Upon assuming the role of First Lady, Melania Trump made tackling bullying one of the goals that she would strive to accomplish. Her dedication points to the gravity of the problem of bullying. Every year, thousands of individuals across the United States are subjected to various forms of bullying. While there are some who suffer verbal abuse, there are those who endure physical and sexual assault. It is true that bullying is a national problem that affects all age groups. However, this challenge is more prevalent among adolescents and many incidents occur in high school. Fortunately, there are various solutions available to address this issue. By leveraging support services and resources, and conducting screening on victims, it is possible to deliver assistance and to eliminate the bullying challenge.
Description and Stressors
Bullying has been identified as among the major challenges that the US faces today. In her report on this issue, Pamela Engel (2013) notes that 60% of high school students have witnessed bullying occur and that thousands of students are unable to attend classes as a result of bullying. Engel adds that bullying has now extended into online spaces where children are being subjected to harassment and abuse. Many students who are unable to withstand the pressure of bullying are forced to abandon their studies. Jennifer McClellan (2018) confirms that bullying is prevalent in American high schools. She cites a study which established that in 2017, one out of every three students in middle and high school experienced some form of bullying. Bullying has been shown to have adverse impacts on the victims. These effects include poor mental health, and an inability to establish healthy and lasting relationships (Wolke & Lereya, 2015). Substance abuse, and psychosocial problems are other impacts that have been blamed on bullying (Moore et al., 2017). Given the fact that bullying is responsible for a wide range of adverse outcomes, concerted efforts must be committed to tackling this challenge.
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To fully understand bullying, one needs to examine its associated external stressors. Essentially, these stressors refer to the events and forces in one’s life that are beyond their control and cause tremendous disruption, agony and discomfort. Since bullying is a problem that is perpetrated by others as opposed to such other issues as teenage pregnancies, it is rather difficult to conceptualize it in terms of its external stressors. However, insights can still be gained through an exploration of the external forces that drive the perpetrators of bullying. Race, sexual orientation and poverty are among the factors that have been linked to bullying (Oliveira et al., 2015). By understanding these factors and how they encourage bullying, it is possible to develop appropriate and effective intervention strategies.
Assessment Strategies for Screening
When dealing which high school adolescents who have suffered bullying, practitioners need to conduct assessment. The purpose of the assessment is to establish the harm that the adolescent has suffered and to develop proper interventions. A number of strategies are available for conducting assessment for screening. Evaluating for signs that are symptomatic of physical and psychological harm is among the strategies that practitioners should use (Waseem et al., 2013). Suppose that a student has bruises on his face. These bruises could be indication that they have been bullied. It is the mandate of the attending practitioner to conduct a thorough physical examination to determine if the child has indeed been bullied. Moreover, it is also critical for the practitioner to perform a psychological evaluation. This evaluation may involve posing questions to the child. Various standard scales have been developed to aid the assessment process. They include the Gatehouse Bullying Scale, the Multidimensional Peer-Vaccination Scale, and the Peer Victimization Scale, among others (Hamburger, Basile & Vivolo, 2011). Using these scales, a practitioner manages to understand the experiences of the victim. The assessment process can also involve speaking with such parties as teachers, peers and parents. By engaging these parties, the practitioner is able to obtain useful insights that inform the intervention process. Listed below are some of the assessment questions that the practitioner can pose as they seek to determine if the child is a bullying victim:
Has anyone threatened to beat you?
Have there been instances where you have been forced to surrender your money or any other item?
What caused the scars on your face?
Do you fear going to school?
Has someone called you names?
Have you been ganged up on?
Have lies been told about you?
Has someone shouted at you?
It is worth noting that the list of questions above is not exhaustive. A practitioner can ask additional questions as they seek to understand the anguish suffered by the bullying victim. One should also note that these questions do not necessarily apply to all situations. For the best results, practitioners should tailor the questions to suit specific situations and victims.
As they conduct the assessment, practitioners need to be mindful of the ethical guidelines and parameters that govern information sharing. Among these parameters is sharing information that may cause discomfort or embarrassment to the victim. Furthermore, when the victim explicitly asks the practitioner to refrain from sharing particular details, the practitioner needs to honor this wish. It is also important for the practitioner to avoid sharing deeply personal and sensitive details. Overall, during the assessment process, the practitioner should strive to ensure the wellbeing of the victim.
Support Options
There is no doubt that bullying has adverse outcomes which highlight the need for urgent interventions. Parents, schools, educators and other stakeholders need to join forces in creating solutions and resources that bullying victims can use in their quest for healing and assurance. Peer support is among the resources that have shown promise in alleviating the pain endured by the victims (Smith & Thompson, 2014). What makes this resource effective is the fact that it is readily available. For example, a student who has been bullied can turn to her friends for support and insight. Furthermore, peer support plays a vital role in enabling the victim to find comfort and to restore their dignity and sense of worth. Teachers and school programs are other resources available to victims of bullying (Schargel, 2014). The victim needs to approach a teacher whom they trust and report the bully. Many schools across the nation have developed programs through which they prevent bullying and deliver support to the victims. While it is the mandate of the schools to create awareness about these programs, the victims also need to utilize them. The programs cannot be effective unless the victim seeks help.
Above, some of the strategies that schools can adopt to address the needs of bullying victims have been identified. If implemented successfully, these strategies can accelerate the healing process for victims. However, instead of responding after a bullying incident has occurred, schools need to adopt a pro-active approach. Social skills training is one of the pro-active solutions that has been proven to have a significant impact on the prevention of bullying (Cantone et al., 2015). By incorporating this training into the curricula, schools can eliminate bullying before it causes harm. The training forces on fostering collaboration, kindness and friendship among students in high school. Apart from the training, schools can also adopt policies that make it clear that no form of bullying will be tolerated. A zero-tolerance approach is likely to create an atmosphere where all students feel safe and valued.
In an earlier section, some of the external stressors associated with bullying were identified. Religion, poverty and sexual orientation are among these factors. These factors are rather complex and it is impossible for any single stakeholder to initiate interventions that influence these factors. However, through collaborative effort, it is possible to ensure that these factors do not fuel bullying. For example, the government can lead schools and parents in challenging students to embrace members of the LGBT community. This initiative would go a long way in shielding this community against bullying. Poverty eradication initiatives aimed at providing economic empowerment also promise to help in the eradication of bullying. Overall, any and all initiatives which consolidate the efforts and resources of various stakeholders is likely to boost the bullying-eradication campaign. While the different proposed solutions work differently, they all have an empowering impact. As stakeholders develop more strategies and solutions, they should focus on empowering both the victim and the perpetrator of bullying.
In conclusion, every year, thousands of students in American high schools are bullied. This statistic is despite the tremendous effort that has been dedicated to creating safer schools. The victims of bullying experience various forms of harm that include physical pain and psychological problems. It is understood that some of the impacts of bullying have a long-term nature. Practitioners have an obligation to take all necessary steps to relieve the pain and anguish endured by victims. Conducting thorough assessments is among the measures that they can implement as they seek to fulfill their mandate. While performing the assessments, the practitioners should evaluate the physical state of the victim as well as determining their psychological health. Other stakeholder such as parents, schools and the government should also be involved in the response to bullying. It is important for these stakeholders to provide support and resources.
References
Cantone, E., Press, A. P., Vellante, M., Preti, A., Danielsdottir, S., D’Aloja, E., Lesinskiene, S., Angermeyer, M. C., Carta, M. G., & Bhugra, D. (2015). Interventions of bullying and cyberbullying in schools: a systematic review. Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, 11 (Suppl 1 M4), 58-76.
Engel, P. (2013). 11 staggering facts about bullying in America. Business Insider. Retrieved February 13, 2019 from https://www.businessinsider.com/staggering-facts-about-bullying-in-america-2013-10?IR=T
Hamburger, M. E., Basile, K. C., & Vivolo, A. M. (2011). Measuring bullying victimization, perpetration, and bystander experiences: a compendium of assessment tools. CDC. Retrieved February 13, 2019 from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullycompendium-a.pdf
McClellan, J. (2018). One third of middle-and-high schoolers were bullied last year, study shows. USA Today. Retrieved February 13, 2019 from https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/2018/09/24/one-out-three-students-were-bullied-us-school-last-year/1374631002/
Moore, S. E., Norman, R. E., Suetani, S., Thomas, H. J., Sly, P. D., & Scott, J. G. (2017). Consequences of bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Psychiatry, 7 (1), 60-76.
Oliveira, W. A., Silva, M. A., De Mello, F. C., Porto, D. L., Yoshinaga, A. C. M., & Malta, D. C. (2015). The causes of bullying: results from the National Survey of School Health (PeNSE). Revista Latina-Americana de Enfermagem, 23 (2), 275-82.
Schargel, F. (2014). Bullying: what schools, parents, and students can do. Huffington Post. Retrieved February 13, 2019 from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/franklin-schargel/bullying-what-schools-par_b_4103901.html
Smith, P. K., & Thompson, F. (2014). What works best to stop bullying in schools? The Conversation. Retrieved February 13, 2019 from http://theconversation.com/what-works-best-to-help-stop-bullying-in-schools-28865
Waseem, M., Ryan, M., Foster, C. B., & Peterson, J. (2013). Assessment and management of bullied children in the emergency department. Pediatric Emergency Care, 29 (3), 389-98.
Wolke, D., & Lereya, S. T. (2015). Long-term effects of bullying. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 100 (9), 879-85.
