Bullying News and Research

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Bullying becomes hot topic in the U.S.

Bullying has become a hot topic in the U.S., hitting a cultural nerve as evidenced by the buzz surrounding the recent release of a documentary called "Bully" as well as a book entitled The Bully Society: School Shootings and the Crisis of Bullying in America's Schools.

19 May 2012

Bullying, ostracism strong predictors of increased symptoms of depression or anxiety

The challenges that come with battling a chronic medical condition or developmental disability are enough to get a young person down. But being left out, ignored or bullied by their peers is the main reason youths with special health care needs report symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to a study to be presented Sunday, April 29, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston.

30 Apr 2012

Research develops new scale to help measure levels of homophobic bullying

A new study from Educational and Psychological Measurement found that when it comes to homophobic bullying, there could be a gender gap.

27 Apr 2012

Kids who are abused or bullied may age faster

The study finds that violence-related stress in children affects telomeres - special DNA sequences found at the tips of chromosomes. Telomeres, which prevent DNA from unravelling, get shorter each time cells divide, which limits the number of times cells can divide. Shorter telomeres have been linked to poorer survival and chronic diseases. Previous research has shown that smoking, obesity, mental-health disorders and stress may accelerate the process of telomere loss. This suggests that telomere length may reflect a person's biological age as well as their chronological age.

25 Apr 2012

Childhood obesity prevention programs should start very early and involve peers

Kids can be really mean - especially to other kids - and school-yard bullying can have serious immediate and long-term effects. One area of increasing concern in this regard is the possibility that overweight or obese children shoulder the brunt of bullying. With childhood obesity rates reaching unprecedented levels, this may translate into even more negative behavior being experienced by today's kids.

25 Apr 2012

Stress can shorten telomeres at a very young age

Children who have experienced violence might really be older than their years. The DNA of 10-year-olds who experienced violence in their young lives has been found to show wear and tear normally associated with aging, a Duke University study has found.

24 Apr 2012

'Mental health checkups' as part of health care in schools

"The early detection of children who are showing psychiatric symptoms or are at the risk of a mental disorder is crucial, but introducing "mental health checkups" as part of health care in schools is not altogether simple," says David Gyllenberg, MD, whose doctoral dissertation "Childhood Predictors of Later Psychotropic Medication Use and Psychiatric Hospital Treatment - Findings from the Finnish Nationwide 1981 Birth Cohort Study" was publically examined at the University of Helsinki on 13 April 2012.

16 Apr 2012

Anti-gay bias linked to lack of awareness of one's sexual orientation and authoritarian parenting

Homophobia is more pronounced in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex and who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires, a series of psychology studies demonstrates.

7 Apr 2012

Steps to reduce risk of social media sites among teenagers

While social media has made connecting and communicating with anyone at any time as easy as pie, it also has altered teen's social skills and behaviors. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have proven to be great tools to expedite the development of empathy, encourage task-switching or even bring somewhat shy individuals a little more out of their shells. However, social media sites have also fostered a host of psychological and behavioral problems.

6 Apr 2012

Revitalized Stop Bullying website

Building on the momentum the Obama administration started more than a year ago to stop bullying in schools and communities, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan today unveiled a revitalized Stop Bullying website- www.stopbullying.gov - to encourage children, parents, educators, and communities to take action to stop and prevent bullying.

31 Mar 2012

Asian Canadian LGB youth more likely to face harassment

Asian Canadian teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual are 30 times more likely to face harassment than their heterosexual peers - a factor that is linked to higher rates of alcohol or drug use, according to University of British Columbia research.

30 Mar 2012

Children with ASD more frequently to be bullied

Today, the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), the nation's largest online autism research initiative and a project of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, reports preliminary results of the first national survey to examine the impact of bullying on children with autism spectrum disorders.

27 Mar 2012

Highmark Healthy High 5 initiative benefits Pennsylvania children

The Highmark Foundation today announced that Highmark Healthy High 5, a five-year $100 million initiative, successfully influenced change regarding children's health issues in the 49-county region Highmark serves across Pennsylvania.

19 Mar 2012

Link between school bullies and substance use

Middle- and high-school students who bully their classmates are more likely than others to use substances such as cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana, a new study found.

5 Mar 2012

Protests against NHS reforms results in a disciplinary meeting for a senior medical professional

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23 Feb 2012

Young Canadians report higher levels of emotional and behavioural problems

Canadian girls report higher levels of emotional problems and lower levels of emotional well-being and life satisfaction, while boys tend to experience more behavioural problems and demonstrate less prosocial behavior, a new Queen's University-led national study of youth health behavior shows.

17 Feb 2012

First study to look at suicide ideation and self-harm in LGBT youths

What protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youths from considering suicide and, conversely, what makes them most vulnerable to it? The question is of paramount concern because these youths are at least twice as likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youths, prompting the national "It Gets Better Project" with encouraging video messages from such public figures as Lady Gaga and President Barack Obama.

15 Feb 2012

Children with multiple psychosomatic symptoms more likely to experience physical abuse

Children who display multiple psychosomatic symptoms, such as regular aches and pains and sleep and appetite problems, are more than twice as likely to be experiencing physical abuse at home than children who do not display symptoms, according to a study in the March edition of Acta Paediatrica.

10 Feb 2012

Proposed Australian e-health records system criticised

Both the Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) and the Australian Privacy Foundation have criticized the private corporation established by the federal and state governments to roll out the federal government's proposed electronic health records. They have told a Senate inquiry hearing in Canberra that personally-controlled e-health records should not go live on July 1 as planned.

7 Feb 2012

Adolescent children of lesbian mothers report good quality of life

Adolescent children of lesbian mothers report as good quality of life as those with heterosexual parents, reports a study in the January Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

4 Jan 2012