The Broad Impact of School Bullying, and What Must Be Done

New research on bullying outcomes underlines the alarming unmet need. Effective interventions reviewed include anti-bullying, trauma-informed, family-based, and systemic approaches.

Grant H Brenner MD DFAPA
BeingWell

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Keira Burt on Pexels

KEY POINTS

  • Bullying is an epidemic that is not showing signs of improvement.
  • At least one in five kids are bullied, and a significant percentage bullies. Both are negatively affected, as are bystanders.
  • Parenting style can reduce the risk of PTSD from bullying.
  • Evidence-based bully prevention programs are generally effective, but school adoption is inconsistent and anti-bullying legislation weak.

According to the US federal government website StopBullying.gov:

“There is no federal law that specifically applies to bullying. In some cases, when bullying is based on race or ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion, bullying overlaps with harassment and schools are legally obligated to address it.“

The National Bullying Prevention Center reports data finding that one in five children have been bullied. There are many risk factors for being…

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Grant H Brenner MD DFAPA
BeingWell

Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst, Entrepreneur, Writer, Speaker, Disaster Responder, Advocate, Photographer