Bullying: Recent Trends and Solutions Christopher M. Bogart, Ph.D.

AGENDA What is Bullying and What it is Not Common Myths The Statistics The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander The Role of the Family Effective Prevention and Intervention A Social – Ecological Approach Bibliography

Four Markers of Bullying What is Bullying? Four Markers of Bullying Imbalance of Power Intent to Harm Threat of Further Aggression Contempt

Types of Bullying Verbal Bullying Physical Bullying Relational Bullying

What Bullying is Not Teasing versus Taunting Criminal Behavior Impulsive Aggression Sibling Rivalry

Common Myths Our school doesn’t have bullying Being bullied is character forming Can’t you take a joke That kid was asking for it Bullies are from dysfunctional families Teachers catch the bullies and intervene Bullying is more prevalent today

Some Statistics Dan Olweus and Susan Limber (1973 through 2007) Kaiser Family Foundation (2001) US Bureau of Justice (2012) Cyberbullying Research Center (2012)

The Types of Bullies The Confident Bully The Social Bully The Emotionally Detached Bully The Hyperactive Bully The Bullied Bully The Gang of Bullies

The Bullied Child Any child is a candidate Physically weaker or have ‘body anxiety’ Cautious, sensitive, quiet, shy Anxious or insecure Difficulty being assertive Relates better to adults than peers Hyperactive, clumsy or irritating behaviors Physically unattractive quality

Is there a Bullied Child in your house? Abrupt refusal to go to school Abrupt drop in grades Abrupt withdraw from family, friends or activities Stealing money with lame excuses Frequent stomachaches, headaches, panic attacks Missing clothing or personal belongings

The ‘Actions’ of the Bystander Bystanders involved in 85% of bullying episodes but intervene in only 13% Why? Afraid of getting hurt himself Afraid of becoming a new target Afraid of doing something that makes it worse Don’t know what to do The bully is my friend and the target is not The Code of Silence

Five Parenting Strategies Five critical daily messages Positive discipline: authoritative not authoritarian Nurture Empathy Monitor TV, Video Games, Social Media Be a Positive Model

Do’s and Don’ts if your Child is Bullied I hear and believe you You are not alone It is not your fault There are things you can do – Teach child skills Report the bullying to the school Don’t minimize or rationalize Don’t rush in to solve the problem Don’t tell your child to fight back Don’t tell child to avoid the bully Don’t confront the bully

The Whole School Approach Openly gather information about bullying Establish clear school-wide policy Establish school – wide program Train teachers to identify/respond to bullying Increase supervision on playground/at lunch Teach children to be responsible bystanders Peer Partnering and Peer Mentoring School Buddy System Teach conflict resolution – regular “Circle Time” Gather information – shows students and faculty that you care and gives real data School policy – posted, reviewed, signed by all Train teachers on signs; train teachers how to intervene – conflict resolution; running groups Peer Partnering – befriending strategy; target new students; teach the partner how to act Peer mentoring – a step beyond partnering; someone trained to talk to about issues School Buddy – older kids with younger kids Circle Time – regular meetings to teach conflict resolution, assertiveness, bring up class-wide issues

Bibliography The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander. Barbara Coloroso (2008). Bullies and Bullying: A Complete Guide. Margaret Kohut (2007). The Anti-bullying Handbook. Keith Sullivan (2000). www.violencepreventionworks.org (Dan Olweus, 2012) www.stopbullyingnow www.cyberbullying.us