Name:______Block:______
Directions: Read the following articles and answer the questions which follow.
Bullying affects children's long-term health, study shows
In the first study of its kind to assess the compounding effects of bullying over 5 years, researchers have found that a child experiences more severe and lasting health implications the longer he or she is bullied, suggesting that early interventions could reverse the "downward health trajectory" that victims of bullying may experience.
Results of the study were recently reported in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Led by Laura Bogart, from Boston Children's Division of General Pediatrics, the researchers followed a group of over 4,000 children and adolescents from fifth to 10th grade, interviewing them about their mental and physical health and any bullying during grades five, seven and 10.
The team compared different groups of students:
- Those bullied in both the past and present
- Those bullied only in the present
- Those bullied only in the past
- Those who have never experienced bullying.
At any age, bullying was linked with worse mental and physical health, more depressive symptoms and a lower sense of self-worth. And students who reported chronic bullying also experienced more difficulties with physical activities like walking, running or playing sports.
"Our research shows that long-term bullying has a severe impact on child's overall health, and that its negative effects can accumulate and get worse with time," says Bogart.
She calls for more intervention around bullying, "because the sooner we stop a child from being bullied, the less likely bullying is to have a lasting, damaging effect on his or her health down the road," she adds.
Early and ongoing intervention important for victims:
Long-term bullying severely impacts a child's health, say researchers, and the negative effects can get worse with time.
The team found that the group of students bullied in both the past and present had the lowest health scores, followed by students only bullied in the present.
Students bullied only in the past had better health scores, but not as good as children who had never been bullied.
This suggests that recent events may be more important than distant ones to a child's health, but the team notes that health consequences "compound over time" and may stay even after the bullying has ceased.
The researchers say their findings emphasize the importance of stopping bullying early and continuously intervening to help with the lingering effects.
Bogart calls for more research to better develop and clinically test bullying prevention and intervention measures:
"There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to addressing bullying. But providing teachers, parents and clinicians with best-practices that are evidence-based could better assist those at the front lines helping children cope with this serious problem and lessen the damage it causes."
Medical News Today reported on a 2013 study published in the journal Psychological Science, which suggested victims of childhood bullying fare poorly in adulthood. Findings from the study showed that individuals bullied in childhood were more likely to have a psychiatric disorder, smoke, struggle to keep work and had difficulty maintaining friendships.
The US Department of Health & Human Services runs a website called StopBullying.gov, which provides information and resources on how to prevent and handle bullying and cyberbullying.
Questions:
- What long term effects have been found to be due to being bullied?
- Why is early intervention so important when it comes to bullying?
- What is one way the author suggests bullying can be alleviated?
Name:______Block:______
Directions: Read the following articles and answer the questions which follow.
Dead Girl's Diary Alleging Bullying To Be Made Public
May 24, 2010
By CLEOPATRA ANDREADIS
5th Grade Girl Hangs Herself After Allegedly Being Bullied
The investigation continues this week into the suicide of a Florida fifth grader who allegedly was being bullied at school. WPBF
Florida police investigating the death of a fifth grader who hanged herself are scheduled to go to the girl's school this week after finding a diary detailing how she was apparently tormented by bullies.
The diary entries are expected to be made public later this week, Port St. Lucie Police spokesman Tom Nichols told ABC News.
"Detectives are going to the school this week to talk to students and teachers," Nichols said. "We need to determine why this 11 year old took her own life."
Celina Okwuone, 11, was found by her parents a little before midnight on Thursday night.
Did Bullying Lead to 11-Year-Old's Suicide?
"They went to check on her and the door was locked," said Nichols. "When they were finally able to get into the room, they found her hanging in her closet with a belt wrapped around her neck."
The belt was wrapped around a metal shelf which her mother tore from the wall while her father lifted her body.
Shortly after calling police, her parents found her diary with what Nichols were entries about being bullied.
"Inside the diary there were some entries made of her being bullied at school," Nichols said. "To the extent of what she was being bullied about is unknown at this time."
A letter from St. Anastasia Catholic School, where Oswuone attended, was sent home with students informing parents about the incident. School officials wouldn't comment, and referred all inquiries to the Diocese of Palm Beach.
A statement from the Diocese of Palm Beach said it was "saddened to learn of the untimely death of one of our students from St. Anastasia School in Ft. Pierce. We grieve with the school community of St. Anastasia and ask for prayers for the student's family as well as the school community."
The Okwuone family could not be reached for comment. No one has been charged at this time.
The girl's suicide was the latest in a spate of childhood suicides that have alarmed some over the trend, which have reportedly been exacerbated by the use of online sites like Facebook and MySpace.
On May 12, 15-year old Alex Moore jumped off a highway overpass in Alabama, and her parents have said that they believe schoolyard bullying may have contributed to her suicide.
Phoebe Prince was a 15year-old Massachusetts girl who hanged herself in January after what prosecutors called an "unrelenting" three-month bullying campaign by six teenagers.
Questions:
- Why is it so important for researchers to understand bullying?
- What do you think can be done to stop this behavior?