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Bullying and the After Effects: A Report for Every Parent
Posted: April 28, 2022
In the past, bullying has often been looked at as a "rite of passage" something that every kid goes through. However, studies today are showing that being bullied is far from harmless. In fact, victims of bullying may end up dealing with psychiatric problems and other aftereffects a decade after the bullying occurs. Lasting psychiatric damage occurs to children that are victims of bullies. In fact, the aftereffects seen in kids are often similar to those seen in children that have been mistreated or abused by family members. If you are a parent, you need to fully understand bullying and its aftereffects so you can truly understand what your child goes through when they are bullied. It's important to realize that this is a huge deal and it needs to be stopped. The following are just a few of the aftereffects that can occur as a result of being bullied.
Emotional Consequences
Kids that are being bullied day after day often find it so devastating that the situation results in tragic emotional consequences. Studies show that close to 50% of kids dealing with bullying have considered taking their own life as a result of this problem. Nearly 20% of those bullied may go on to actually try suicide as a way out of the problem. Not only does bullying make kids more likely to try to commit suicide, but it also increases their chances of suffering from depression as well.
Kids Often Leave School Early
Another potential aftereffect of bullying is kids leaving school early and deciding not to get any further education. When children deal with bullies on a daily basis, it can feel like prison to them. They never are able to let their guard down and they always end up dealing with fear. No one wants to live with that fear and stress all the time. Since kids are often bullied at school, they often drop out of school or forsake plans to go on to college after being bullied.
Eliminates Self Esteem
Bullying can also eliminate self-esteem in children. Developing self-esteem is crucial for children and teenagers. However, being bullied leaves kids feeling even worse about themselves. Kids that deal with bullies as a kid not only have trouble with their self-esteem levels while they are young, but this can translate into adulthood, leaving them with low self-esteem that leads to further problems in the future.
May Begin a Pattern of Bullying
Once a child becomes a victim of bullying, it has the possibility of beginning a pattern of bullying within their life. It can change a child's personality and affect their mind in such a way that they continue to be a victim of bullies throughout the rest of their life. Among individuals that have faced bullying in school, about 40% of them report that they have dealt with bullying again as an adult.
Increased Risk of Psychiatric Problems
Last, bullying can increase the risk a child has of developing psychiatric problems in the future. Studies done on victims of bullying have shown that they had an increased risk of dealing with anxiety disorders when they reached adulthood. Some studies show that children that were bullies were more likely to reach adulthood and deal with depression, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and suicidal thoughts.
Bullying should never happen. It's not a harmless experience and it is a big deal. Bullying has a huge effect on the victims and can even have serious harmful effects on the bullies as well. No person deserves to be bullied and a look at the aftereffects bullying can have on individuals shows how important it is to fight this problem in schools, on the job, and in society as a whole.
