Effects of Bullying and Peer Aggression on Mental Health - Coursework Example

Effects of Bullying and Peer Aggression on Mental Health Effects of Bullying and Peer Aggression on Mental Health Peers always play a significant role in one’s life since childhood up to old age. The relationship between peers becomes increasingly significant especially in adolescence. At this age, peer relationships are very important for ones psychological development. The peer relationship at this stage usually forms the foundation of one’s mental health in the future. Therefore, even one instance of bullying at this stage can cause one to be mentally disturbed in the future. Among siblings, aggression causes mental distress among children and teenagers (Stadler et al, 2010). Most parents do not take sibling aggression very seriously. However, bullying among children can have the same or much worse effects on a child than being bullied by a classmate, neighbor or another peer. If children experience peer or sibling aggression such as physical or verbal bullying, they are more likely to experience mental health issues children as compared to those who do not experience bullying. This research paper is aimed at finding out the effects of peer or sibling aggression on the mental health of the victim. Bullying does not just occur in schools. It can also happen at home between siblings or close relatives. Study conducted by Dr. Tucker and published in the journal “Pediatrics” indicate that metal or physical bullying by a sibling can be as damaging as being bullied by a peer or a classmate (Tucker et al, 2013). Sibling aggression is often dismissed as rivalry between siblings. Most parents or guardians do not take it seriously. However, if unchecked, it can lead to anxiety, depression and anger in the victim even if the victim is a child or a teenager (Stadler et al, 2010). There are several ways parents can recognize bullying. First of all, bullying is deliberate and it is intended to hurt someone either physically or emotionally. Another way to recognize bullying is frequency at which it occurs. Bullies tend to repeat their actions over a span of time and they usually target the same victims over and over again. Finally, a bully usually targets a victim who is younger or smaller in size since the bully perceives the victim to be vulnerable (Tucker et al, 2013). There are several types of aggressive behaviors that have been studied. These behaviors range from mild to severe, from psychological to physical and property victimization. Sibling aggression has for a long time been perceived as helpful to children. Most parents assume that their kids will develop the ability to handle aggression. According to a study by Tucker, sibling aggression actually contributes greatly to the metal health of children. This was according to the data collected and analyzed from 3600 kids all of whom were under 17 years and each of these kids had a sibling living at home. Understanding the effects of sibling aggression on the mental health of the victims is important in understanding the behavior exhibited by kids and their response to different situations (Tucker et al, 2013). According to Dr. Tucker, parents always minimize the severity of sibling aggression. This has been the perception for a long time. However, what parents and others do not realize is that sibling aggression is as problematic as bullying in schools. Many people perceive sibling aggression as normal and benign. To some, it is an acceptable norm that is accepted and expected to make the children stronger mentally and socially. In the study conducted by Dr. Tucker and his colleagues, the results indicate that victims of peer aggression had poor mental health and showed signs of anxiety and depression. The study conducted by Dr. Tucker was focusing on three types of aggression. They included physical assault, psychological aggression and property victimization. The results showed that kids who had experienced sibling aggression had poor mental health during their adolescents. The study also showed that sibling aggression is at its worst in teenage years. During adolescence, all the types of aggression are at their peak (Tucker et al, 2013). The study concludes that sibling aggression is not benign to children or adolescents no matter how benign or frequent it is. According to Veenstra, sibling aggression and bullying is a problem that is all over the world. There are different rates of victimization across different countries. For instance, in Australia, it ranges from 15% to 25%. Bullying not only affects the victims but it also affects the victim mentally. Bullies run a high risk of being involved in crime, delinquency and alcohol abuse (Veenstra et al, 2005). On the other hand, the victims usually show signs of low self-esteem and depression. These signs usually progress up to adulthood. Veenstra’s study also shows that boys are more likely to become bullies or victims as compared to girls. Boys are more likely to use physical aggression on their victims. On the other hand, girls are most likely to engage in psychological aggression. The study also showed the socioeconomic status was also an indirect factor that contributed to bullying (Veenstra et al, 2005). Many victims of sibling aggression or bullying view their parents, teacher or other adult figures as their protectors. Support of parents and teachers plays a big role in curbing sibling aggression and bullying. The quality of support shown by parents is a significant factor despite the environment. Parents are usually involved in their kids’ maladjustment in schools or even at home (Veenstra et al, 2005). Parents support can be determined by the parental warmth, involvement, support and supervision. All of those factors play a great role in improving a child’s self-esteem. An adverse family climate is regarded as the negative contributor to poor metal health in many children. A family that has positive resources contributes to absence of metal health issues among the kids. Kids who have strong attachment to their schools have lower mental health issues. They are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities like sports. Support from teachers plays a great role in improving kids’ social interactions with one another. Positive social behavior also contributes to better relationships in classrooms. According to Stadler, school support can compensate for lack of parental support. Therefore, school plays a great role in reducing peer victimization where parents are likely not to be present. Parental support can be an effective protective tool against sibling aggression and peer-victimization amongst children. According to a study conducted by Løhre and his colleagues, the relationship between the reporting of peer-victimization between the kids, parents and teachers is very low (Løhre et al, 2011). That implies that there are many kids who suffer in silence as they are victimized by their peers. These children never report these violations to anybody. The study also showed that many parents are unaware that their kids are being victimized by their peers. The same goes for teachers. Therefore, it is evident that there is a very poor relationship between the kids, their parents and their teachers. The more frequent the peer victimization is the more intense were the reports of somatic and emotional symptoms. The study also showed that kids who were often bullied in school had greater chance of experiencing health problems. Some of these mental health problems included anxiety, depression, being socially aloof and poor relationship with classmates and peers. From the study, Løhre and his colleagues were able to establish that the frequency in which children reported being bullied was directly proportional with their health symptoms (Løhre et al, 2011). It is not clear what causes bullying but, it is likely that majority of kids experience bullying at some point in their lives either as the victims, bullies or witnesses. Bullies and their victims have one thing in common; they are both likely to develop metal problems in the future. Most bullies are popular in their social circles and they make friends easily. However, bullies are usually insecure and they tend to use bullying as a way to making themselves feel good. Some researchers regard bullying as a group process. That implies that the peer group plays an important role in the behavior of kids. A group can accept or reject a certain behavior. Therefore, if a group welcomes bullying, everybody in that group will be affected. According to many large-scale surveys conducted in different countries across the world, victimization rates between 10 to 32%. The report also shows that verbal abuse is the most common form of bullying that is usually reported. Cyber bullying is also an emerging form of bullying and it is quickly becoming common among the kids and teenagers. As one ages, victimization decreases but that does not imply that it is bound to end completely. As indicated earlier, most victims of bullying do not report it. However, studies have shown that those who report are likely to benefit. That does not apply to all cases since there are some instances where reporting does not help and in other cases reporting makes the bullying even worse. Impact of bullying and victimization can be categorized into three main categories. They include behavioral, emotional and social problems, cognitive and attitudinal problems and long-term problems. Behavioral, emotional and social problems are more likely to affect children whose families are usually entangled in domestic violence problems. These children are usually hostile, angry, disobedient, low self-esteem, withdrawn and have poor social skills. Cognitive and attitudinal problems are related to children who are also exposed to domestic violence. These children are likely to have difficulties in school and they usually have poor grades. These kids also tend to have difficulties in their cognitive, verbal and motor skills (Cole et al, 2010). These children slow cognitive development, they show lack of conflict resolution skills and are very poor solving problems. Male children who were exposed to domestic violence are very likely to engage in domestic violence in their adulthood. Females are also likely to be victims of domestic violence if they experienced it when they were young. Other long-term problems include prolonged depression among adults and trauma symptoms. Exposure to domestic violence in childhood has been linked to premature death among adults especially in the United States. It is common knowledge that bullies always target the weakest students (Juvonen et al, 2003). Therefore, a kid who has any kind of disadvantage is most likely to be a target. For instance, a kid who has a learning disorder, physical disability or autistic spectrum disorder is very likely to be bullied. In most cases, when such kids are bullied an older siblings is the responsible for perpetrating the bullying. The same applies for kids who are obese. All of these kids are targeted mainly because they posses some traits that give them a disadvantage or make them stand out among the rest of the kids (Lim et al, 2011). Bullies marvel in making fun of other kids. This gives the bullies a sense of power, security and high social standing. According to research conducted at Washington University, minority groups such as gays, lesbians and transgendered young people run a very high risk of being targeted by bullies. The study concentrated on the relationship between peer victimization, autism-related social impairment, loneliness and psychopathology (Storch et al, 2012). Peer victimization is common with children who have autism spectrum disorder as compared to other children. 44 to 77% of children with autism spectrum disorder reported to have been bullied in the last one month according to the study conducted by Dr. Storch and his colleagues. Therefore, it goes without saying that bullies tend to target victims who have some kind of a disadvantage (Juvonen et al, 2003). The main reason why teens with autistic spectrum disorder are usually targeted by bullies is because they usually show awkward social behaviors and have poor social interaction skills. Some teens suffering from that disorder have communication problems that inhibit them from processing some of the verbal assaults that are hurled at them by the bullies (Storch et al, 2012). Due to the communication problems, these kids are also unable to reports bullying incidents to their parents or teachers. The data from the study indicate that these kids are targeted for many other reasons but their inability to communicate properly or defend themselves makes them the ideal targets for bullies. Bullying or sibling aggression is a tough thing to go through, therefore when a kid who is already struggling to adopt socially is targeted, the effects are more severe. Kids who are struggling to adopt socially are likely to develop severe depression and strained social development when they are subjected to the social trauma of being bullied (Morrow et al, 2008). Bullying is pervasive and most children will engage in it at some point in their lives. In different countries across the world, bullying takes different forms and different meanings. Reporting bullying or victimization usually helps but, it also depends on the reaction from the school administrators, parents or guardians. Peer and family relationships are important for children who are bullies, victims and witnesses. It is also important to note that not all forms of bullying or victimization are visible. Therefore, it is imperative for teachers and children to be more vigilant and watchful. It is also important to understand that bullying peaks when children are in transition. This is especially common when children are transitioning from primary to secondary school (Veenstra et al, 2005). Therefore, at this point teachers and parents should try and employ any anti-bullying mechanisms necessary. During this time the students more support from friends, staff, parents and teachers. Young people can also play a big role in ensuring that they defend the victims. They can help by alerting teachers and parents when such incidences occur. Some researchers have also suggested that creating peer support groups can go a long way in reducing bullying. It is important for the teachers and parents to handle bullying cases sensitively so that the situation does not escalate. A follow up should be conducted to ensure that the bullying trend does not continue and the victims are comfortable in their environment. Both the bullies and their victims should be committed to a program to help them recover. This is important in ensuring that they do not suffer from long-term effects of bullying. Countries like the United Kingdom have ensured that there are anti-bullying policies in schools (Sweeting et al, 2006). The same should be implemented in schools all over the world since bullying is not limited to specific countries. Parents should ensure that the school administrators enforce the anti-bullying policy to the letter whenever a bullying case is reported. Such a policy can help to reduce bullying by about 80%. Teachers and other staff in schools should be trained how to identify bullying in schools. It is evident that bullying or sibling aggression affects the mental health of the victim. It is also clear that the results of victimization may be instant or long-term (Morrow et al, 2008). Research has shown that most adults with long-term metal health issues were either bullies or they were victims of sibling aggression or bullying. A lot of research has been done on the effects of bullying and sibling aggression. Most of the research revolved around the impact of verbal abuse, social ostracizing and physical threats. A lot of progress has been made including the impact of victimization of the mental state of the victim. Research has also established that victimization at a young age lead to poor psychological adjustment as adults. Victimization of kids has been linked to premature deaths in adulthood. Despite all the progress that researchers have made, there is still more to be done. For instance, it is crucial that researchers understand what really leads children to bully other children. Some researchers have advanced some theories of family stability and socioeconomic factors as being strong motivators for bullies. Researchers should also understand that bullying does not necessarily mean that the victims were being physically assaulted. For instance, a study conducted in Japan and South Korea showed that the most common form of bullying in those countries is social isolation. A victim may be isolated by the whole class or other social groups. Another form of bullying in those two countries is cyber bullying. Researchers can help by advising on ways to counter such bullying tactics since are as effective as physical assault. Cognitive models of depression must consider the levels of children cognitive development (Cole et al, 2010). This might be useful in determining the rate at which victimization is affecting the mental status of kids as they grow older. The data collected might be very useful in future research projects on the issue of victimization. It is important to remember that it is not just the victims who suffer mentally, the perpetrator also suffers. Therefore, it is important for the parents and teachers to ensure that the bully also gets professional help to arrest any form of mental disorders that may occur later in life. References Cole, D. A., Maxwell, M. A., Dukewich, T. L., & Yosick, R. (2010). Targeted peer victimization and the construction of positive and negative self-cognitions: Connections to depressive symptoms in children. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 39(3), 421-435. Juvonen, J., Graham, S., & Schuster, M. A. (2003). Bullying among young adolescents: The strong, the weak, and the troubled. Pediatrics, 112(6), 1231-1237. Lim, C. S., Graziano, P. A., Janicke, D. M., Gray, W. N., Ingerski, L. M., & Silverstein, J. H. (2011). Peer victimization and depressive symptoms in obese youth: The role of perceived social support. Childrens Health Care, 40(1), 1-15. Løhre, A., Lydersen, S., Paulsen, B., Mæhle, M., & Vatten, L. J. (2011). Peer victimization as reported by children, teachers, and parents in relation to childrens health symptoms. BMC public health, 11(1), 278. Morrow, M. T., Hubbard, J. A., Rubin, R. M., & McAuliffe, M. D. (2008). The relation between childhood aggression and depressive symptoms: The unique and joint mediating roles of peer rejection and peer victimization. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 54(3), 316-340. Stadler, C., Feifel, J., Rohrmann, S., Vermeiren, R., & Poustka, F. (2010). Peer-victimization and mental health problems in adolescents: are parental and school support protective? Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 41(4), 371-386. Storch, E. A., Larson, M. J., Ehrenreich-May, J., Arnold, E. B., Jones, A. M., Renno, & Wood, J. J. (2012). Peer victimization in youth with autism spectrum disorders and co-occurring anxiety: relations with psychopathology and loneliness. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 24(6), 575-590. Tucker, C. J., Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., & Shattuck, A. (2013). Association of sibling aggression with child and adolescent mental health. Pediatrics, 132(1), 79-84 Sweeting, H., Young, R., West, P., & Der, G. (2006). Peer victimization and depression in Early–mid adolescence: A longitudinal study. British journal of educational psychology, 76(3), 577-5941. Veenstra, R., Lindenberg, S., Oldehinkel, A. J., De Winter, A. F., Verhulst, F. C., & Ormel, J. (2005). Bullying and Victimization in Elementary Schools: A Comparison of Bullies, Victims, Bully/Victims, and Uninvolved Preadolescents. Developmental Psychology, 41(4), 672-682. Doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.41.4.672. Read More