Next month, the American Academy of Pediatrics will publish its new statement on the pediatrician’s role in preventing youth violence, and for the first time a section on bullying is to be included. One in four children report that they have been involved in bullying – either as the bully or the victim – making this a serious topic in which all physicians, parents, and schools should be proactive in confronting. The aim of the new recommendations is to change the culture of bullying through class discussions, parent meetings and consistent responses to every incidence of bullying. One of the paradigm shifts in thought about bullying is that the victims must be protected, but at the same, attention should be focused on bullies as well – research has shown that bullies are less likely to finish school or hold down a job. Concurrently, victims of bullying are more likely to experience depression and suicidal thoughts. Hopefully, the new recommendations will go a long way in reducing these long-term consequences of bullying and get people to realize that bullying is not a normal part of childhood which is often deemed by parents to be a rite of passage necessary for success later in life.
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Tags: American Academy of Pediatrics, bully, bullying, Pediatrics, youth violence
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
June 22nd, 2009 at 3:51 am
Thank you so much Dr. Chang for publishing this article! As a CORE member of the Olweus Bully Prevention Program for my school, I am constantly looking for help on how to aid this prevailing issue with our students and future leaders. Although we were trained via the OBPP, I believe there is still more we can do to further the understanding of this monumental problem which exists in our schools and society today.
Can you suggest or help lead me to other avenues where I can expand our anti-bullying campaign/program and education? My intent is to make a profound impact not only in our school, but our community, state, and world. I know the way to do this is one student and heart and mind at a time, but I believe we can also go beyond the walls of our little building into the world to deliver the message that violence is unacceptable at any age, culture, or subgroup.
Love, peace, and happiness to you,
Lia Ciminella
OBPP Core Member
Language Arts Instructor
Harding School
Erie, PA.
Ere, PA
June 22nd, 2009 at 4:18 am
bullying is engrained in our society. it has gone on forever and was certainly part and parcel of the playground when i grew up. can anyone actually be surprised that it goes on now?
as we grow older it just takes more acceptable forms by way of the multitudes of way we express agression and cloak it in more acceptable skin. it is still out there and no place moreso than cops. for instance the cops that beat the person who was already unconscious after the car chase and was thrown from the car. it was seen on tv. fact is they seldom get caught and people don’t want to know. we don’t care how the garbage is taken out, so long as it gets taken out.the real bullies grow up to be cops.
i was beaten so methodically and precisely that my injuries are almost impossible to prove. for tresspassing. i made the mistake of wanting to believe they weren’t all bad. and trusted just one more cop. he made sure it all got covered up. my life has been hell and likely will be forever. and hey these are the ones that will pick our kids up from school and arrest them for “bullying”. the cops are the ones that will and do go to schools to speak about it and end up reeducating the juvenile “bullies” fine reeducate just don’t leave it up to the true “grown up bullies” to fix what’s wrong. it’s like putting the most dissaociated and detached of all the patients on the ward as head of the asylum.
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:12 am
Yes, bullying should be control, specially in grammar and high school
grades.
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I also agree that bullying should be a thing of the past. I honestly believe it should be stopped and controlled as it happens. Two of my three children are on psychiatric treatment for depression because of bullying. It is a serious topic that is not dealt with in our school system. It’s not taken seriously until my son had a plan to kill himself at the age of seven. Thank you Dr. Chang for trying to bring this to everyone’s attention because I really did feel I was fighting this alone.
July 12th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Bullying is a big problem, yest it has been around forever, but today children are violent, they use guns, knives, etc. Bullies are dangerous to themselves and others and it needs to be stopped.
My son has been bullied at school for 2 years, the principals does absolutely nothing about it. She says my son must be doing something to cause it.
We left our church, yes it began at church, my son has dropped out of sports and different activities because of the bullies. Each time he drops out of something, they win again.
We finally got the police involved the last few weeks of school last year, that helped for the time. My fear is what will happen when school starts again.
One boy beat my son in the head repeatedly and it was caught on school security cameras, the child was not disciplined for it. It was my son’s fault because he shouldn’t have been sitting at the table he chose to sit at??? Although he was there before the bully was. Why do they always stick up for the bullies????
We need to put punishment back in the school. The government and all these crazy people that think punishment shouldn’t be allowed need to be bullied. Of course their children are probably the ones doing the bullying!!!!
Most of all, We need to put GOD back in school. Maybe if we taught moral values in stead of alternative life styles and evolution and that junk, that should not be apart of public schools, then things would be better.
We feel like we are fighting a loosing battle with the bullies and the school. Please help.