Bullying at school


What is it about ?

Harassment is hurtful behavior on the part of a stalker (personally or in a group) towards a victim. This kind of inappropriate and inappropriate attitude often occurs in adolescence. Most young people sometimes overstep the line, but fortunately in the majority of cases the situation remains under control. However, some have problematic behavior and strive to systematically and persistently harm their victim. This kind of behavior is most common between 10 and 17 years old. Then, they usually go away spontaneously.

Many factors can influence harassment or bullying and their repercussions: characteristics of the person, the attitude of the harasser and the victim, environmental factors such as family structure, group behavior, duration and frequency of the attack. bullying. A set of factors is therefore at the root of the problem.

How to recognize it?

The victims are often “different” in one way or another from the group average. New to school, overweight children and those who fail to keep up well are more often the targets of bullying. This traumatic behavior can be physical, but it is not always the case. Besides pushing, hitting, kicking, there are also indirect and less obvious means of intimidation, such as exclusion from the group, spreading gossip, etc.

Victims of harassment suffer terribly. The results are often less and less good at school. The situation means that the young person no longer goes to class (school absenteeism) or that he is anxious at the idea of ​​going to school (school phobia). Harassment can be very subtle and often adults are not aware of it. It is mainly the already older children who try to hide the fact that they are being bullied.

How far can these problems go?

Children involved (as a persecutor or victim) in acts of bullying or bullying, and in particular children who bully others and who are at the same time the victims of bullying, are more likely to develop psychological problems such as the disorder. attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression and anxiety disorders.

Harassment can also have consequences later in life. Harassment is one of the main indicators of future problems. Being bullied is a stressful event and can lead to psychological difficulties in adulthood such as anxiety disorders, low self-esteem and relationship problems. Later, the victims, but also the stalkers, more often present problematic alcohol consumption, criminal behavior and mental disorders.

How to fight bullying and harassment?

It is important to deal with the harassment as quickly as possible. In addition to the serious consequences for the victim, it is also known that after some time other children will also begin to have negative thoughts about the bullied children. Even the bully will gain by realizing the problem in time and by stopping harassing those around him.

Teachers and health professionals have the task of closely monitoring whether there are victims of bullying at school. If so, they should actively address this issue and cooperate with all concerned to end this behavior. Since bullying is a complex phenomenon, it is important that the whole school is committed to putting an end to it. The whole school community will need to tackle the problem effectively through targeted anti-bullying campaigns and programs and making clear commitments (through tough but fair measures). It is the schools which adopt a strict but benevolent attitude which obtain the best results in this area.

In addition, it is often necessary to seek professional help, both for the persecutor and for his victim. Good collaboration between psychologists, social workers, etc. contributes to effective care. Whatever happens, care providers and teachers should do their utmost to improve the social skills of children involved in bullying behavior. Children with symptoms or psychological disorders are referred for psychiatric help.

It can be very useful to bring together the parties involved (the persecutor and the victim, as well as their respective families) for an interview in the presence of a teacher and possibly a member of the PMS Center. This will help find a way to end the harassment.

Finally, parents must remain attentive to cases of harassment on social networks. It is recommended that they discuss this with their children: parents should get their children’s attention to what they broadcast to the rest of the world via social networks and the fact that they can never share data. personal information and passwords with anyone.

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Source

Foreign clinical practice guide ‘School harassment’ (2000), updated on 01.10.2016 and adapted to the Belgian context on 20.12.2019 – ebpracticenet