A new study says bullying can affect children not just for a few years, but well into middle age.
It’s more evidence of why prompt intervention to bullying is so important.
One mother and her teenage son dealt with bullying for years before turning to a community resource for help.
They said because bullying isn’t just a school issue, they are pushing for more community involvement in bullying prevention.
Playing trumpet is just one of the things eight-grader Riley Smith enjoys about school these days, but he hasn’t always been the confident student he is today.
“He was called idiot, stupid,” said Terri Smith. “They would take his glasses and throw them. They’d threaten him.”
Those are just some of the ways riley’s mother terri smith remembers him being bullied between 2nd and 6th grades. She said it was definitely more than normal teasing.
“It got to a point where it was threatening,” she said. “That’s where it becomes bullying, and where you’re being intimidated – ‘Well, you don’t say anything. Don’t tell.’”
“I felt nervous that if I don’t tell something is going to happen worse,” Riley Smith said.
So Riley did speak up, but it seemed there was always another bully, and eventually he felt suicidal...
According to the study, children who were bullied at age 7 and 11 had a higher rate of depression, anxiety and suicide at age 45. And at age 50 people, who’d been bullied were more likely to have worse memory and to report poor general health.
The researchers say that’s why it’s key to stop bullying as early as possible and that starts with speaking up.
Full Article Here: http://www.wncn.com/story/25496190/speaking-out-important-to-combat-impact-of bullying
More on Bullying: Being Bullied Is Bad for Your Health
Journal Article: Adult Psychiatric Outcomes of Bullying and Being Bullied by Peers in Childhood and Adolescence
Speaking out important to combat impact of bullying
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