Bullying and Stress Essay

commonly viewed as popular by their colleagues. She affirms that in the initial periods of her research, it was challenging in convincing the audience on the intense problem of bullying which also faces some difficulty today in some parts of the world. Most individuals view bullying as a rite of passage in growing up with the experiences that are attained in the process necessary in life hence pay less attention to such a case. In contrast, Jaana’s study showed that devastating consequences are associated with bullying to a point of committing tragic actions such as suicide. 2000 ethnically distinct sixth graders from public middle schools were the participants in her study.

Teachers and students identified the bullies and the victims as well as the popular and least popular students. The research displayed that by far, bullies were interestingly the most popular individuals. Jaana’s research which also included other grades in the middle school showed that the sixth grade had most of the bullies. The transition turbulence which includes the changes associated with elementary to middle school transfer was seen as the major cause of the kids opting to rely on dominance behaviors. Bullying is a complex and unique form of interpersonal aggression, taking various forms to serve distinct functions and manifested in diverse relationship patterns.

Researchers who worked on criterion- related authenticity and factor structure study found out that attitudes by students towards aggression are connected to one’s aggression behavior (Huang, Cornell & Konold, 2014). However, the correlation between the school’s conviction about aggressive behavior and aggression itself has adequately unexamined challenges. The resulting structure showed metric invariance which was across grade, race and gender with the

validity of criterion- related being supported indices of aggressive behavior. Prevalence of the bullying act in schools was seen to increase dropouts’ rates to 21% after regulating predictor’s effects including poverty of the school body, performance on consistent achievement testing and the size of the school (Cornell, Gregory & Huang, 2013).

The prognostic value of an individual’s opinions on bullying was comparable to correlates of the dropout rates. A study examining the hypothesis indicating assessments of bullying prevalence’s by administrators was found to be negatively related to school wide functioning on testing. However, there was a positive association between employing evidence- based terrorization prevention with test performance (Lacey & Cornell, 2014). Assessments by the school administrator on school-wide intimidation including their determinations to diminish it was is associated achievements by students. A psychological assessment on student surveys was used to assess risky behaviors of students, school climate and intimidation but since they were conducted on undistinguished basis, there was little information on student’s report authenticity. A modeling of hieratical linear manner discovered an association between invalid replying to legality question and high self-reported risk behavior rates and increased negative assessments of school climate (Cornell, Lovegrove & Baly).

A study of bullying patterns and victimization related to other behavioral problems was conducted among high school students using an analysis of latent class in construction of bullying involvement typologies. Externalizing behavioral problems were found to be ominously higher amongst individuals in bully- victims and bully classes unlike internalizing behavioral problems which among bully- victims and victims were higher. A study on school commitment and bullying climate which was done on ninth graders by assessing the associations between a student’s

commitment individual- wise and school- wise and a student’s view of bullying climate. Assessment of the student engagement was through scales of self- report which entailed measuring one’s involvement in the activities of the school and obligation to the school itself. Lower commitment to school was found to be associated with individual distinctions in views of school’s climate in relation to bullying.

School level distinctions on the other hand in relation to bullying, were associated with lesser engagement to school as well as lesser involvement in the activities of the school. The impact of bullying on a school wide level on all students should be considered in trying to improve a student’s commitment. In an analysis that focused on distinguishing bully victims, Phillips and Cornell, researchers, implied that schools often relied on self- report of anonymous nature in measuring bullying victimization. This method however, is found to bar the personnel of the school from realizing the students who may be in need of support. The study on the contrary, used peer nominations in identifying bully victims as well as interviews by school counselors to verify the victim’s status.

The number of students validated as victims increased with an increase in the number of nominations for each student. There was a study that aimed at examining the influential elements to individual’s willingness to ask for assistance in case of a violence threat (Williams & Cornell, 2006). The participants included middle schoolers who were offered a survey that was anonymous asking their likelihood to as for assistance when they encounter bullying. The study also entailed bullying type’s measures, opinions of how teachers tolerated bullying and attitudes towards behavior of

aggressive mode. The results indicated that students from levels of higher grade and mostly men illustrated lower willingness to ask for help.

Those with aggressive attitudes and the view that there is tolerance of bullying in the school climate were also less probable to seek for help. Another study was conducted in the middle school to scrutinize the issues that manipulated decisions by students to report bullying cases. Factors such as chronicity, school climate, bullying type, attitudinal factors, familial and demographic factors were investigated to a student reporting to no one versus anyone, peers versus adults and no one versus adults. It was found that reporting as more regular among girls than boys, escalated with the victimization’s chronicity and more frequent among levels of lower grade. Students who had a perception that there was tolerance in the school climate and those who viewed their parents preferring coercive disciplines had a lesser likelihood of reporting. Investigation on low self- control and a disorder known as attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and how they influence bullying was another research related to bullying (Unnerve & Cornell, 2003).

Individuals under the prescription on ADHD were found to be at a higher risk of being bully victims as well as bullying others. A construct that Gottfredson and Hirsch (1990) theorized explained the relation between bullying and ADHD status in terms of low self- control. On the contrary, the relation between bullying victimization and ADHD revealed some independence of self- control. The self-control influence was through interactions of individuals in connection to gender and physical strength and size measures. Diathesis- stress paradigms proposes psychopathology to occur due to a combination of one’s biological

or cognitive vulnerabilities and particular environmental stressors (Swearer & Hymel, 2015). In relation to bullying using this model, participation in bullying is considered to be a life event that is negative, either as a perpetrator or a victim.

This negative life occurrence when combined with particular vulnerabilities of social, cognitive or biological aspects result in development of ruined social relations ant the externalization and internalization of psychopathology. Bullying is viewed as a life occurrence that brings stress. Bullying as an act has been implied to be a predominant traumatic stressor and the physical and health problems among bullied individuals has been viewed to resemble Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. Psychological effects of bullying to an individual especially exposure to long term abusive and inimical behavior is associated with a wide range of negative effects on the health.

Some of the effects include irritability, lacking concentration, depression and anxiety, somatic problems like fatigue and sleeping problems. This brings intense pressure to an individual leading to development of stress which to an extent may lead to suicide cases. In stopping bullying, there are strategies that have proven not to be fully effective such as ignoring and walking away, fighting back, bullying the bully or remaining silent as well. When dealing with bullying as a school, its system has to be proactive in handling such a case, reduce anonymous, determine the bullying extent by encouraging individuals to report cases and create a policy of anti- bullying.

The school can also encourage students to show compassions and be the other’s keeper for instance, a student witnessing the bullying ought is encouraged to stop it. The counselors are also encouraged to ensure victims

of bullying realize that they are not to blame. The home, community and school are areas that have an effect on a child’s behavior and hence interventions of bullying should target such environments. The teachers should be knowledgeable and observant when dealing with bullying for instance, they should immediately intervene, record the episode and inform the administrators for investigation to be undertaken. Students and parents should also be engaged in anti- bullying task forces developed in the school.

The adults can assist the peers to assume positive behavior and teaching skills on how to handle bullying cases. Parents should keenly observe children for any signs of bullying which may include depression, nightmares and decreased appetite including others. For parents with children who bully others should educate them on effects of bullying, making the home environment “bully free”. If bullying occurs in the work place, it might lead to reduced productivity. He victim may end up spending workdays avoiding the abusive boss, being alone when eating lunch maybe due to being ostracized from cubicle mates or even tiptoeing around tour work mates who backbite bout you.

The bullying leads to stress which eventually is linked to negative effects on one’s health. Hierarchical organizations are seen to have higher bullying rates as well as those with a highly competitive environment. An individual in a work place can take a bullying case to the manager, human resource management, representative of the trade union or take a legal action to the employment tribunal in case the prior ways do not work

Conclusion

Sometimes stress may be advantageous for instance like a case where it is instrumental in assisting one develop skills

needed in adapting to new situations. However, stress resulting from regular bullying can be overwhelming. Most of the bullies tend to possess characteristics such as a strong desire to dominate others so as to chive their goals, impulsive and easily angered, regularly aggressive and defiant and demonstrate petty empathy towards victims. Most of the bully victims are also viewed to possess some distinct characteristics such as being sensitive and cautious, low self- esteem and anxious, depressed and mostly participation in suicidal ideation often more than their peers.

Bullying has been proved to bring about stress as it is in itself a life occurrence where an individual experiences constant negative pressure. Bullying can be induced to a victim physically or even verbally. Most individual’s decisions on reporting bullying cases are seen to be manipulated by factors including demographic, familial and attitudinal factors. In addition, gender also as mostly boys tend not to prefer reporting bullying cases unlike the girls. Peers viewing their parents as applying coercive discipline measures tend to shy off from bringing up bullying cases and end up being stressed s they try to handle an issue which they have no solution for.

Issues of low self- esteem especially among the bully victim increases the susceptibility to being bullied. The school climate does influence the prevalence of bullying among students. This means that a school’s administration should ensure the system encourages positive behavior to discourage bullying. This would also highlight on factors such as the teacher’s tolerance to bullying and aggressive behavior as it would affect areas such as the academic performance.

Bullies are individuals viewed to prey on victims especially, those who are lesser than them

in size and strength. Institutions should ensure appropriate systems are put in place so as to be able to detect bullying cases and act on them before they lead to devastating effects especially, to the victims. The susceptibility to being involved in bullying, whether as a victim or the perpetrator, has been claimed to relate to an individual’s personality as well as other environmental factors. In schools, bullying has a likelihood of increasing dropout cases and low commitments in school including low engagements in the school’s activities. From a wider perspective, the unwanted behavior of bullying might be related to sex, age, civil partnership and marriage, race, maternity and pregnancy, disability, belief or religion and sexual orientation. Some of the causes of bullying might include anti-social behavior, personality disorder, anger and depression, a habit of using force, an aggression behavior habit and a concern in preservation of self- image.

Bullying is hence an issue which should be taken seriously and not lightly as it presents itself to be.

References

1. Huang, F. L., Cornell, D. G., & Konold, T. R. (2014). Aggressive Attitudes in Middle Schools: A Factor Structure and Criterion- Related Validity Study. Assessment, 22(4), 4997-512
2. Lacey, A., & Cornell, D.

   G. (2014). School Administrator Assessments of Bullying and State- Mandated Testing. Journal of School Violence, 15(2), 189-212. Doi:10.1080/15388220.2014.971362

3. Cornell, D., Gregory, a., Huang, F., & Fan, X. (2013).

   Perceived Prevalence of Teasing and Bullying predicts high school dropout rates. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(1), 138-149. Doi: 10.1037/a0030416

4. Cornell, D. G., Lovegrove, P. J., & Baly, M. W.

   (2014). Invalid Survey Response Patterns among Middle School Students. Psychological Assessment, 26(1), 277-287. Doi: 10.037/a0034808

5. Williams, F., & Cornell, D.

   G.

(2006). Student Willingness to Seek Help for Threats of Violence in Middle School. Journal of School Violence, 5(4), 35-49.

Doi: 10.1300/j202v05n04_04