Science of Parenting

Listening to the podcast and reading the blog I wanted to make sure that we had more opportunity to really think about the thoughts and ideas presented so I am bringing back Donna’s 3 points. Again – you may not necessarily like these suggestions but I want to dive in a little deeper…

• Really pay attention to what you and your child watch on TV. Reality shows are popular but research points to the fact relational aggression on these shows far too common. Being mean is shown in a glamorous way for someone to “win” or become popular.
• Next take a look at yourself. How do you interact with other adults in your home? What does your child hear and see? Does she hear you talking “mean” to each other? Does he hear you gossiping or making snide remarks about people? Children model what they see in the home.
• Tune in to your child’s group of friends. Is it a group of kids that practice relational aggression? Are they children with low self-esteem or do they think they are “hot stuff”? Either way, help your child learn how to stand up to the mean behavior.

When you look at these suggestions and watch the children around you (yours or others) what are examples that you may have seen (in your children or others’ children) that show these points to be true?

How have you seen acts of relational aggression handled in a way that positively impacted the situation?

We may decide to blog about this topic all month if you would like…

bullying, education, positive parenting, raising teens, social-emotional, Uncategorized bully, bullying, children, emotional, parenting, teen, television

Kids can be mean — whether on the elementary school playground or in the middle school hallway or high school cafeteria. Learn how parents can deal with this meanness, called relational aggression, in this month’s Science of Parenting podcast.

Publications

From the Ophelia Project

• Where students report seeing relational and physical aggression (PDF)
• Physical symptoms of relational aggression (PDF)

Related Resources

Learn more about Sarah Coyne: http://fhssfaculty.byu.edu/Pages/smcoyne.aspx

Learn more about Sarah Coyne’s research:

• Meaner than fiction: Reality TV high on aggression, study shows
• Profanity in TV and video games linked to teen aggression

Additional links to be posted with the news release

• Get short, timely messages from Science of Parenting on Twitter.
• Learn more about Science of Parenting co-hosts Douglas Gentile and Mike Murray.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

bullying, podcast bully, bullying, parenting, television, video game

Bullying is occurring at alarming rates in the U.S. and the long-term effects of being bullied can be severe. Unfortunately, many adults are not aware that bullying is occurring with their child or their students.

According to a National Center for Education Statistics document, the definition of bullying includes a variety of actions, such as, “being made fun of; being the subject of rumors; being threatened with harm; being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; being pressured into doing things he/she did not want to do; being excluded; and having property destroyed on purpose,” (Dinkes, Kemp, & Baum, 2009, p. 40).

A large study conducted in 2007, comprised of 12- to 18-year old students in the U.S., revealed many eye-opening statistics. Based on these students’ self-reports:

• 32% had been bullied at school during the school year
• 63% had been bullied once or twice during the school year
• 21% had been bullied once or twice a month
• 10% were bullied once or twice a week
• 7 % had been bullied almost daily
• 79% were bullied inside a school
• 4% had been cyber-bullied
• 21% had been made fun of
• 18% were subjects of rumors
• 6% were threatened with harm
• 5% were purposefully excluded from activities
• 4 % said that someone tried to make them do things they did not want to do
• 4% had their own property destroyed on purpose by someone else
• 11% were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on, and 19% of these students were injured as a result of being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on.

Interestingly, only 36% of students who were bullied notified a teacher or another adult at school about the event(s). Other longitudinal research concerning bullying shows that being bullied is related to poor mental health and self harm. Individuals who are bullied experience severe emotional consequences such as anxiety, passivity, academic problems, social deficits, and low self-esteem.

Based on these studies, it is clear that many children, ages 12-to-18 years, are being bullied and the majority of them are not telling adults about their experiences. To learn how you can help a child, read the information contained in subsequent posts within this blog. Bullying, regardless of where or how it occurs, has long-term consequences and must be stopped immediately.

bullying bully, bullying, low self esteem, mental health, parenting