than summed to produce an array of symptoms with a score of 8 or more indicating that depression was present. According to the study, 27.3% of the sample had depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

The findings determined that bullying had a stronger impact on academic achievement for both male and female and that it negatively affected a male’s mental health. It also determined that males and females were likely to become victims of bullying, that it decreased with age and those with higher levels of social support from family and friends were less likely to have experienced bullying and school achievement wasn’t affected.

The findings were that victimization was high and those who were bullied previously was still being bullied the following year. The correlation between Victimization and self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression was confirmed amongst other findings. The study also concluded that when it comes to girls being bullied it leaves a greater impact on their future emotional well-being than it does to boys. Of the sample of 3623 students only (79%) participated in the 1st wave of data collection and 2559 (71%) provided data for these results.

References

1. Rothon, C., Head, J., Kleinberg, E., Stansfeld, S. (2011). Can social support protect bullied adolescents from adverse outcomes? A prospective study on the effects of bullying on the educational achievement and mental health of adolescents at secondary schools in East London
2. Drs. Brunstein, Klomek, Marrocco, and Gould, and Ms. Kleinman (2007). Bullying, Depression, and Suicidality in Adolescents
3. Bond, L., Carlin, B. J., Thomas, L., Rubin, K., Patton, G. (2001). Does bullying cause emotional problems? A prospective study of young teenagers BMJ 2001; 323 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.323.7311.480 (Published 01 September 2001)