Harmful Effects Of Bullying In The United States

Studies in the United States have shown that one in four children are bullied on a regular basis. Bullying can have negative effects on anyone or anything involved with it. First and foremost, bullying can have lasting effects on the victim who is being bullied. Along with that, it can have an impact on the bully. Lastly, it can also affect the environment at school. Kids who are bullied can suffer from many negative physical, school and mental health issues, both early and late in life. Children and adolescents who are victims of bullying suffer the most serious effects of bullying. A single act of bullying can cause diminished self esteem that can last a lifetime. A child who is bullied feels powerless and their self-identity as a confident person who is able to protect himself in the world becomes shattered. Victims can also suffer from increasing feelings of anxiety and depression, and these feelings can intensify over time and last well into adulthood. In addition, the experience can cause the individual to withdraw from social

Each time bullies hurt other children, they become even more removed emotionally from the suffering of their victims. They learn to vindicate their actions by believing their victims deserve to be bullied. As a result of this, bullies often fail to develop the social skills of sharing, reciprocating and empathizing, which form the basics for lasting friendships. Moreover, children and adolescents who bully others are at an increased risk for substance use/abuse, criminal convictions and being abusive towards partners, spouses or children later in life. Research shows that by their mid-thirties, sixty percent of people who bullied other children in grades six through nine have at least one criminal conviction. As a matter of fact, people who had been bullies are more likely to have children who become bullies themselves, which begins the cycle all over