BULLYING Brittany B. Melanie C. Cazzie G. Melissa H.

What is Bullying?  Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior manifested by the use of force or coercion to affect others, particularly when the behavior is habitual and involves an imbalance of power. It can include verbal harassment, physical assault or coercion and may be directed persistently towards particular victims, perhaps on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexuality, or ability. The "imbalance of power" may be social power and/or physical power. The victim of bullying is sometimes referred to as a "target."

WHAT IS BULLYING?  Intentional, aggressive behavior  Imbalance of power  Repeated over time  Direct attacks - hitting, threatening or intimidating, maliciously teasing and taunting, name-calling, making sexual remarks, stealing or damaging belongings.  Subtle/Indirect attacks - spreading rumors or encouraging others to reject or exclude someone  Cyber harassment

BOYS vs. GIRLS  Boys are more likely to bully others and to be the targets of bullies.  Boys are more likely to report being hit, slapped, or pushed.  Girls use indirect aggression and are targets for rumors and sexual comments

Kids with Special Needs  60% of students with disabilities reported being bullied compared to 25% of the general student population.  Only 10 studies have been conducted in the United States on bullying and developmental disabilities. All the studies found that children with disabilities were 2-3 times more likely to be victims of bullying than their nondisabled peers.

 In 2009, the Massachusetts Advocates for Children did a survey of nearly 400 parents who had children with autism and across the state they found that 88% of children with autism had been bullied at school ranging from verbal abuse to physical contact.  65% of the parents reported that their children with Asperger’s syndrome had been victimized by peers in some way within the past year.  Length of time bullying occurred when asked of parents with children on the autism spectrum:  39.6% said more than a year.  20.4% said several months.

“I have a 10-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy, said the father of a child with special needs. “Several days ago, I walked into my daughter’s school cafeteria unannounced. The `normal’ kids were throwing food at the children with special needs.” - Anonymous Father of Child with Special Needs 83 % of adults who had problems with stammering as children said that they had been teased or bullied and 71% of those who had been bullied said it happened at least once a week.

 Manipulative bullying : This form of bullying occurs when a child with special needs is actually being coerced and controlled by another student.  Conditional friendship: This form of bullying occurs when a child thinks that someone is being their friend, but the times of “friendship” are alternated with times of bullying.  Exploitative bullying : This form of bullying occurs when the features of the child’s condition are used to bully them either by other classmates or via technology and social media networks.

CYBERBULLYING  Cyberbullying is when a child/preteen/teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, or embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child/preteen/teen via internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones.

STATS on Cyber Bullying  Percentage of all youth reporting bullying online (e.g. message boards, IM, , cell phone, chat rooms, blogs, profile sites):  66% Insults  33% Password theft  27% Threats  25% Privacy violation  18% Sharing embarrassing pictures

Why Cyberbully?  Often cyberbullying is motivated by anger, revenge or frustration.  Sometimes done for entertainment (bored, too much time on their hands, too many tech toys available)  For laughs or to get a reaction  Accidental (wrong recipient)

PREVALENCE OF BULLYING in Minnesota  Karen Dahl coordinates the bully prevention program at the Anoka-Hennepin school district  The district surveyed 6,477 students in grades 4, 6, 8 10 in Oct  20% of the students say they have been bullied  no differences in one grade to the next until 10th grade which had the highest number of bullied students - 22%.  Boys and girls had reported in same numbers.  About 80% of students are not victims and are not bullies but are the bystanders that see it happen.

PREVALENCE OF BULLYING in the U.S.  Almost 30%of teens in U.S. (or over 5.7 million) are est. to be involved in school bullying either as a bully, target of bullying or both.  Recent national survey grades 6 to 10  13% reported bullying others  11% reported being a target  6% said they were bullied and they were targets of bullies.  Bullies are 4 times more likely than non-bullies to be convicted of crimes by age 24 with 60% of bullies having at least 1 criminal conviction.

RISK FACTORS AT RISK FOR BEING BULLIED  Don’t get along well with others  Less popular  Few or no friends  Don’t conform to gender norms  Low self-esteem  Depressed/anxious AT RISK FOR BULLYING OTHERS  Can be popular or isolated  Aggressive  Less parental involvement  Impulsive  Difficulty following rules  View violence in a positive way

WARNING SIGNS  1. Makes up excuses not to go to school  2. Is often angry, sad or depressed, withdrawn, self-loathing and emotionally erratic  3. Frequently hurt by a particular person or group of people  4. Frequently picked on in the presence of other people  5. Mistakes are turned into a big deal by someone  6. Belongings are often stolen or taken  7. Always being confronted with lies/rumors

Effects of Bullying  May suffer physically and emotionally  Grades will likely show it  Low self-esteem and depression can last into adulthood  Along with adulthood- can interfere with personal and professional lives  Bullies affected also – difficulty forming positive relationships.

EFFECTS on the VICTIM  Feel tense, anxious, and afraid  Less concentration in school  Avoidance of school  Damages self-esteem and feelings of self-worth  Increased social isolation, leading to withdrawal, depression, anxiety, and insecurity  Some teens feel compelled to take drastic measures, such as carrying weapons for protection or seeking violent revenge  Suicidal thoughts

CONSEQUENCES  Teen bullying is often a warning sign that children and teens are heading for trouble and are at risk for serious violence.  Teens (particularly boys) who bully are more likely to engage in other antisocial/delinquent behavior (e.g., vandalism, shoplifting, truancy, and drug use) into adulthood.

BULLYING AS A CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION  Schools are responsible for taking care of harassment incidents.  Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights  Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin  Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex  Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability

HOW TO GET HELP  The Youth Voice Research Project  If you see bullying...  Don’t join in  Walk away  Give support  Talk to someone you trust

QUIZ QUESTION  What percentage of teens in U.S. are estimated to be involved in school bullying either as a bully, target of bullying or both?  A.)40%  B.) 30%  C.)60%  D.)20%

Answer  B.) 30%

REFERENCES  Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. (2011). Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (BPP). Retrieved from odelprograms/BPP.html odelprograms/BPP.html  Family First Aid. (2011). School Bullying and Teen Bullying Statistics. Retrieved from  Minnesota Department of Human Rights. (2005). The Rights Stuff Newsletter. Retrieved from cation/articles/rs05_1bully_edu.html  StopBullying.gov. (2011). Retrieved from  schools/bullying/articles/walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes.pdf schools/bullying/articles/walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes.pdf