Michael Butkus, PhD
DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan
October 9, 2012
Tragic Events
 In New Jersey, a young man,Tyler, jumped off abridge after pics of
him and another male student were sent over the internet
 14 year old female student recently committed suicide in her parent’s
home because of the bullying she experienced from her peers after
she accused an older male peer of rape; she was called names and
had things thrown at her
Tragic Events
 Josie was beaten severely by male peer; required left
hemispherectomy; cognitive retraining: relearning colors, words
numbers; can no longer read; doesn’t remember anything about the
beating
 Phoebe, 15, committed suicide after unrelenting torment-called
names; hung herself; irony: she did the same to others in home in
Ireland
Facts about Bullying
 Incidence:
 40-80% of school age children have some experience with being
bullied; 10-15% chronic victims or bullies (Nansel, et al., 2001)
 85% with disabilities are targeted
 25% without disabilities are targeted
 Can occur as early as kindergarten
 Consistent predictor: being different from the larger peer group
Facts about Bullying
 School age kids rank bullying as a big problem and something they
dread
 Same children are often victimized in several different ways:
traditional and cyberbullying
 Not enough research to really conclude that these kids are at high
risk for negative outcomes; eg, suicide
 It may be that being victimized with a single act of bullying by many
or more frequent exposure to one type of bullying may be equally
harmful (Anthony, et.al, 2010)
Bystanders
 Up to 60% of teens observe bullying in school at least once a day
(Anthony, et al, 2010)
 Being a bystander can itself cause mental health problems
 Bystanders have increased fears of being bullied, more nervousness
and worry
 Bystanders may have a drop in attendance too
Bullying and Ethnicity
 Just being a member of a certain ethnic group doesn’t increase risk
for bullying but if that group in a school is in the minority, then the
odds increase; i.e., imbalance of power issue
 Ethnic composition of classrooms is the issue not ethnicity per se’;
that is, shared power between groups (APA)
Bullies …
 are a kind of interpersonal terrorist
 violate the rights of others
 may have issues with anger and relationships
 may have trouble with empathy
 may have an intolerance for differences
Why Bullies Bully
 Imbalance of power
 Positive reinforcement
 Unsupervised spaces
 Inaction on the part of adults--allow bullying to develop initially and
then persist
 Adults sanction bullying
Why Bullies Bully
 Modeling aggressive idols
 For a minority of bullies: psychological factors: frustration, depression
and anxiety
 Social or group phenomenon: social climate has much to do with
bullying cause
Possible Causes of Bullying
 Some bullies have cold and uninvolved parents
 Some bullies have overly permissive parents
 Some bullies’ parents often don’t know what their children are doing
 Some bullies’ parents may be physically or emotionally punitive
 Bullies may be victims of neglect and/or abuse
 Bullies may have a family background with substance use,
psychiatric disorder, and/or incarceration
Myths
 Bullies have no friends and are usually rejected
 Bullies have low self-esteem
 Being a victim is a character builder
 Bully victims become violent when they get older
Bullying is not….
 benign.
 a “rite of passage.”
 only involves physical aggression.
 the result of low self-esteem.
 the result of kids having trouble fitting in socially.
CyberBullying
 Many think CB is worse than bullying in person
 Many agree that it is a very serious problem but many don’t report it
 Parents often have no idea what is happening to their child online
and don’t have online controls
 Effects of cyberbullying more pronounced than other forms of
bullying
Real CyberBullying Example
 Ally: Hey fatty. You are so ugly and disgusting. Just look at yourself.
Euuw.
 Megan: I don’t understand why you hate me so much. I have never
done anything to you.
 Ally: You are just so nasty and ugly. You have no friends and should
just go die or something. BYE!
Victims
 May be quiet, awkward, passive, have few friends, and suffer from
low self-esteem
 Insecurity may signal they are easy targets
 As many as 1/3 will become bully-victims
(from B.A. Brooks, MD)
Psychological Effects of Bullying
 Depression, low self esteem
 Irritability
 Suicidal thinking (extreme: suicide)
 Anxiety (e.g., panic attacks)
 Increased stress and insecurity
 Increased crying (in younger victims)
 Increased physical complaints
Psychological Effects of Bullying
 Appetite problems
 Sleep problems
 Decreased concentration
 Achievement problems
 School attendance issues (e.g., truancy, drop out, resistance to going
to school)
 Extreme consequence: Homicide
Ineffective Strategies
 Nothing
 Blame victim
 Laugh at or belittle victim: “man up!”, “Don’t let them push you
around!”
 Reverse aggression
 Harsh punishment of bully
 Simple solutions (videos, speakers, school slogans)
 Cyber revenge
 Effects unclear: Peer mediation/conflict resolution
More Effective Strategies
 Believe that something can be done and you have a right to be
treated respectfully in school (and elsewhere)
 Tell teacher, parent
 Talk to friends
More Effective Strategies
 Ignore; if that doesn’t work…
 Move away; if that doesn’t work…
 Talk firmly; if that doesn’t work…
 Get adult help
 Don’t engage cyberbully with more emails or send offending email to
others
 Keep all the evidence and show to adults
When is Therapy Needed?
 Many victims suffer in silence; often don’t get treatment (seen as
weak or “gay”)
 Depression
 SI/HI
 Anxiety
 Serious school refusal
 Acting out, anger, aggression; preoccupation with violence
 Drug use
 Cutting
 Eating Problems