The Effects of Bullying, from a Victim’s Perspective
Stop the Bullying. Image of a girl sitting sadly.
By Alejandra Ramos
Unfortunately, almost everybody has been through a situation at some point in our lives of being bullied when we were younger, and that has caused some type of damage to our well-being. We all know that bullying can happen in many forms, such as physical, verbal, or cyberbullying. A survey done in forty countries has proven that 42% of boys and 37% of girls have experienced some type of bullying (Man, 2022). This ongoing issue has always been a concerning matter where it needs our attention, especially for anyone who works in a school environment.
Bullying a student can cause physical harm to them, that ranges from small injuries to even death. There are countless physical health consequences, and research has proven that children involved in a bullying incident are three times more likely to have sleeping difficulties, stomach pains, and bed wetting (Due 2005). This also increases the chance of the student being afraid of coming to school to avoid the bully which affects their attendance and academic performance. They also won’t be able to focus during school since their main focus is surviving through the day without anything happening to them.
There are also internalizing symptoms when one is involved in a bullying incident. When one experiences bullying, their mental health decreases. Research has proven that the frequency of bullying had a more significant negative effect on the mental health of adolescents (Man, 2022). The effects include depression, anxiety, dissocialization, and fear. Children who are being bullied feel that it might be impossible for this treatment to end therefore they believe that they don’t belong or that they blame themselves for what they are experiencing. It can be difficult to overcome these types of effects because it’s not an easy process to heal from as it can be traumatizing for the student. These internalizing effects can affect a child as they grow older until adulthood.
What can you do if you are being bullied?
Tell someone that you trust such as a friend, parent, teacher, etc.
Ignore the bully. Try not to give them your attention
Try to be surrounded by people. Bullies tend to target when you are alone
Delete social media accounts if you are being cyberbullied
Do not listen to what the bully says about you
Bullying leaves scars on the victim whether it be physically or mentally. Students should not be afraid of coming to school which is why all schools need to implement interventions where those who are being bullied have resources that are necessary to overcome this issue. Every school should be able to provide a safe environment for all students and encourage them to show positive behavior towards others.
References
MHA National: What to Do if I’m Bullied
https://www.mhanational.org/bullying-what-do-if-im-bullied
Due, P., Holstein, B. E., Lynch, J., Diderichesen, F., Gabhain, S. N., Scheidt, P., Currie, C. & The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Bullying Working Group. (2005). Bullying and symptoms among school-aged children: International comparative cross sectional study in 28 countries. European Journal of Public Health, 15(2), 128-132.
Man X, Liu J, Xue Z. Effects of Bullying Forms on Adolescent Mental Health and Protective Factors: A Global Cross-Regional Research Based on 65 Countries. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 18;19(4):2374. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042374.