Silent Pain
October marks the fifth anniversary of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Month and specifically October 20 as a day for all of us to raise our voice against this injustice. As I stated in my previous post, “Warning Signs of Bullying,” this is not a new issue but it is one that seems to be out of control.
Everyone is familiar with the physical abuse meted out by the strong against the weak but now add to that cyberbullying over the web and textual bullying via the phone and you have a deadly combination. Matter of fact, one recent article coined the term “bullycide” due to media reports like Phoebe Prince and Tyler Clementi.
According to a study done in 2010 by the Cyberbullying Research Center, one in five middle school students in the United States have been affected by cyber bullying (defined as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through phones and computers.”) According to Family First Aid, almost 30 percent of teens in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in school bullying as either a bully, a target of teen bullying, or both. NBC’s TODAY show notes that 85% of handicapped students face bullying regularly.
Bullying shows a blatant disregard for the value of others and the moral principles of scripture. All sinful behavior produces negative effects and bullying has many. I have read reports of both short-term and long-term effects of bullying by counselors, psychiatrists, physicians and clergy and have attempted to consolidate them in the following lists. These are not exhaustive but seem to make everyone’s list.
Short-Term Effects:
- Higher potential for illness
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Lower grades (if student)
- Physical injury
- Seclusion
- Suicide threats or attempts
- Fear of being alone
- Low self-image or self-debasing issues
- Signs of depression
- Increased sensitivity, resulting in overly emotional reactions
Long-term effects:
- An extrapolation of many of the short-term effects
- Emotional instability
- Social awkwardness
- Occupational struggles
- Trust issues
As a youth leader or parent, what has been your experience with bullying? How have you addressed this in your home or youth ministry?
For more on this issue, check out these posts:
Warning Signs of Bullying – Mike Calhoun
19 Years Later—A victim reflects – Bobby Francis
Bullied To Death at Age 13: A Father’s Response – Mike Calhoun
Beyond the Violence – John Powley
Cyberbullying Part 1 – Nathan Shoultz
Cyberbullying Part 2: Taking Action – Nathan Shoultz
Parents vs. Bullies – John Powley
7 Steps to take if Your Child is Being Bullied – Ray Deck II
So… YOU’RE the Parents of that Bully – Ray Deck II
Bullying: Who’s Job is Prevention? – RayDeck3
