A new study backs up what many of us already knew: that bullying has long term psychological effects on both bullies and their victims. Below is an excerpt from an article on the topic from New York Magazine’s “The Cut,” and we hope you’ll read it and click through to the full article. If you’re in the greater Cleveland area and are dealing with the after-effects of bullying or have a loved one who is currently or previously dealing with the effects of bullying, we are available to help.
Newly published research suggests that bullying has serious consequences for our society, long after middle school ends.
Published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the giant book of research on the phenomenon of childhood bullying labels it a “serious public health problem.” The research, which was partly supported by the CDC, suggests that there are “significant short- and long-term psychological consequences for both the targets and perpetrators of such behavior.” That’s right: Both those who get bullied and those who do the bullying can wind up with “sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal concerns, and headaches.” And the full effects on mental health and well-being are not known.
The report defines bullying as “any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated.” But what counts as bullying can vary from child to child, from school to school, and from city to city. Moving toward a widely accepted definition will help parents, teachers, and children to find solutions and promote prevention.