How Parents and Family members are affected by Bullying
Children who are being affected by bulling can experience a change in their demeanor , reflecting emotional or behavioural changes which may influence and create problems within their home environment (The State of Queensland, 2012). One of the influences bullying can have on a family structure is, family disintegration (bullyfacts.info, 2014). When a family member is being bullied some of the effects on the family , as noted by Shepell (2012) can include but are not limited to:
- Secrecy- children may become very secretive at home which may scare parents as they start to think of multiple reasons for this change in behaviour. As a result, the atmosphere at home can become tense, provoking parents to lash out in frustration making their child even more fearful of opening up and speaking about being bullied.
- Withdrawal- Some victims may begin to isolate themselves from those around them, harming the quality of the relationship one has with a parent, friend or sibling. Other family members can become affected if the majority of attention is shifted to the child in need, with spouses or siblings feeling neglected or disconnected from each other as a result of minimal interactions. Overtime Shepell (2012) notes that this could lead to a decrease in overall closeness of the family, diminishing their bond to one another.
- Lying- Those who are targets of bullying can begin to feel ashamed of themselves, leading them to feel as though it is their fault they are being picked on. For this reason or the overwhelming fear that the bullying will reach new heights if reported to an adult, a child may feel the need to lie to their parents. As a result of their excuses, such as feeling sick (at times children are that worked up and in fear that they make themselves sick) so students can skip school, parents can become gravely concerned about their child's physical and psychological well-being.
- Anxiety- When the child lives in fear of being bullied throughout their day-to-day lives, the overwhelming feeling one is having can build up and can lead to social anxiety even in settings which used to be safe and welcoming, such as within their home, favorite shops, school and even now within their own bedrooms with the use of social media being used as a bullying tool.
- Divorce
- Parents losing job/source of income due to caring for child as well as individual being bullied losing job because of their emotional distress
- Parents separating
- Parents abusing their children and those responsible for bulling their child and;
- A child committing suicide
A Families Perspective
This video is an interview with Kelly and Paul Dugmore, parents of 9 year old Boy Aaron who committed suicide as a result of being bullied. The parents detail the changes they saw within their child before the incident and the effect this tragedy has had on their other children. Aaron was the second youngest boy in the UK to commit suicide and is remembered a as happy, gadget loving young boy. |
What Parents can do to help prevent bullying?
This video clip is presented by Mission Healthy Living, provides valuable information, targeted at parents to assist in the prevention of bullying within the home, school, community and with social media. What can parents do to stop their child from bullying others?
The following video posted by Mission Healthy Living, invites parents to listen in on their round table discussion about identifying behaviours associated with children bullying others and how to prevent their child from engaging in such anti-social behavious. The discussion outlines strategies for parents to address their children in a warm and open environment and assists you with knowledge of how to become active in your child's life, to give them a precise outlines of what they expect from them and firm consequences for their actions. "Importantly getting children to recognise people as people" (Mission Healthy Living, 2011) |