The Impact of Bullying on Middle Childhood (6-12 Years)

This policy brief identifies the impact of bullying on middle childhood, provides a brief background on the prevalence of bullying in primary schools in Victoria, and two recommendations to help address the issue of bullying in the context of Victoria State.

Running head: Psychology 1
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ISSUE COVER SHEET
Issue: Bullying in primary school playgrounds in Victoria has been on the increase as its
impact on the children continue to be devastating. Bullying among primary students leaves
both emotional and psychological scars such as delinquent behaviour changes that are likely
to affect the future of these children.
Background: Bullying among primary school children causes emotional and social impacts
that affect their health and well-being when toddlers and even in their adulthood. Bullying
causes humiliation, low self-esteem, depression and mental health problems. This is because
bullying makes the victims feel more secluded, desensitized or helpless which leads to
internalization of problems. Additionally, bullying has been found to lead to delinquent
behavioural changes in children depending on their personal characters. Victimization has
been found to increase with the decrease in age and school grade especially in the traditional
form of bullying. Males are also at a higher risk of bullying than females.
Comment: This policy brief identifies the impact of bullying on middle childhood, provides
a brief background on the prevalence of bullying in primary schools in Victoria, and two
recommendations to help address the issue of bullying in the context of Victoria State. An
example of a relevant program is also provided.
Recommendations: Two major recommendations have been proposed and these include
clear communication of school policies and procedures and training of school personnel.
Clear communication of school policies and procedures to the school’s community members
will create awareness and foster understanding. Training of school personnel will also ensure
that they are well equipped to detect, manage and prevent bullying.
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Readers: The Hon. James Merlino MP, Minister for Education, Victorian Government.

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The Impact of Bullying on Middle Childhood (6-12 Years)
Purpose
Bullying is defined as the prolonged infliction of physical pain and/or psychological pressure
on another individual due to the inequality of power (Wolke & Lereya, 2015). Statistics
indicate that about one in four children aged 4 to 9 years’ experience routine bullying, which
significantly affects them both emotionally and psychologically (Victoria State Government,
2013). This brief aims at reducing bullying in primary school playgrounds as a way of
minimizing the negative impacts of bullying through two concrete policy recommendations.
Background
Bullying among primary children leads to stress, intimidation and physical injury (Price, &
Dalgleish, 2010). Substantial long-term impacts include anxiety, hopelessness, low self-
esteem, suicidality and psychiatric problems (Commissioner for Children and Young People,
2011). The study by Coffin, Larson, and Cross (2010) has also indicated that young children
are more prone to the incidences of bullying and its negative impact.
What: Bullying among primary children has been found to have a substantial impact on the
social and emotional aspects. Studies have indicated that children aged between 6 and 12
years when bullied lead to the development of feelings of low self-esteem, deeper anxiety and
humiliation. Moreover, bullying destroys self-confidence which also leads to low self-esteem
(Murphy, Downes, & Norman, 2017). The study also found out that bullied victims are not
likely to disclose their experience but will instead indicate their suffering through the changes
in mood and behaviour. Extreme incidences of bullying have also been attributed to suicidal
behaviours if not assessed and controlled in time. For instance, such individuals are likely to
develop an anti-social personality, the possibility of drug abuse, not law-abiding in their
adulthood and low educational and professional achievement (Wolke & Lereya, 2015). The
study by Ttofi, Farrington, and Lösel (2012) examined the effects and features of bullying in
a school context and found out that bullying affected both the bully and the bullied by
increasing their risk of mental and behavioural problems.
How:
 Depression

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A study by the National Institutes of Health asserted that bullying, be it through electronic
devices or traditional school bullying, resulted in depression. This is because the bullying
makes the victims feel more secluded, desensitised or helpless during the attack (Shriver,
2010). Zwierzynska, Wolke, and Lereya (2013) conducted a study on depression disorder or
anxiety disorder by assessing their association with internalizing problems among
adolescents. The authors found out that peer victimization in childhood led to the
internalization of problems even in early adolescence which further escalated depression
levels. Additionally, Arseneault et al. (2008) assessed twins discordant for victimization and
found out that the victims of bullying a higher risk of internalization of problems and hence
depression compared to those with minimal experiences of depression.
 Delinquent Behavioural Changes and Mental Health problems
Bullying has also been found to cause delinquent behavioural changes such as violence and
somatic and mental health problems. Studies have shown that children with aggressive
behaviours are more likely to undergo bullying (Gini & Pozzoli, 2009). As a result, children
that are anxious and depressed send indications that they are easy targets and are likely to be
easy targets and are not likely to retaliate when bullied. On the other hand, aggressive
toddlers may attract hostility from other children. Thus, behavioural changes which attract or
keep away bullying are significantly determined by one’s own characteristics. Prolonged
effects of bullying such as depression and behavioural change due to internalizing and
externalizing problems are likely to lead to mental complications (Cook, Williams, Guerra,
Kim, & Sadek, 2010).
Who:
 Age
Previous research has shown an increase in victimization with the decrease in age and school
grade for traditional bullying. Merrill and Hanson (2016) found out that children who had
bullying experiences while 8 and 15 years were more likely to suffer from the consequences
such as drug abuse and delinquent behaviours in their adulthood compared to those that had
single experiences in either eight or fifteen years. Research has also shown that bullying is at
maximum towards the end of middle school and at the start of the ninth grade, but reduces
thereafter (Perren, Dooley, Shaw, & Cross, 2010).
 Gender

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Studies in different settings have shown that males are at a greater risk of undergoing
traditional bullying compared to females. For instance, Brown, Riley, Butchart, and Kann
(2008) carried out a research on bullying among eight African countries and found out that
bullying was much more prevalent among boys than girls in the form of physical fighting,
substance abuse, mental health and suicide ideation among others. Bullying in the form of
verbal and rumour was much prevalent among females than males according to Cook,
Williams, Guerra, Kim, and Sadek (2010).
Key Issues
The two key challenges associated with bullying during policy implementation or lack of
appropriate action include first, the possibility of non-law abiding adults in the future which
is a threat to the community and government security. Secondly, distinguishing between
bullying and other forms of student conflict. Research has indicated that bullying experiences
among toddlers affect their behaviour and mental health in adulthood (Perren, Dooley, Shaw,
& Cross, 2010). Such adults are likely to be victims of substance abuse, violence and not law
abiding. Sullivan (2009) found out that bullies manifested delinquent behaviours and carried
violence of different forms by the eighth grade. The other likely challenge is the distinction
between bullying and other types of verbal and social aggression according to the varying
institutional policies. The prevention of bullying first requires identification in order to
substantiate bullying incidents and take relevant action. This process is a challenge because
the aggressors in most cases conceal their behaviours, there is hesitancy among the victims to
report, and the difficulty in the interpretation of complex social associations among students
by the staff (EMT Associates, 2013).
Recommendations
• Clear communication of school policies and procedures
Communication of policy is vital to ensure that every member of the institutions’ community
has a proper understanding of the definition of bullying, cognizant of the roles in undertaking
policy expectations, and comprehend the consequences of the violation of school policies on
bullying (Lerman, 2010). There should be clear communication with parents through the
schools through the use of appropriate strategies to notify the parents on the school bullying
policies and reporting procedures. The schools can achieve this by publishing bullying
policies and procedures in the student and parent handbooks which are then distributed to

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them at the start of each calendar year. Additionally, signatures of parents might be required
as an acknowledgement of reviewing and reading the school codes of conduct with their
children. A similar approach should also be taken in educating the students of the school
bullying policies and behaviour expectations on a routine basis (EMT Associates, 2013).
Training school personnel
It should be a state requirement in Victoria that all school employees undergo professional
development in the prevention and management of bullying and the resulting consequences.
These can be accomplished by reviewing all school procedures that are relevant to bullying
which can be carried out as part of staff in-service training at the commencement of the
school year. More in-depth training can be conducted through focused reviews of bullying
definitions and procedures. This can be done by using a formal training curriculum and the
use of materials such as PowerPoint and videos. The content should mainly focus on the
identification, management and prevention of bullying (NEA Human and Civil Rights Center
for Advocacy, 2012; EMT Associates, 2013).
“Stop a Bully” Programme
“Stop a bully” is an anti-bullying programme that is nationally registered in Canada and was
initiated by B.C. teacher Trevor Knowlton in 2009. The program gives any student who is a
witness or victim of any kind of bullying to safely report the details of the activity to the
school administration without identifying himself or herself. The program can be used by any
student in any school for free. The initiative helps promote bullying awareness and
accountability within institutions thus enabling the relevant school staff to be more proactive
in the prevention of the escalation of bullying incidences. The online reporting system
ensures anonymity to the reporters, thus encouraging reporting of incidences and promoting
the ability of the institutions to address incidences of bullying in a timely manner by
providing in-depth reports of bullying. Furthermore, the “stop a bully” programme is
significant in the development of education and prevention strategies that are aimed at
addressing specific types of bullying (Stop a Bully, n.d). However, the programme has
limitations in that its use will depend on its acceptance or rejection by the school leadership
and staff. Overall, the program is suitable for primary school students over six years because
they have basic computer knowledge and doesn’t attract any cost. Moreover, parents can also

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use it to anonymously report to the school administration once they receive such information
from their children.

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Reference
Arseneault, L., Milne, B. J., Taylor, A., Adams, F., Delgado, K., Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E.
(2008). Being bullied as an environmentally mediated contributing factor to children's
internalizing problems: a study of twins discordant for victimization. Archives of
pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 162(2), 145-150.
Brown, D. W., Riley, L., Butchart, A., & Kann, L. (2008). Bullying among youth from eight
African countries and associations with adverse health behaviors.
Coffin, J., Larson, A., & Cross, D. (2010). Bullying in an Aboriginal context. the australian
journal of indigenous education, 39(1), 77-87.
Commissioner for Children and Young People WA. (2011). Speaking Out about Well-being,
Children and young people speak out about bullying. Perth, Western Australia.
Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/Documents/policy-brief-wellbeing-
research-bullying-may-2011.pdf
Cook, C. R., Williams, K. R., Guerra, N. G., Kim, T. E., & Sadek, S. (2010). Predictors of
bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic
investigation. School psychology quarterly, 25(2), 65.
EMT Associates, Inc. (2013). Middle School Implementation of State Bullying Legislation
and District Policies. Retrieved from
file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/Documents/EMT_Middle-School-
Implementation.pdf
Gini, G., & Pozzoli, T. (2009). Association between bullying and psychosomatic problems: A
meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 123(3), 1059-1065.
Lerman, B. C. (2010). Addressing Bullying: Policy and Practice. Principal Leadership, 11(1),
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Merrill, R. M., & Hanson, C. L. (2016). Risk and protective factors associated with being

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bullied on school property compared with cyberbullied. BMC public health, 16(1),
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NEA Human and Civil Rights Center for Advocacy. (2012). Bullying Prevention in Public
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stand against bullying. Retrieved from
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/resources/spotlight/092110-taking-stand-against-
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file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/Documents/afdealingwithbully.pdf
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