In Howard County, Maryland, we knew we needed to tackle bullying and cyber-harassment, after a few serious incidents focused our attention and raised awareness of these problems in our community. We examined current laws and discussed whether to push for new state legislation. We looked at how our public schools collect reports of bullying and later, how they handle them.

After much study and discussion, we decided on a multi-faceted approach that brings together a variety of community partners and offers a comprehensive way forward.  We announced our plan on May 1 and now, are looking forward to seeing the results.

The plan involves three parts:

First, we want to change what people think and feel about bullying. We will develop a social marketing campaign to make sure adults and children know about the severe effects of bullying and what to do when it occurs.... Continue Reading

Duke University professors recently published research that shows the degree to which bullying can affect someone’s mental health.

Authors Copeland, Wolke, Angold, and Costello discovered that victims of childhood bullying have a higher risk of developing mental health problems later in life. The study followed more than 1,000 youth, starting at the ages of 9, 11, and 13. The youth were interviewed each year until they turned 16. Follow-up interviews were then conducted into adulthood.

Results of the study showed bullying elevated the rate of mental health problems.  Some of the key findings were:

Youth who were victims of bullying had a higher chance of having agoraphobia, anxiety and panic disorders. Youth who bullied were at risk for antisocial... Continue Reading

The issue of bullying is a growing concern in schools across the United States. A lot of research attention has been given to the overlap between bullying and other forms of youth violence, including gang related, as well as behavioral health risks, such as substance use. Bullying can be a big issue for schools since it not only creates a poor school environment for students but also impacts school staff. Continue Reading

Recent media publicity around suicides by youth who were bullied by their peers has led many to assume that bullying often leads directly to suicide. Although youth who are involved in bullying are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and attempt suicide than those who are not involved in bullying, research indicates that other risk factors play a larger role in suicidal behavior.

What do we know about suicide and its causes? Continue Reading

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month!  Dating violence can happen to any teen in a romantic, dating, or sexual relationship, anytime, anywhere. It can happen in person or online with a current or former dating partner. Bullying involves acts of violence, power or control of one person over another.  But it does not have to happen at all.

One study found that young males who frequently bully peers in school are likely to perform acts of domestic violence as adults.  Preparing schools and communities to prevent, identify and respond when students are in need of help is a high priority.... Continue Reading

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is proud of its long history of working with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and other student groups to promote healthy kids and safe schools. These partnerships are a great chance for HRSA to reach youth in their schools and community to prevent bullying. Over the years, HRSA and GLSEN have shared resources and spoken at events. This year, we are continuing that work on social media for GLSEN’s No Name Calling Week. Continue Reading

Bullying can happen anywhere. It can happen in person, online, or behind your back. But there are some groups that are at higher risk.

Erin Reiney is the Director of Injury and Violence Prevention at the Health Resources and Service’s Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). She leads HRSA’s Bullying Prevention efforts, and serves as project officer for the MCHB Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Resource Center Consortium and the Children’s Safety Network National Resource Center.... Continue Reading

Bullying takes many forms. It happens in many contexts. Because bullying is complex, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for it.

“Student Problem Identification and Resolution of Issues Together” (SPIRIT ) is a service program that CRS delivers to schools across the nation. The program helps schools prevent bullying by focusing on the social tension and conflict that can lead to it, including:

Creating a space for teachers, students, and parents to build understanding and trust through discussion Assessing a school’s social climate to see what the general thoughts are on bullying

The Community Relations Services (CRS), part of the Department of Justice, serves as “America’s Peacemaker.” They are working with communities to build understanding and trust through conversation.

CRS has offices across the country. These offices employ “... Continue Reading

November is Native American Heritage Month. Across the country native communities are celebrating their heritage. I’d like to tell you about a project that I work with that is addressing the issue of bullying and is making a lasting impact on one community.

The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium Domestic Violence Prevention Program is a project funded by the Indian Health Service (IHS) Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative (DVPI).

As a health educator for the project, I see bullying, and other aggressive behaviors, in our schools, playgrounds, workplace and homes. It affects everyone in the community. Through education and raising awareness, we are engaging our communities to prevent bullying and other types of abuse.

Our surrounding communities include the Alaska... Continue Reading

Over the past three years, at our annual Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summits, we have heard the same call by educators-– teachers want to help stop bullying, but they don’t know how. Most try to help, but few receive training on how to do so. There are bullying prevention trainings available for teachers, but many are very expensive or not based on the best available research.

That is why the Department of Education and its Safe and Supportive Technical Assistance Center, set out to create a free, state-of-the-art training for classroom teachers on bullying. The two-part training aims to help teachers know the best practices to stop bullying on the spot and how to stop it before... Continue Reading