Protection From Bullying: Methods That Work

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Understanding Bullying
The Implementation Framework
Parental Strategies
Community Strategies
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Bullying is a complicated and multi-dimensional phenomenon that can take different forms and have an adverse effect on the life of an individual. While there are different degrees of bullying, every person is unique in their own way of responding to situations of bullying. Because of this, it is vital that parents, teachers, and guardians educate themselves on the nature of bullying and work together to develop effective methods and strategies that would help to overcome the problem. As of now, there has not been a cohesive strategy identified to be an appropriate solution that has shown to effectively address the issue and help adults become essential players in assisting children in avoiding experiencing bullying altogether. Thus, while there are such solutions as early prevention or community-based programs, there is a need for identifying the methods that can be systematically applied to the issue of bullying and reduce its rate of occurrence across settings.

Understanding Bullying

Understanding bullying as an occurrence is the first step to developing solutions that could help overcome the challenge. In its beginning stages, bullying can start with something as simple as teasing that targets the physical appearance of children, their home life, communication skills, and others. Much of teasing is natural for young people to do when it is associated with humor and poking fun at each other; however, when someone’s feelings get hurt, the problem of bullying emerges. Therefore, it is essential to know what crosses the line in order to identify the initial signs of potentially harmful behaviors that adversely influence children’s emotional well-being. For example, when teasing expands to include swearing and explicit language, it is likely that it transforms into bullying shortly. Similarly, when physical force is being used, the potential for bullying increases within the group.

Due to the advancement of technologies and the increased reliance of children, adolescents, and young adults on digital communication, bullying has taken a new form. Cyberbullying is another dimension of bullying about which parents and teachers worry because it is harder to identify: it takes place in private spaces such as social media or text messaging, and the bullying that occurs there may often be misunderstood or disregarded. Bullying through digital technologies is defined as the harmful verbal behaviors occurring on cellular phones, the Internet, and any other digital device capable of sending texts or images that are intended for the sole purpose of hurting or embarrassing another person (Smith, Minor, & Brashen, 2014). Much of the preventive work associated with cyberbullying has been associated with informing parents and caretakers how they can limit the time children spend on social media. In the same way that not going to school cannot help stop bullying, completely eliminating technology use has shown to be ineffective. Therefore, a comprehensive system of steps and strategies is needed to address bullying as a systematic problem rather than approaching it as a one-off occurrence.

The Implementation Framework

Therefore, considering the positive influence that parents and communities can have in reducing bullying, the social-ecological framework should be considered. According to Javier and Dillon (2013), such a framework aimed at addressing bullying emphasizes the importance of looking at the experiences of bullying as complex dynamic interactions of various influences and experiences, which “come into play directly and indirectly at all times at the moment of a bullying act” (p. 3). Such a system examines the direct, indirect, and combined impact of different social contexts of bullying involvement. It calls for a multi-level intervention that highlights the fact that bullies are often developed as a result of unfavorable social environments, including their homes and schools. Real-life bullies are often victims of unfair treatment that have been misguided by ineffective interventions. Thus, the goal of this exploration is to recommend strategies that address bullying from several perspectives.

Parental Strategies

While there are prevention programs such as school-based interventions aimed at addressing the behaviors of students within the educational setting, there is a range of preventive strategies that parents can implement in order to contribute to the reduction of bullying occurrences among their children. Concerning children who are likely to bully others, the American Psychological Association recommends that parents look into stopping bullying before it starts by talking with their children about bullying and together identifying behaviors that should be considered inappropriate (Turner, 2017). In addition, parents should remind their kids that bullying can make them expelled from school. The house should become a bully-free zone in which bullying is not allowed, with children learning positive behaviors from their parents. This means that parents should not enforce overly strict home environments that may put them at an increased risk of bullying others. Besides, it is important that parents are attentive to the behavioral and emotional changes of their children to understand why bullies bully (Starbuck, 2013). This is associated with the fact that children who bully others may be dealing with their own self-esteem, academic issues, or being bullied themselves. In cases when children exhibit major changes in their behaviors, efforts aimed at discovering the reasons for such changes should be implemented.

Concerning children who get bullied, parents should pay attention to the signs that their kids are being bullied because many of them will not report their issues to adults. Important signs for which they should look out include hesitation regarding going to school, the decreased or increased appetite, general sadness and worrying, nightmares, as well as other indicators associated with decreased mental health. As suggested by Turner (2017), parents should also educate their children about how they should handle being bullied. Kids are often bullied because they are non-assertive, which is why it is essential to teach them how they can verbally defend themselves. In bullying, self-defense is not the same as revenge, which is why parents should show how kids can stand up against their bullies without further abuser or demeaning another person (The Christian Broadcasting Network, n.d.).

Community Strategies

To facilitate a multi-dimensional strategy to address bullying through the social-ecological framework, community efforts are essential. Such efforts are concerned with helping children avoid bullying and being bullied by talking about the problem, building safe school environments, and facilitating a community-wide understanding (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020). Through community reach and awareness, teachers, administrators, and policymakers will look at the populations that are the most likely to be affected by bullying behaviors. A comprehensive community strategy is necessary for establishing a shared vision about bullying in the community, its impact, as well as ways to eliminate it. Communities should advocate for bullying prevention policies at schools and the general population.

Providing support to young people who are experiencing bullying or have bullied others is another important role of communities. Neighborhoods can engage in household monitoring to identify households that do not provide favorable environments for positive child development (Starbuck, 2013). For instance, concerning LGBT youth, their home environments must be positive and nurturing because this group of young people is more subjected to bullying compared to their counterparts (Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 2011).

Furthermore, a community-based bullying prevention strategy involves school interventions that support parents and educators in developing good programs that are sustainable to implement over prolonged time periods. School-based bullying prevention programs should include such components as monitoring, conducting a needs assessment, implementing training, holding regular meetings with students regarding the issue of bullying, as well as raising the overall awareness of students regarding the adverse impact of bullying.

Conclusion

To conclude, bullying prevention is possible with the help of a social-ecological framework that considers bullying a result of complex dynamic interactions of a range of influences. Therefore, both parent-associated and community-based solutions have been recommended. Only introducing solutions that involve parents or only solutions that involve the community is counterproductive to bullying prevention because such an approach addresses the problem only from one side, thus enabling the exasperation of the issue from the other side. Thus, it is through the collaborative efforts of children, parents, teachers, and policymakers that can be effective at resolving the problem of bullying.

References

The Christian Broadcasting Network. (n.d.). A faith-based response to adolescent bullying. Web.

Javier, R., & Dillon, J. (2013). Bullying and its consequences: In search of solutions. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 22(1), 1-6.

Smith, G., Minor, M., & Brashen, H. (2014). Cyberbullying in higher education: Implications and solutions. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 4(1), 50-60.

Starbuck, M. (2013). A Christian Response to bullying. Web.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (2011). Suicide & bullying. Web.

Turner, E. (2017). How parents can help prevent bullying. Web.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2020). Stop bullying on the spot. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!