The type of phenomenon that is displayed through bullying is a kind of power abuse, where an individual or a group of people with more power harm another person or group of people who are, in a sense, weaker. Bullying is not an isolated occurrence, as majority of schools in the world encounter this problem. This type of violence is a problem at every age, but is mostly prevalent around schooling age. According to Smokowski and Kopasz (2005), one in three children who go to school in the United States were victims of bullying (article 6). Bullying tends to increase in middle school, around the age of 12, and that time in a child’s life is very important for moral development (?).
Although there is no general agreement on the definition of bullying, there is consensus on its features: repetitive, unreasonable and deliberate, physical, verbal and psychological, and is committed over a person with less power. Bullying can also come in different forms, as it may be physical, emotional, or social. [something multiple people involved in bullying]. Whether it be the one being bullied or the bully themself, bullying that occurs during middle childhood can negatively affect one’s mental health, which in turn, affects academic success and may lead to suicide.
The adverse effects of bullying all starts with the effect bullying has on one’s mental health. Children who are bullied are more likely to be depressed. According to Kerlikowski (2003), 26% of girls who were frequently bullied reported depression, as opposed to 8% of girls who were not. Similarly, the boys who were bullied and reported depression were 16% as against the 3% who were not (article 5).
Furthermore, a student’s academic success can be affected in response to the effects that bullying can do to a student’s mental health. Students who are targeted by bullies often have difficulty concentrating on their school work, which leads in a decline of their academic success, moving from ‘marginal to poor’ (Ballard, Tucky & Remley, 1999 [check for proper citation 5]). Typically, students who are bullied may feel anxious, and the anxiety might produce physical or emotional sickness. [something].
In addition, students who have been victimized by bullying are more likely to miss school or even drop out. Smith, Talamelli, Cowie, Naylor and Chauhan (2004) conducted a study, analyzing the attendance of students who are bullied versus the school attendance of the students who are not (maybe change to article 7 citation). Their findings show that a student’s attendance negatively depends on the level of bullying to which each student is exposed to; the students who are not victims of bullying had a high rate of school attendance, compared to those who have been bullied, with those students spending at least 4% less time in school.
[Nan- sel et al (2001) observed that ‘youths who are bullied generally show higher levels of insecurity, anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, physical and mental symptoms, and low-self esteem]
Lastly, bullying is connected to suicidal ideation and attempts among school-age teenagers. There is a strong correlation between between bullying and suicide, as suggested by recent bullying related suicides in the US an other countries. [something]. Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth, and that victims of bullying are two to nine times more likely to attempt suicide than those who were not bullied. CDC in 2012 uncovered that approximately 1 in 6 high school students has seriously considered suicide, and 1 in 12 has attempted it. Also, the association of being bullied to suicidal ideation is not only limited to students who were bullied, but the bully themselves.
In conclusion, [restate thesis]. Bullying is widespread across the United States and is an important problem that affects students’ academic and social capabilities, and though society is aware of this problem, the majority of victims of bullying do not admit having been bullied. In some studies, up to 64% of bullied students do not even report being bullied to parents or school staff out of fear of the possible repercussions to follow. (something about creating a society or environment to make it easier for those who are bullied or to just stop bullying as a whole) Though bullying is [something], it is also preventable!
