For
some the effects of schoolyard bullying can linger into adulthood, with periods
of depression and anxiety, and for others there are no lasting effects. What
factors define one group over the other?
The
Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) researched 1150 13-14 year old students
to identify how many were bullied or bullied others. In a longitudinal study –
Bullying in Early Adolescence and Antisocial Behavior and Depression Six Years
Later: What are the Protective Factors? – the same students were surveyed six
years later to gauge the long term effects of their experiences (Sydney Morning Herald, March 16, 2014).
Of
the 1150 students, 25% had been bullied and 20% admitted to bullying others. At
19-20 years of age, those who were bullied were twice as likely than those were
were not bullied to have depression. At 19-20 those that bullied others were
more likely than those who didn’t bully others to be anti-social, vandalise
property, and commit criminal offences, such as drug trafficking and assaults.
Researchers
subsequently identified factors that minimised the long term effects of
bullying. Information was drawn from the AIFS Australian Temperament Project in
which researchers followed participants since 1983. From this information researchers
examined potential risk and protective factors.
Bullied
students who had high social skills and coped well with school work were much
less likely to develop depression later in life. However, a high attachment to friends
and peers intensified the risk between feeling victimized and later depression.
Bullies
who had parents involved in their lives were much less like to be anti-social
and commit criminal offences and were much more likely to avoid legal and
social problems in the long term. Those that had more stable temperaments and
did not over-react to situation or get easily upset and frustrated were better
able to handle life by the time they reached adulthood. The main factor that
prevented former bullies from becoming anti-social adults was the behaviour of
their parents or guardians.
Therefore
having low negative reactions was found to protect bullies from later
anti-social outcomes. Higher parental monitoring moderated the risk between
bullying and anti-social behaviour. Parents or older figures who imparted social
skills, responsible behaviour, and consequences for actions, as well as knowing
where their teenagers were and what they were doing, tended to assist them from
becoming anti-social later in life.
For
both the bullied and the person bullying, the most effective interventions or
self-help actions were those that targeted: (1) improving social and
interpersonal skills, (2) improving parent-student relationships, and (3)
improving peer-to-peer relationships. Preventative and protective measures that
included these three factors may be effective in reducing adverse and long term
effects of bullying.
Vassallo S, Edwards B, Renda J and Olsson C, Journal of School Violence v.13 no.1, 2014: 100-124 - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15388220.2013.840643?journalCode=wjsv20#.Uyc6kT_NvIV
Vassallo S, Edwards B, Renda J and Olsson C, Journal of School Violence v.13 no.1, 2014: 100-124 - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15388220.2013.840643?journalCode=wjsv20#.Uyc6kT_NvIV
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