National Academy Calls For Action To Address Bullying On Multiple
Fronts
Many Epidemiologic
Research Needs Identified
A National Academies committee which undertook a review
of what is known and needs to be known to reduce bullying and its
consequences has concluded “…Bullying is not a normal part of
childhood, and is now appropriately considered to be a serious public
health problem.”
Selected Findings
The
prevalence data that are available indicate that school-based bullying
likely affects 18-31% of children and youth, and cyber victimization
ranges from 7-15% of youth. Some of the other findings in the report
are listed below.
·
Bullying
creates changes in the stress response systems and in the brain that
are associated with increased risk for mental health problems,
cognitive function, self-regulation, and other physical health
problems.
·
Data are
unclear on the role of bullying as one of or a precipitating cause of
school shootings
·
Multicomponent schoolwide programs that involve classroom, parent, and
individual elements bundled together appear to be most effective at
reducing bullying
.
Recommendations
The committee made 7 recommendations, several of which
epidemiologists are in a
position to act on.
According to the Committee, “This is a pivotal time for bullying
prevention, and there is not a quick fix or one-size-fits-all
solution. Nevertheless, science and policy have provided, and will
continue to improve, tools needed to tackle this complex and serious
public health problem.”
These recommendations in abridged form are
presented below:
·
Foster
the use of a consistent definition of bullying
·
Obtain
more accurate prevalence estimates
·
Evaluate
the efficacy of anti-bullying laws
·
Hold an
annual meeting to facilitate collaborate and review of data
·
Report
findings annually to Congress to strengthen laws and policies
·
Implement and evaluate evidence based bullying interventions
·
Support
bullying prevention training
·
Implement prevention policies and programs on social media platforms
Research Needs
The
NAS Committee investigated research needs and published a list of
outstanding questions. Among the knowledge gaps most relevant for
epidemiologists were the following:
·
Conduct
longitudinal research to track children through adulthood in order to
more fully understand links among being bullied, substance abuse, and
other behaviors including violence and aggression.
·
Investigate evidence-based practices for integrating content on
bullying preventive interventions into curricula for health care
professionals.
·
Conduct
systematic evaluation of local policies to: (1) understand which
components of anti-bullying policies must be included in an
anti-bullying law to ensure a positive impact; (2) determine the full
range of remedies available under state and local laws and policies;
and (3) assess the capacity of federal antidiscrimination laws to
address various forms of bullying.
·
Conduct
research on cyberbullying prevention programs.
·
Study
the disparities in prevalence between different groups (e.g., LGBT
youth, overweight/obese youth, youth with specific developmental
disabilities, socioeconomic status, immigration status, minority
religious status, youth with intersectional identities, urbanicity).
·
Investigate evidence-based interventions that are targeted toward
youth from vulnerable populations (e.g., LGBT youth, youth with
chronic health problems, and youth with developmental disabilities) to
reduce bullying-related disparities.
·
Study
how to improve the adoption and implementation of evidence-based
programs, including testing models to better understand what works for
whom and under what conditions.
Conclusion
The report concludes
on an upbeat note:
“The study of bullying
behavior is a relatively recent field, and it is in transition. Over
the past few decades, research has significantly improved
understanding of what bullying behavior is, how it can be measured,
and the critical contextual factors that are involved. While there is
not a quick fix or one-size-fits-all solution, the evidence clearly
supports preventive and interventional policy and practice. Tackling
this complex and serious public health problem will require a
commitment to research, analysis, trial, and refinement, but doing so
can make a tangible difference in the lives of many children.”
To
access the full NAS report, visit:
https://tinyurl.com/yd8cqt3k
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