Bullying FAQ

Bullying Prevention Frequently Asked Questions

What is bullying?

• Bullying is a form of abuse, harassment, and violence.
• Bullying is repeated hurtful action toward a person who had problems defending himself or herself.
• Bullying can be direct (hitting, kicking, making threats or offensive comments) or indirect (exclusion from a group, being spoken ill of, and being prevented from making friends).

How much bullying goes on among students?

• A study of American schools in 1998 showed that 30% of students in grades 6-10 said they were involved in "moderate or frequent" bullying, either as a bully, a victim, or both. 

Where does bullying take place?

• Forty to seventy-five percent of bullying takes place during breaks (recess, passing periods, etc.).
• Some bullying takes place in classrooms where teachers are inattentive to the behavior.

Who gets bullied?

• The passive or submissive victims:

1. are usually quiet, careful, sensitive, and may start crying easily.
2. are unsure of themselves and have poor self confidence.
3. do not like to fight, and are often physically weaker than their classmates.
4. have few or no friends.

• The proactive victims:

1. can be quick tempered and may try to retaliate if harassed.
2. are often restless, clumsy, immature, and considered difficult to get along with.
3. may themselves try to bully weaker students.
4. may be characterized as hyperactive.
5. may be disliked by adults because they are oftentimes irritating.

Who bullies?

• Though not a given, it is likely an active bully will have one or more of the following characteristics:

1. view violence in a favorable manner
2. aggressive towards adults (teachers and parents included)
3. has a need to assert themselves using force or threats
4. often physically stronger than their victims
5. often ill-tempered, cantankerous, peevish, and easily frustrated
6. often show little sympathy for those who are bullied
7. can talk their way out of difficult situations

What are warning signs of being bullied?

• A child who is being bullied may:

1. come home with torn clothes and/or damaged school supplies with little to no explanation as to why.
2. come home with bruises, cuts, and scratches with little to no explanation as to where they came from.
3. lose interest in school and show apathy for good grades.
4. rarely spend time with classmates.
5. be unwilling to go to school.
6. take a strange or circuitous route to school.
7. exhibit mood swings.
8. lose a healthy appetite
9. experience nightmares or a loss of sleep.
10. steal money or other goods (this is often to try to pay off the bully).

 

*information provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/SVP-0052/

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