Children who are bullied are more likely to show signs of depression and have suicidal thoughts later in life. As are the bullies themselves--in addition to ending up in prison. This makes news showing that nearly all children in America's schools have been victims of bullying, and more than half have bullied others more than a bit disturbing.
The surprising statistics come as the result of a new, easy-to-understand 22-point questionnaire developed by researchers at Stanford University Medical Center which was administered to 270 third- through sixth-graders. Of these, 175 were questioned twice to ensure reliability.
Researchers found that 90 percent of children reported having been bullied while 60 percent reported bullying others.These results were true even in middle- and upper-class schools. While physical bullying was not uncommon, many children reported less obvious methods including being purposefully excluded from games or spreading rumors.
Noting the potentially devastating results of such widespread bullying, researchers hope their questionnaire will better enable teachers and mental health professionals to identify both the bullied and the bullies for early intervention.
Read more: School Bullying Affects Majority of Elementary Students, Stanford/Packard Researchers Find
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