Bullying Awareness

Introduction

Referred to as systemic abuse of power, bullying is an intentional aggressive behavior due to a perceived or real imbalance of power between the bully and victim. This may take the form of direct bullying, indirect bullying, and rumor spreading. Direct bullying is common among boys whereas girls tend to experience direct bullying and rumor spreading. Bullying is perceived as an evolutionary adaptation technique, observed in both the ancient and modern world, primarily to demonstrate dominance.

How to Combat Childhood Bullying for Wearing Glasses

Your child may need to wear glasses to see and read better if they have vision problems such as shortsightedness or farsightedness. It will help them grow, develop and learn as efficiently as possible, just like those with no vision problems.

Despite its therapeutic benefits, wearing glasses can increase a child’s exposure to bullying by up to 37 percent, according to one study. It is just one of the many causes of unwarranted physical, verbal, or emotional harassment that can occur at school or in the neighborhood.   Here are some alarming statistics on the prevalence of bullying among students 12-18 years old:

• Nearly 20 percent have experienced it

• 15 percent of all reported cases are through cyber bullying, either by text or online

• Rumors or lies make up 13.4 percent of the bullying

• Insults, mockery, and name-calling make up 13 percent of the bullying  

• Physical bullying, such as pushing or shoving, make up 5.3 percent of reported cases

Adjusting to your first pair of glasses can be a pain, made even harder for children who  experience bullying.

If your child wears glasses to school, you can take measures to protect them from harassment. Better yet, there are other vision-correction options that are safe for minors.

Why LASIK Is Not an Option?

While LASIK can eliminate the need to wear glasses, it works best for individuals with stable vision. That is why the FDA has only approved the procedure for those 18 years old and above.

At their discretion, some eye surgeons may not perform LASIK on patients between 18 and 24,  unless it is absolutely necessary. They consider 25 years old as when normal eyes reach maximum vision stability.

Two main issues can make LASIK unsuitable for your child – if their vision continues to develop, rendering the procedure ineffective, and if the procedure is deemed unsafe.

 

"As a general rule, it’s not appropriate

to do LASIK in children whose eyes

are still growing and are not stable."

Dr. Peter J. McDonnell, Chief of Ophthalmology at UC Irvine

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Causes of Bullying

Certain factors contribute to the onset of bullying behavior as well as increase the risk of an individual being bullied.

1. Individuals who are physically, socially, financially, and cognitively weaker, different from others, socially isolated, and lack self-confidence and self-esteem are more likely to be bullied.

2. Individuals who become bullies and harm other individuals tend to have the following characteristics.

   a. Aggressive behavior
   b. These individuals become easily frustrated
   c. These individuals are not accountable for their actions

       d. Such individuals are concerned about their reputation
       e. Having friends and acquaintances who bully others
        f. Being overly competitive

       g. Having a desire for dominance and power

Types of Bullying

Bullying behaviors may take the following forms.

1. Physical bullying involves physically hurting the victim and damaging property. This form of bullying may lead to short- or long-term damage.

2. Verbal bullying may hurt the victim emotionally and psychologically. This includes insults, verbal abuse, and name-calling.

3. Social bullying or covert bullying involves humiliation and damaging the social reputation of an individual. Social bullying includes spreading rumors, mimicry, social exclusion, and negative physical gestures.

4. Cyberbullying is gaining immense recognition these days. This involves the use of digital technology to spread rumors and abuse and hurt an individual.

Signs That An Individual Is Being Bullied

Bully victims lack emotional and social stability as well as have a history of past trauma. These individuals usually remain isolated and have no or only a few friends. Moreover, such individuals can be easily aroused.

Consequences of Bullying

The long term consequences of bullying include the development of anti-social personality disorder, anxiety disorder, borderline personality symptoms, depression, psychotic experiences, somatic problems, increased risk of self-harm, suicidal ideation and behaviors, poor academic achievement, inflammatory disorders, high risk of substance abuse, poor employment stability, and lack of stability in a relationship.

How To Control Bullying?

Following measures can help address bullying and prevent the onset of such events in the future.

1. Provide a safe and supportive environment as well as protect the bully victim.

2. The bullied individual must be assured that getting bullied is not his or her fault.

       a. Academic and other institutions shall discourage bullying, improve supervision, and                    implement bullying prevention strategies including educating individuals about the                      disciplinary consequences of bullying. This may include the enforcement of penalties                  for bullies.

       b. Psycho-educational counseling and long-term support for bullied individuals.

       c. Understand the perspective of bullies and educate them about acceptable and non-                    acceptable behaviors.

       d. Pediatricians shall screen children to prevent and control bullying at an early stage.

Damage Bullying Can Cause

Recent statistics show that about 95 percent of children between 3 and 18 years old can browse the web at home. This unprecedented access to the internet and social media through laptops or  smartphones increase their cyberbullyingexposure.

More than ever, school-going children are a target for mean commentary via messaging apps, social media profiles, or text messages. The bullying can occur any time of day or night and sometimes anonymously. Both the bully and their victim can suffer bad  physical, social, academic, and psychological ramifications. Depending on the nature or severity of the bullying, a victim may experience negative effects such as:

• Physical injury

• Depression and anxiety

• Sadness and isolation

• Poor academic performance

• Violent reaction to bullying

Underage bullies can suffer negative consequences that extend through adolescence into adulthood. These may include:

• Substance abuse

• Criminal behavior and incarceration

• Abusive marital relationships

• Violent altercations

• Dropping out of school

Prevention

Key stakeholders in the fight against bullying in children include:

• State and federal authorities

• Schools

• Communities

• Parents

Playing your role right can help create a safer environment for all children.

Government Role

Government agencies at all levels can boost anti-bullying efforts by creating and enforcing appropriate laws. It is their responsibility to formulate policies that guide educators in establishing effective school-based anti-bullying programs.

• Each state has an anti-bullying law that directs schools on how to prevent and resolve bullying cases

• There are federal laws that prohibit harassment in school based on factors such as  disability, race, gender, or national origin

Schools

Schools should work closely with parents and the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice in combating bullying. By adopting proper prevention programs, they can reduce bullying incidents by up to 23 percent.   

Most effective school-based anti-bullying efforts incorporate critical elements such as:

• Anti-bullying rules for classrooms

• Playground supervision

• Engaging and training parents

• Strict disciplinary methods

• Educating teachers, administrators, and students about bullying

Role of the Community

Any member of a community can do something about bullying to protect children. They include:

• Adults 

• Law enforcement agencies

• Community-based organizations

• Youth organizations

• Mental health specialists

As a community member, you can help in ways such as:

• Funding/supporting violence-prevention programs

• Running bullying-awareness campaigns

• Counseling young people

• Learning about bullying and reporting suspected incidents

What You Can Do as a Parent

As a parent, you are not powerless to stop bullying. You can play your part in many ways. Among them:

• Learning to recognize warning signs of bullying, such as unusual changes in your child’s emotions

• Volunteering at your child’s school to get a feel of the social dynamics

• Taking interest in your child’s social experiences at school everyday

• Encouraging responsible use of technology

• Teaching your children to identify bullying

• Reassuring your children of your support if bullied

• Discouraging bullying or similar behavior

• Participating in school-based or local community-based anti-bullying initiatives

Conclusion

Bully is a common, yet complex phenomenon observed in education and non-educational settings. Bullying leads to long-term consequences on the physical, social, emotional, and psychological well-being of the victim. Implementation of prevention strategies and counseling of both the bully and victim can help reduces the occurrence of bullying.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552909/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441930/
3. https://www.ncab.org.au/bullying-advice/bullying-for-parents/types-of-bullying/

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552909/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791517/

6. https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2124148

7. https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/facts

8. https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/lasik-age-pushing-limits

9. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/misight-orthok-atropine-myopia-nearsighted-child

10. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cch

11. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R43254.pdf

12. https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/effects

13. https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/what-you-can-do

14. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/bullying-prevention-for-teachers-and-parents