The cost of bullying

It finds that whether you were a victim of bullying, the bully, or both, your life outcomes are likely worse.

An interesting link was made in an article titled, “The financial cost of bullying, violence and vandalism” written in February 2011. The author suggests that during times of economic hardships, school bullying and violence can increase or grow more intense as economic and family stresses worsen. The article also suggests that cuts in budget allocations leave schools with less money to address issues.

Additionally, teachers may be ill-equipped, have increasing responsibilities and less time to handle problematic situations.

As school bullying and violence increase so do suspensions, expulsions, and alternative education placements as schools are compelled by policies and safety concerns to take disciplinary action. Also, when students feel emotionally or physically unsafe, attendance and overall school performance can fall.

Studies have shown bullies, on the other hand, are at increased risk for committing later offences.

According to Utterly Global, an organisation dedicated to anti bullying, children who were bullies are more likely to have a criminal conviction and more likely to have a serious criminal record in adulthood. Even bullies who grow up to enter the workforce instead of the judicial system cause problems for others. Matt DeLisi, sociologist and head of the Iowa State University criminal justice program, states that as bullies age, they are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior. According to DeLisi, adults who were bullies as children are more likely to lie, more likely to fight and more likely to engage in harassment than adults who were not bullies.

Other academic researchers state that, while the influence of parenting on child outcomes has received plenty of attention, many fail to appreciate that by the age of 18 children have spent far more time with peers and siblings than with their parents. Time spent with peers, if characterized by aggression and systemic abuse of power, is likely to have adverse outcomes in adult life.

Another report entitled “Bullying Prevention is Crime Prevention” written in 2003 is more relevant than ever, especially to Trinidad and Tobago where we are experiencing high levels of crime with many the perpetrators being young persons. The evidence shows that preventing children from becoming bullies and intervening to get bullies back on track, not only protects children from the pain that bullying inflicts immediately, but can protect all of us from crime later and so reduce the cost to the society Policy interventions to prevent bullying are needed and should extend beyond schools to include stakeholders from across the community to recognize signs of bullying and take appropriate action. Investment in educational services for bullied children and bullies who are unable to go to school should be increased so they can get the help needed.

Medical practitioners should be trained to recognize signs of problematic children and routinely ask about mental health problems, non-specific health problems (eg headaches, stomach ache, nightmares) or indications of selfharm.

There is a need for a national campaign to raise awareness among parents or guardians of sibling and peer bullying, including signs of a child being bullied, how to talk to your child, and constructive ways of supporting your child and communicating with their school. The teachers and other staff members of schools also need to be appropriately trained. Innovative online resources should be developed, such as bullying scenarios to help teachers, parents and children.

Bullying involvement should be assessed and monitored by health professionals and school personnel, and effective interventions that reduce victimization should be made available. S uch interventions are likely to reduce human suffering and long term health and all other financial costs, and benefit society.