Playground Bully is more likely to be exposed to Violence at Home
Many of us can relate to being bullied or knowing a bully from school. Maybe you even have a child that has had to go through being bullied.
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This article deals with a study that they did at the University of Washington and the Indiana University. Researchers collected data from an ongoing Seattle Social Development Project and the Intergenerational Projects. They reasearched 112 children from the ages of 6-12 for their study.
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There were 34 percent of the children in this group that had bullied another child, while 73 percent of the children said they were a victim to a bully in that last year. Out of the bully group, almost all of them, 97 percent, said they also were victims of a bully.
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This study also looked at causes for a child to bully. They believe that there is a correlation of domestic violence that causes children to bully at school. According to a federal study conducted in 2000, there are roughly 3.3 – 10 million children that have witnessed domestic violence at home on an annual basis.
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I could get into the numbers and the study, but we all know how bad bullying can be in schools. What this study doesn't state is just how many children live in a home with domestic violence. It does state that according to a federal study conducted in 2000, there are roughly 3.3-10 million children that have witnessed domestic violence on an annual basis. That number is staggering!! Too bad that number has grown in the past 6 years!
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From a woman who was bullied as a child; a survivor of both child abuse and domestic violence from my adult relationships; to a mother of a child that has lived through domestic violence in the home and has been abused and bullied at school, this article was of interest to me. I always knew that children that bullied had to learn it somewhere, and believed that children learn what they see at home. I also believe that bullies act out what they see, but also that many bullies are children that are hurting inside. They have no where else to take their pain but another child that is weaker then them. That is what their abusive parent does, isn't it? They haven't learned how to communicate, the only communication at home is violence, so is it surprising that they do this in school?
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Being bullied hurts, the mental scares can stay for a long time, many suicides happen because that person was bullied at school. It crushes self esteem, and can create fear in a child when they should feel protected at school. This doesn't always happen. Unfortunately, schools can't control every move of a child, and many schools do not respond appropriately when handling a bully. Telling parents of a bully about theirr behavior only creates more violence in the family when the child gets home. Not giving the bully counceling is only adding fuel to the fire for further outbreaks. It is yet anothe wheel of violence, this one for children that carries into adulthood.
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We already know as well that many of the inmates in jails were abused as children, or grew up in an abusive home. Many were bullies, many don't know how to communicate or share their feelings. Many resort to drugs or alcohol to help them with the feelings and memories they don't know how to handle. Who is the victim?
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This study touches on many good points, but also doesn't go deep enough into the problem, and how to solve it. 10 million children annually are touched by domestic violence in THEIR HOME! This is a stagering amount in which something needs to be done, or when they grow up, Society is going to pay a heavier price..............
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“Physicians and teachers should be sensitive that when children display behavior issues that the possibility of domestic violence in the family exists. Not all children exposed to violence will respond in the same way, but there are many indirect effects and problems that you can see, such as engaging in bullying, not being able to make friends, not eating or those with extended school absences. But not all bullies come from violent families,” Bauer said.
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