Traumatic Effect of Bullying on School Kids

New Delhi, 2 Sep 2014

School is supposed to be a protective space – one where children feel most at ease. Yet, instances of bullying continue to threaten the physical and psychological safety of school going children year after year. According to a recent survey conducted in 300 schools of Delhi/NCR by Fortis National Mental Health Programme, 96% respondents consider bullying a significant concern in schools. It puts traumatic effect on kids.

Dr. Samir Parikh, Director, Mental Health & Behavioural Science, Fortis Healthcare, When we think of bullying, we usually tend to think of a bigger or stronger student physically threatening or beating up a smaller or ‘weaker’ person. 57% respondents, bullying is most prevalent in the age group of 13-17 years. However, there are other kinds of bullying that are just as prevalent, be it calling someone names and teasing them, spreading gossip and rumours about an individual, spreading malicious content online or singling them out and systematically isolating them from a group. While these forms of bullying may not endanger the student physically, their consequences can be just as devastating.

Instances of bullying have far reaching consequences for the victim. 55% school teachers feel that bullying makes children feel unsafe attending schools. 61% respondents reported witnessing bullying in classrooms and 75%in school corridors. Children who are bullied may begin to experience difficulties in all spheres of their life, be it academic, emotional or social. Since schools become a threatening environment for bullied students, school avoidance is not uncommon among these kids. They tend to withdraw from their social environment – both friends and family, and may prefer staying home. Victims of bullying may also show a decline in academic performance, with grades dropping sharply and otherwise unexpectedly.

Dr Parikh informs, Bullying is more than anything else, a social phenomenon. Children, whether bullied physically or verbally, often struggle forming and maintaining healthy relationships with their peers. Social isolation, loneliness and feeling as if no one understands them may also go on to plague these children over time.

Physically, this might start affecting the child by way of unexplained aches and pains such as headaches and stomach aches. They might have difficulties sleeping, experience nightmares and their appetite might significantly get affected.

A lot has been said about victims turning into bullies themselves. When threatened or isolated, it is sometimes possible for victims of bullying to learn aggression as the only way of dealing with situations and asserting their self-confidence, and so, victims of bullying often run the risk of becoming more aggressive and apathetic themselves.

On the whole, bullying often leads children to have lower self- confidence and self-esteem. Bullying causes children to experience a loss of control and a sense of helplessness, which often translate into long term struggles with depression, anxiety and substance abuse.

The impact of bullying is not restricted just to the victim – even the bully and the bystander can undergo tremendous psychological distress. It’s been found that bullies are more likely to drop out of school and indulge in substance abuse, while passive observers may go through feelings of fear, powerlessness and guilt.

The impact of bullying is not temporary. In fact, if not addressed, these childhood incidences of bullying can continue to have an impact on individuals well into their adult years – affecting their career, their ability to form relationships, their susceptibility to depression and anxiety, and their self-esteem.

We have to remember that bullying is not something that’s a part of growing up. It’s not something that makes kids stronger or better able to deal with the challenges of the world. Students need to be given life-skills education in order to empathize with each other and assert themselves effectively without having to resort to aggression. Students everywhere need to be aware of extent to which bullying can scar an individual, to understand the gravity of their actions. Instances of bullying, no matter how ‘trivial’, must not be ignored.

One of the biggest obstacles in tackling bullying is that it often goes unreported. It is therefore up to parents and teachers to be aware of these signs that may point to a child being bullied. In such an event that a child is being bullied, psychological intervention by a counsellor is an absolute must.