 |
|
Social form of bullying linked to depression, anxiety in adults
April 23, 2008GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Spreading rumors and gossiping may not cause bruises or black eyes, but the psychological consequences of this social type of bullying could linger into early adulthood, a new University of Florida study shows.
In a study of 210 college students, UF researchers discovered a link between what psychologists call relational victimization in adolescence and depression and anxiety in early adulthood, according to findings published online this month in the journal Psychology in the Schools. Rather than threatening a child with physical violence, these bullies target a child's social status and relationships by shunning them, excluding them from social activities or spreading rumors, said Allison Dempsey, a doctoral student in the UF College of Education and the study's lead author.
"Even though people are outside of high school, the memories of these experiences continue to be associated with depression and social anxiety," said Dempsey, who graduated from Columbine High School in Colorado one year before the 1999 school shooting there and now studies school prevention programs. "It was interesting to see these relationships still continue to exist even though they are in early adulthood now and in a completely different setting.
"I'm hoping this study will help shed light on the fact that this is a real problem and continues to be a real problem after students leave school."
To uncover the relationships between social bullying and loneliness, depression and anxiety, researchers surveyed college undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 25 and asked them to recall their experiences from high school. They were also looking to see if having friends mitigated some of the effects of bullying and if there was any relationship between gender and the severity of psychological symptoms, said Eric Storch, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry in the UF College of Medicine and a co-author of the study.
"About 20 years ago people thought of bullying as very physical," Storch said. "As a result people thought guys did the bullying, and that it wasn't really a big experience for girls. The problem is that isn't actually true. There are different types of aggression.
"Boys do tend to be more physical, but both sexes engage in relational victimization. We wanted to see if gender affected strength of the relationship between depressive symptoms and victimization."
But researchers found no gender difference in the link between this type of bullying and depression. They also discovered that having friends or other positive social relationships didn't lessen rates of depression and anxiety in adulthood, a finding that surprised them, Dempsey said.
For some children, having friends and positive support can help make them more resilient to the slings and arrows from bullies, Storch said. But other children take the words and abuse more to heart and begin to believe what's being said about them.
"Those types of negative thoughts are actually believed to be at the core of things like depression and anxiety," Storch said. "Behaviorally what starts happening is you avoid interactions and situations that could be quite positive for you."
Currently, there are few prevention or intervention programs that focus specifically on relational victimization, in part because it's tougher to pinpoint and stop, Dempsey said.
"If a child tries to punch someone or kick someone, there's evidence of that happening," Dempsey said. "There's a definite aggressor and a definite victim. When it comes to spreading rumors and gossiping, that's a lot more difficult to prove who's doing it. And it's harder to provide consequences."
Dempsey said she hopes this study and others will help other researchers and psychologists design programs that can help stop this form of bullying in schools.
"I think many people have the belief that victimization is a normal rite of passage in childhood," Storch said. "While it certainly does happen to most kids, it's not acceptable. And while I think it would be difficult to completely curtail it, by reducing it you're going to help someone a tremendous amount to not have to go to school and be plagued by this environment of being tortured day in and day out.
"This isn't a normative experience and we need to do something about it and recognize that not doing something could affect children who are really rising stars."
Wendy Troop-Gordon, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at North Dakota State University, said understanding how past relational bullying affects people in adulthood is an important step forward for research in this field.
"Turning 18 is not a magical age when you leave all of these experiences behind," said Troop-Gordon, who is not affiliated with the study. "People do seem to carry these experiences with them."
University of Florida
"I'm hoping this study will help shed light on the fact that this is a real problem and continues to be a real problem after students leave school."
To uncover the relationships between social bullying and loneliness, depression and anxiety, researchers surveyed college undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 25 and asked them to recall their experiences from high school. They were also looking to see if having friends mitigated some of the effects of bullying and if there was any relationship between gender and the severity of psychological symptoms, said Eric Storch, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry in the UF College of Medicine and a co-author of the study.
"About 20 years ago people thought of bullying as very physical," Storch said. "As a result people thought guys did the bullying, and that it wasn't really a big experience for girls. The problem is that isn't actually true. There are different types of aggression.
"Boys do tend to be more physical, but both sexes engage in relational victimization. We wanted to see if gender affected strength of the relationship between depressive symptoms and victimization."
But researchers found no gender difference in the link between this type of bullying and depression. They also discovered that having friends or other positive social relationships didn't lessen rates of depression and anxiety in adulthood, a finding that surprised them, Dempsey said.
For some children, having friends and positive support can help make them more resilient to the slings and arrows from bullies, Storch said. But other children take the words and abuse more to heart and begin to believe what's being said about them.
"Those types of negative thoughts are actually believed to be at the core of things like depression and anxiety," Storch said. "Behaviorally what starts happening is you avoid interactions and situations that could be quite positive for you."
Currently, there are few prevention or intervention programs that focus specifically on relational victimization, in part because it's tougher to pinpoint and stop, Dempsey said.
"If a child tries to punch someone or kick someone, there's evidence of that happening," Dempsey said. "There's a definite aggressor and a definite victim. When it comes to spreading rumors and gossiping, that's a lot more difficult to prove who's doing it. And it's harder to provide consequences."
Dempsey said she hopes this study and others will help other researchers and psychologists design programs that can help stop this form of bullying in schools.
"I think many people have the belief that victimization is a normal rite of passage in childhood," Storch said. "While it certainly does happen to most kids, it's not acceptable. And while I think it would be difficult to completely curtail it, by reducing it you're going to help someone a tremendous amount to not have to go to school and be plagued by this environment of being tortured day in and day out.
"This isn't a normative experience and we need to do something about it and recognize that not doing something could affect children who are really rising stars."
Wendy Troop-Gordon, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at North Dakota State University, said understanding how past relational bullying affects people in adulthood is an important step forward for research in this field.
"Turning 18 is not a magical age when you leave all of these experiences behind," said Troop-Gordon, who is not affiliated with the study. "People do seem to carry these experiences with them."
University of Florida
Science News and Science Current Events Tag Cloud
This tag cloud is a visual representation of term frequencies of random science news topics with common terms grouped together and emphasized by their display size.
Herceptin Saliva Neutrophils Premature Birth Malaria Vaccine Wind Power Sexual Behavior Mitochondrial Drug Resistance Synthetic Biology Psychological Science Liver Fibrosis Seizures Hippocampus Planets DNA damage Obstructive Sleep Apnea Lung Function Lead Exposure Amniotic Fluid Gastric Bypass Milky Way Genomes Embryos Autoimmune Diseases
See More: Science News Tags
Bullying Current Events and Bullying News RSSChildren who are depressed, anxious or aggressive in first grade risk being victimized later on
Children entering first grade with signs of depression and anxiety or excessive aggression are at risk of being chronically victimized by their classmates by third grade.
Teaching autistic teens to make friends
During the first week of class, the teens' eyes were downcast, their responses were mumbled and eye contact was almost nonexistent. By Week 12, though, these same kids were talkative, responsive and engaged.
Children who are dissatisfied with their appearance often have problems with their peer group
Being satisfied with one's appearance is one of the most important prerequisites for a positive self image. However, in today's appearance culture it is the rule rather than the exception that children and young people are dissatisfied with their appearance.
Girls growing up with heroin-addicted parent more resilient than boys
Growing up with a heroin-addicted parent exposes children to a variety of detrimental experiences before the age of 18 and new research indicates that girls are four times more resilient than boys in overcoming such adverse events.
New tactics to tackle bystander's role in bullying
A new psychodynamic approach to bullying in schools has been successfully trialled by UCL (University College London) and US researchers. CAPSLE (Creating a Peaceful School Learning Environment) is a groundbreaking method focused more on the bystander, including the teacher, than on the bully or the victim.
Girls twice as likely as boys to remain victims of bullying
Girls targeted by bullies at primary school are two and a half times more likely to remain victims than boys, according to research from the University of Warwick and University of Hertfordshire.
Online racial discrimination linked to depression, anxiety in teens
In the early days of the Internet, some scholars once predicted a lessening of racism and race-based discrimination in online interactions thanks to the anonymity and race-neutral nature of the medium.
Stress-related disorders affect brain's processing of memory
Researchers using functional MRI (fMRI) have determined that the circuitry in the area of the brain responsible for suppressing memory is dysfunctional in patients suffering from stress-related psychiatric disorders. Results of the study will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Bullying of teenagers online is common, UCLA psychologists report
Nearly three in four teenagers say they were bullied online at least once during a recent 12-month period, and only one in 10 reported such cyber-bullying to parents or other adults, according to a new study by UCLA psychologists.
Bullying-suicide link explored in new study by researchers at Yale
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied and suicide in children, according to a new review of studies from 13 countries published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health.
More Bullying Current Events and Bullying News Articles
 |
Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig (Author), Adam Gustavson (Illustrator) D.J.’s friend Vince has a habit of teasing D.J. and then saying, "Just kidding!" as if it will make everything okay. It doesn’t, but D.J. is afraid that if he protests, his friends will think he can’t take a joke. With the help of his father, brother, and an understanding teacher, D.J. progresses from feeling helpless to taking positive action, undermining the power of two seemingly harmless words. Trudy Ludwig takes another look at relational aggression, the use of relationships to manipulate and hurt others, this time from the boy’s point of view. |
 |
ABC News 20/20 Bullies ABC News looks at the lasting and tragic consequences of being bullied and the daily torture that bullied children suffer. School violence specialist Glenn Stutzky tells us that the consequences of school bullying today may even include revenge killings and an epidemic of suicides. This "20/20" show contains the following additional stories: Product Warnings Smoking This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
 |
Stop Bullying Bobby!: Helping Children Cope with Teasing and Bullying by Dana Smith-Mansell (Author), Suzanne Riggio (Illustrator) In this insightful and winsome story, Robin, a seven-year-old girl, sees Bobby, the new kid in the neighborhood, being teased and bullied by other kids. Bobby dresses differently and is very small for his age. Robin wants to help Bobby, but doesn't know how so she asks her parents for help. After witnessing firsthand the teasing that Bobby has to endure, Robin's mother talks to Bobby and Robin's teacher, Ms. Wells. Ms. Wells develops a clever class activity to teach the children that everyone is different, but these differences should not be grounds for bullying. Using puppets, the children come to see the good in everyone, no matter how different. This informative book is a must read for all parents of young children who may be or are dealing with bullies and teasing at... |
 |
Stop Bullying: Standing Up for Yourself and Others Starring: Mark Brown Directed By: Charity Spatzeck Olsen Bullying is pervasive in our schools. Over 150,000 students stay home from school each day to avoid harassment from their peers. An estimated 1.6 million young people in grades six through ten are bullied at least once a week. Many young people feel helpless in these situations. They need to know what to do if they are bullied or if they are a witness to bullying. Through expert advice and students' real-life experiences, Stop Bullying! gives students concrete steps they can take to respond to bullying. Stop Bullying! features nationally acclaimed and Emmy-nominated youth speaker, Mark Brown, who has dedicated his career to helping young people all over the USA. Jamaican-born Brown uses his own personal experience with having been bullied as he speaks to thousands of kids each year about... |
 |
Bullying Prevention and Intervention: Realistic Strategies for Schools by The Guilford Press Grounded in research and extensive experience in schools, this engaging book describes practical ways to combat bullying at the school, class, and individual levels. Step-by-step strategies are presented for developing school- and districtwide policies, coordinating team-based prevention efforts, and implementing targeted interventions with students at risk. Special topics include how to involve teachers, parents, and peers in making schools safer; ways to address the root causes of bullying and victimization; the growing problem of online or cyberbullying; and approaches to evaluating intervention effectiveness. In a large-size format with convenient lay-flat binding, the book features helpful reproducibles, concrete examples, and questions for reflection and... |
 |
Trevor Romain: Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain Starring: Trevor Romain BECOMING BULLY-PROOF Every kid runs into a bully sometime, and our hero Jack is no exception! After being picked on, pushed around, and threatened by Henry the bully, Jack tries self-defense, insults, and even disguises to stop the bullying - but nothing's working. Finally, he comes up with a fail-safe solution - stay home from school forever! But, of course, Trevor and Jack's friend Skye aren't going to let him off so easy. From sketchpad to schoolyard, Trevor teaches Jack ways to handle a bully and the secrets for becoming bully-proof. TIPS FOR THE TAUNTED |
 |
Bullyproof Your Child For Life: Protect Your Child from Teasing, Taunting, and Bullying for Good by Joel Haber (Author), Jenna Glatzer (Author) As featured in the New York Times-an expert's proven technique for stamping out bullying. "Bully Coach" Joel Haber, Ph.D., is one of the foremost experts in the prevention of bullying. A pioneer in the field, he has worked with thousands of kids, parents, teachers, counselors, and others to understand the root causes of the bullying dynamic-from identifying bully types to exposing the reasons why kids become bullies, targets, or bystanders-and stamp it out once and for all. Delivering a practical, supportive, and step-by-step "bullyproofing prescription" that yields lasting results for both boys and girls, from grade school through high school, Bullyproof Your Child for Life offers specific action steps to help any child build resilience and confidence, develop compassion... |
 |
Stressball Sally and Friends (Bullying) Starring: Stressball Sally Bullying Directed By: Greg Kull In brief, Stressball Sally and Friends entertains children and families while promoting stress awareness, where stress, according to healthcare leaders, is the leading cause of illness, obesity, drug addiction, alcoholism, etc. |
 |
Bullying Prevention and Intervention: Realistic Strategies for Schools (The Guilford Practical Intervention in Schools Series) by Susan M. Swearer PhD (Author), Dorothy L. Espelage PhD (Author), Scott A. Napolitano PhD (Author) Grounded in research and extensive experience in schools, this engaging book describes practical ways to combat bullying at the school, class, and individual levels. Step-by-step strategies are presented for developing school- and districtwide policies, coordinating team-based prevention efforts, and implementing targeted interventions with students at risk. Special topics include how to involve teachers, parents, and peers in making schools safer; ways to address the root causes of bullying and victimization; the growing problem of online or cyberbullying; and approaches to evaluating intervention effectiveness. In a large-size format with convenient lay-flat binding, the book features helpful reproducibles, concrete examples, and questions for reflection and... |
 |
Girl Wars, 12 Strategies That Will End Female Bullying by Fireside Books Stop the Hurting Mary Pipher's bestselling Reviving Ophelia triggered widespread interest in the culture of preteen and teenage girls and the seeming epidemic of relational aggression (bullying) among them. Gossip, teasing, forming cliques, and other cruel behaviors are the basis of this bullying, which harms both victim and aggressor. Until now, no one has been able to offer practical and effective solutions that stop girls from hurting each other with words and actions. But in Girl Wars, two experts explain not only how to prevent such behavior but also how to intervene should it happen, as well as overcome the culture that breeds it.Illustrated by compelling true stories from mothers and girls, the authors offer effective, easy-to-implement strategies that range from ... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |