Bullying As a Public Health Concern
by Lynne Lang, Curriculum Specialist

Bullying has long been a problem in many schools. However, the bullying -- and its effects on those targeted -- has escalated to a serious level. Children who are the targets of bullying suffer from isolation, depression, poor self-esteem and school failure. Forty-six percent of children bullied have reported thoughts of suicide.

Think bullying doesn’t affect you? Think again. Bullying has become a major public health concern affecting all Americans, not just those with children in school. Bullying has been linked to:

• Criminal behavior -- children engaging in bullying behavior at age 8 are six times more likely to enter the prison system by the time they reach 24
• Daily threats by students to 6,250 teachers across the country
• A five percent increase in female incarceration during the past 10 years
• An increase in teen suicides

Sadly, bullying also has been identified as a motivating factor of desperate and despondent children who plot school attacks armed with guns.

Teaching Communication
Schools that address name-calling, put downs, exclusion, negative humor and other destructive manners of verbal bullying have fewer incidents of physical violence according to the National Threat Assessment Center. Teaching productive communication skills reduces verbal, emotional, physical, gender and cyber bullying, and creates a kinder, more civil culture at home and at school.

Teaching Empathy
Adults can recognize and stop the abuse young people inflict upon one another by helping them articulate their distress or conflict. When youth become empathetic -- that is, learn to have the capacity to understand their emotions and the emotions of their peers -- they are less likely to become involved in school violence. Empathy allows them to understand the impact of their offense and enables them to experience remorse, which prevents further offenses against their peers.

Additional key factors that prevent bullying include:

• Teaching and enforcing basic manners and courtesy at home and school
• Recognizing the power of the witness to lessen the impact on the target
• Teaching how to apologize for offenses with honest conversations about change
• Instructing students to report incidents to adults trained to respond appropriately

BJC School Outreach and Youth Development has two programs that have helped thousands of students since 1999:

• Intersections, a 6-week curriculum for middle school students, offers interactive lessons in emotional intelligence. Students learn communication skills, goal setting, time management and a deeper understanding of empathy.
   
• Buddies, a 4-week curriculum, helps younger students learn strategies to reduce bullying behaviors and positively impact school climate. Youngsters who participate in these interactive lessons show a 47 percent increase in knowledge about bullying behaviors, and demonstrate favorable behavior changes.
   
• Due to the high demand for these programs, training in these two curricula is available to school staff members through our Educational Training Series. For more information, contact us at 314.286.0460 or by e-mail.
   
• Learn more ways to stop bullying.