Types Of Bullying In Schools: Mental Health Effects And Prevention

Bullying in schools has been present for generations, though it has moved into the spotlight in recent decades. New research has revealed the severe mental health impacts bullying can have on children, teens, and adults. 

Bullying at school can have short and long-term effects on the bullied child, the bully, and bystanders. As a parent, caregiver, or educator, you may want to prevent bullying behavior and defend your child from the impact of bullying in their environment. One way to support bullied students impacted by this challenge is to teach healthy coping strategies and bullying prevention techniques. Learn more about power dynamics in school, bullying in schools, and strategies for coping with bullying in schools for school-aged children and youth. 

What is bullying in school?

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), bullying is a form of aggressive peer behavior involving an imbalance of power where a person intentionally and repeatedly causes another harm or discomfort. Bullying can occur in person or online.

One out of every five students reports being bullied during school, which can indicate that bullying is a widespread issue. It can be important to note that, although there is no excuse for bullying, many bullies attempt to justify their behavior.

Physical bullying and its impact on mental health

Physical bullying, a common form of direct bullying, can involve physical actions or various types of physical force committed to intimidate and gain control over the target, including hitting, kicking, shoving, pushing, tripping, pinching, and damaging property. Physical bullying is often ongoing and habitual, as it’s typically intended to maintain a power imbalance, usually with the person who is physically stronger holding more power. This form of bullying can place everyone involved in immediate danger and lead to severe consequences.  The repeated nature of physical bullying can severely impact the mental health of bullying targets, potentially leading to anxiety, depression, and long-term emotional trauma.

Verbal bullying and coping with bullying at school

Verbal bullying generally involves using language and tone of voice to gain power over others. For example, insults, threats, and teasing could reinforce the power imbalance. Targets of bullying may be called names or spoken to using foul language. This type of bullying may be difficult to notice, as it often occurs when no adults are around to witness the behavior. To help those affected, teaching effective coping strategies may empower bullying targets to respond assertively and seek support.

Relational bullying

Relational bullying is primarily centered around social exclusion and can be considered a type of indirect bullying. Rather than inflicting physical harm, this type of bullying focuses on damaging a person's relationships or social status through relational aggression. One example of relational bullying is spreading rumors. 

Cyberbullying on social media

Cyberbullying can involve harassment, rumors, social exclusion, insults, threats, and other bullying behavior via email, text messaging, and social media. It can also involve publicly discussing intimate details of someone's life online and can sometimes cross the line into criminal behavior. Cyberbullying can take place during the school year or during breaks from school. With many youth spending significant amounts of time online, cyberbullying may occur more frequently than in the past.

If you witness an online crime, please report it through the FBI's online reporting tool. You can also contact local authorities and your child's school board for support. 

Bullying and being bullied at college

While some adults may associate bullying with middle and high school, it can continue into college. Bullying at the college level can take many forms, from verbal harassment and exclusion to cyberbullying and physical intimidation. Parents of college-age children may speak to them about bullying and help them build their self-esteem, assertiveness, and social skills. If you are a college-age adolescent or adult, consider utilizing campus mental health support resources. You're not alone, and bullying is not your fault.

Who is most affected, and when does bullying peak?

Research shows that, among school-aged children, bullying tends to be most common among middle schoolers in early adolescence and usually decreases with age. However, bullying can still occur among high school students and people of all ages. Of middle school students, those who fall into certain sub-groups may be more affected by bullying. Individuals of minority backgrounds, such as Asian students or Hispanic students, may be more likely to be bullied in some communities.

Risk factors and higher-risk sub-groups

Risk factors for youth at risk of bullying include the following:

• Having disabilities
• Being socially isolated
• Being perceived as different from their peers
• Being viewed as weak
• Living with anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem
• Not getting along with others
• Being less popular than others and having few friends

Meanwhile, individuals who are more likely to become bullies typically fall into two types. They may be well-connected and have a high social status, or they may be isolated from their peers and live with mental health concerns. Those who bully others may also have the following risk factors:

• Experiencing issues at home
• Having trouble with following rules
• Viewing violence positively
• Being aggressive
• Having friends who bully others

Effects of bullying and cyberbullying in schools: How bullying affects mental health and development

According to StopBullying.gov, bullied children often experience adverse effects that could result in physical, emotional, social, academic, and mental health challenges. Similarly, targets of cyberbullying can face intense emotional distress and isolation, which can affect their well-being both inside and outside of school. Students who witness these events as bystanders but do not take part in bullying may experience an increased risk of substance use, various mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and school absences. Both bullied children and bystanders may benefit from therapy to help them find constructive ways to handle the bullying and prevent them from being negatively impacted in the long term. 

Bullying can have a wide range of long-lasting effects, including the following:

• Depression and anxiety symptoms
• Low self-esteem
• Changes in sleep and eating patterns
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities 
• Physical health challenges 
• Lower grades

Children who bully others or engage in youth violence tend to be more likely to experience difficulty regulating anger, use substances, get into fights, drop out of school, and have criminal convictions or display abusive behavior as adults. Children who bully others may benefit from treatment to address the underlying causes of their behavior and prevent this behavior from escalating.

If you or a loved one is experiencing abuse, contact the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Support is available 24/7.

Coping strategies for a bullied child: What students can do if they are being bullied

Researchers at Georgia State University studied the perceived effectiveness of coping strategies for kids who experienced bullying. Although updated research may be needed, the study divided coping strategies for bullying into two categories: problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping, which were described as follows.

Problem-focused coping strategies for dealing with a bully

Problem-focused coping generally refers to the use of strategies meant to address the problem directly. It involves a process that begins with thinking about the issue, determining potential solutions, and, if appropriate, implementing the chosen solution.

Below are a few problem-focused coping strategies you or your child may try: 

• Informing a teacher or trusted adult who is part of the school staff or school community
• Weighing the consequences before retaliating
• Avoiding the bully
• Not responding in the way the bully hopes 
• Reporting the bully's actions to the school, which could also benefit other bullied students
• Transferring schools 
• Finding a new friend group 
• Attending therapy, which can be extremely important if mental health concerns have arisen

Emotion-focused coping strategies for bullying and cyberbullying

Emotion-focused coping strategies usually center around finding ways to feel safe and manage the emotional outcomes that may be incited by bullying in school. Identifying and addressing the feelings that result from being bullied can make it easier to decide how to handle the situation.

Below are a few emotion-focused coping strategies that may diffuse the effects of bullying and manage stress levels:

• Listening to music 
• Finding a quiet place to cry
• Practicing deep breathing techniques to relax
• Writing in a journal
• Discussing feelings with parents, friends, or a therapist
• Spending time in nature
• Playing with pets 

How to support a child who is being bullied

If your child is being bullied, they may be experiencing a loss of power in their peer environment. It might be helpful to offer them as much control as possible in their life outside of school and remind them they're not at fault for what's happening to them. 

Some parents may choose to have minimal interference in this process, while other adults may want to get directly involved as their child learns coping skills. Talk to your child and discuss their options. They may choose to ignore the bullying and try to distance themselves from the situation. 

Some children may want to go to another school or switch classes. Work with them and their teachers to come up with a healthy solution. In addition, consider signing your child up for therapy. Although a school counselor can offer support, a child psychologist can offer long-term and individualized guidance.

Bullying prevention and creating a positive school climate

The PACER Center has a national center for bullying prevention with a variety of resources for schools, parents, and kids. A few examples of PACER’s bullying prevention strategies include the following:

• Focusing on social-emotional learning (SEL) as part of the curriculum for reducing bullying
• Establishing and upholding clear anti-bullying policies
• Fostering a positive school climate among the youth, school staff, and wider school community
• Increasing adult supervision to decrease opportunities for bullying to occur
• Setting up an anonymous reporting system
• Creating positive environments and open lines of communication in each classroom

The International Journal of Bullying Prevention can be a helpful resource for anyone looking for additional tips to reduce bullying.

When to seek additional help and mental health support options

If bullying escalates, involves repeated aggressive behavior, or includes threats of physical force, it can be extremely important to take action by contacting school administration or law enforcement. Seeking mental health support can also be crucial at this point in order to manage stress and combat low self-esteem.

Parents looking for mental health services for themselves or their children may struggle to find in-person options that fit their budget and schedule. In these cases, it may be helpful to try online therapy platforms like BetterHelp for adults or TeenCounseling for teens aged 13 to 19. 

Online therapy can be more convenient for some teens. BetterHelp’s asynchronous messagingoption enables teens to message their therapists throughout the week, which may allow them to review messages on their own time and reflect. Studies have also backed up this benefit, with researchers at Cambridge University praising the asynchronous messaging format of online therapy. 

Parents may also benefit from online platforms, as they can connect with a therapist via phone, video, or live chat sessions and choose a time slot that best fits their schedules. Licensed therapists can support parents in managing their own emotions and stress levels while teaching them how to best support their children as well.