Publications - Bullying

Ruling In Horrific LGBT Bullying Case Should Be A Wake-Up Call For Congress To Finally Pass SNDA, by Block, Joshua, Jun 24 2014.

“A 13-year-old boy named Jon Carmichael killed himself during spring break in 2010. You would think that this kind of bullying is illegal and schools have a responsibility to stop it. ”

It's getting safer to be a child in the U.S., by Jen Christensen, CNN , May 1 2014.

“Despite all the national headlines about school shootings and other violence, life has actually gotten a lot safer for American children, according to a new study. Instances in which children were the victims of crimes such as assaults or violence such as bullying have declined significantly, according to the study, which appears in the most recent edition of the JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers compared rates of 50 different types of violence and crime over time. Of those categories, 27 saw significant declines between 2003 and 2011. ”

In Texting Era, Crisis Hotlines Put Help at Youths’ Fingertips, by Leslie Kaufman, New York Times, Feb 4 2014.

“While counseling by phone remains far more prevalent, texting has become such a fundamental way to communicate, particularly among people under 20, that crisis groups have begun to adopt it as an alternative way of providing emergency services and counseling. Texting provides privacy that can be crucial if a person feels threatened by someone near them, counselors say. It also looks more natural if the teenager is in public. ”

Bully in the next bedroom - are we in denial about sibling aggression?, by William Kremer, Nov 8 2013.

“Sibling relationships can be difficult, and never more so than in childhood. But society often regards the scrapping and squabbling, the play fighting and not-so-playful fighting as a normal part of growing up. Almost a third of the 3,600 children questioned said they had been the victim of some sort of sibling aggression in the past 12 months. This included a range of acts from theft and psychological abuse to physical assault, either mild or severe. In comparison, research suggests that up to a quarter of children are victims of schoolyard aggression every year. ”

Sexual violence common among teens. Feeling responsible isn't., by Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, Oct 7 2013.

“Nearly 1 in 10 young Americans between ages 14 and 21 acknowledges having perpetrated an act of sexual violence at least once, and 4% of a nationally representative sample of American kids reported attempting or completing rape, a new study finds. ”

Bullying and Cyberbullying, by Englander, Elizabeth, Oct 1 2013.

Bullying Under Attack: True Stories Written by Teen Victims, Bullies & Bystanders, by Meyer, Stephanie, et al., Sep 3 2013.

Llama Llama and the Bully Goat, by Dewdney, Anna, Aug 6 2013.

Being Bullied Throughout Childhood and Teens May Lead to More Arrests, Convictions, Prison Time, by Turner, Michael, Aug 1 2013.

“People who were repeatedly bullied throughout childhood and adolescence were significantly more likely to go to prison than individuals who did not suffer repeated bullying, according to a new analysis presented at the American Psychological Association’s 121st Annual Convention. ”

Media Coverage of Gun Violence May Further Stigmatize Mental Illness, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central , Mar 22 2013.

“Investigators are concerned that negative media coverage may increase public bias against mental illness and discourage people with mental illness from seeking care. For the report, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers compared public perception among people who did not read media accounts, to people who did read media reports of a mass shooting. The discovered reading a news article describing a mass shooting raised readers' support for both gun restrictions for persons with serious mental illness, and for a ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines. ”

The Psychological Effects Of Bullying Last Well Into Adulthood, Study Finds, by Alice Walton, Forbes , Feb 21 2013.

“As bullying gains more awareness from the general public, it's also gained momentum among researchers. More studies are beginning to confirm the sometimes serious psychological effects of bullying, particularly for the bullied, like increased risk for depression and anxiety; others have hinted at what might be going on in the mind of the bully. Both groups seem to be at increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The problem with many of the past studies is that they're often short-term, or in some cases, the connections between bullying and psychological health (or unhealth) seem to fade away after other variables are taken into account. ”

Bullying Can Lead to PTSD Symptoms, by Janice Wood, Psych Central , Nov 28 2012.

“A new study has found a high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among teenagers who have been bullied. The study of 963 teens aged 14 and 15 in Norwegian schools found symptoms of the disorder in about 33 percent of the students who said they were victims of bullying--though it did not determine that these students were diagnosed with full-blown PTSD. ”

Bullying And Mental Health: Study Links Anxiety, Hyperactivity In Kids To Bullying, by Catherine Pearson, Huffington Post , Oct 22 2012.

“The study, presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics' national conference in New Orleans on Monday, found that kids with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) -- which is characterized by frequent tantrums and revenge seeking -- were six times more likely to be identified as bullies than children with no mental health disorders, while children with depression were three times more likely. Children with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were also around three times more likely to be bullies, according to parental reports. ”

Cyberbullying Rarely Sole Factor in Teen Suicides, by Janice Wood, Psych Central , Oct 20 2012.

“Cyberbullying - the use of the Internet, phones or other technology to repeatedly harass or mistreat peers - is often linked with teen suicide. But new research shows that teen suicide victims are bullied both online and in person and they often suffer from depression as well. In the new study, researchers searched the Internet for reports of teen suicides where cyberbullying was a reported factor. ”

Exposure to Violence Has Long-Term Stress Effects Among Adolescents, by ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, Jul 3 2012.

“Children who are exposed to community violence continue to exhibit a physical stress response up to a year after the exposure, suggesting that exposure to violence may have long-term negative health consequences, according researchers at Penn State and University College London. ”