HOW DOES BULLYING AFFECT YOUR CHILD’S MENTAL HEALTH

Written by Liza John  

Statistics show that around 20% of adolescents who attend schools are bullied and almost 30% admit to bullying others. These heartbreaking numbers urge us to consider the health risks posed by bullying. This unwanted display of aggression or power between peers can seriously affect the mental health of all the parties involved.  

In addition, with easy access to internet forums and social media, bullies find an anonymous yet simple channel to engage in harmful behaviour or display their aggression without appropriate repercussions. Even though the effects of bullying may not be easily visible, they subtly wreak havoc through people.    

In cases of bullying, it is essential to reach out to the bullying victim as well as the bully. While it may be difficult to understand and empathize, the instigator of these aggressive acts also faces hardships due to bullying. Most school authorities tend to overlook them when it comes to providing necessary help.    

Bullying And the Victims  

If not notified by school authorities or peers, parents find it relatively hard to notice the effects of their children being regularly picked on. The most obvious signs that point towards bullying are changes in eating habits, lack of sleep, a drop in academic interest, and an increased desire to stay away from school or other activities they usually enjoy. And generally, it is a tendency shown by parents to attribute these changes to laziness or as insignificant.    

How does this affect your child’s mental health? For starters, the isolation at school and the lack of support from home can make the child feel lonely. Feelings of shame, reduced self-esteem, and negative self-perception resulting from the bullying can make the child depressed. Besides, anxiety is another side effect of being bullied. Sometimes, a combination of all these symptoms can lead the child to display anti-social behaviour or suicidal tendencies.  

As a matter of fact, the influence of bullying lasts well into the adult lives of these children. It has been seen that victims of childhood bullying have an increased risk of having poor health, both physical and mental, as adults than others. Their cognitive functioning is also affected deeply, and they were found more likely to drop out or be unemployed. Victims of bullying also become easy prey to stress and heart conditions in their later lives. Studies show that the victims of childhood bullying are also prone to self-harming tendencies, PTSD, and substance abuse as time passes.   

Bullying And Bullies   

Knowing that their child is a bully can be a tough pill for parents to swallow but it is important to acknowledge that children display such behaviour for some reason. Thus, it is imperative that parents try to identify the causes of such aggression in their children and help them resolve it instead of writing them off as a ‘bad egg’.  

Children who bully are almost equally affected by the act as their victims. Without due consideration from school authorities, bullies tend to exhibit lowered cognitive functioning. They suffer academically and receive no help due to their behavioural tendencies. This in turn makes them feel lonely and urges them to target other students more, thereby starting a vicious cycle. These children also find it difficult to maintain healthy social relationships, often from the lack of proper role models to look up to. Due to all this, they either have high truancy rates or drop out of school.   

Children who bully are said to run a higher risk of substance abuse and criminal activity during school and even later in life. Without intervention, uncontrollable rage and anti-social behaviour are two major setbacks they face in life. Spousal abuse and child abuse are other typical behaviour shown by childhood bullies. As adults, the bullies also have difficulty in staying employed or maintaining a healthy lifestyle, just like their victims.   

Conclusion   

After noticing bullying on the campus or outside it, an immediate intervention and regular follow-ups should be given to all the parties involved. Both the short-term and long-term influences of bullying should be understood and professional help must be given to these children. Parents and the school authorities should work hand-in-hand to offer their wards a better childhood.