Examiner.com

My article called the “Secret Life of Teens” was published in the August issue of Northern Virginia Magazine. I investigated this story for almost one year, interviewing experts on teens and a dozen teens personally. All the teen’s identities were protected providing me candid answers to tough questions--questions about the impact of drugs, alcohol, stress, bullying, gangs, screen time and the economy. Please pick up a copy of the August issue of Northern Virginia Magazine to get the full report. The article is only available in the magazine not online.

Bullying is a huge problem in our region which presented itself in many forms--violence, depression, anger, isolation and shame—and it’s universal according to researchers at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The Mason Department of Global and Community Health supported two researchers for the last several years who studied this phenomenon worldwide. Their study shows that, not only is bullying a global problem, but it has long term impact on the health of a teen.

In their ongoing work, Kathryn Jacobsen and Lila Fleming have examined the health effects of bullying in adolescent boys and girls from lower- and middle-income countries. In a report published by George Mason University’s newspaper University News these researchers defined bullying as: “Actions intended to harm or embarrass another person: teasing, spreading rumors, deliberately excluding them from group activities and using physical violence.”

Their research was based on data from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS), which was developed by the World Health Organization to assess self-reported student health and risk behaviors.

“Our study shows that bullying is not just a problem in high-income countries like the United States, but is common among adolescents across the globe. What is important from a global health perspective is that even though developing nations have similar problems to those in developed nations, the ways we address those issues in a lower-income country may be completely different compared to how we do it in higher-income nations,” stated Fleming.

In most countries, including 19 low- and middle-income countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East between 2003 and 2006 found boys were more likely than girls to report being bullied, and the prevalence of bullying diminished as students aged. Being a victim of bullying was generally associated with symptoms of depression, including feeling sad or hopeless for more than two weeks, and experiencing loneliness, sleeplessness and suicidal thoughts.

Teens who were victimized also had a higher risk of poor health behaviors, such as using tobacco, alcohol and drugs, as well as engaging in sexual activity. These risk behaviors are associated with negative health effects, like headaches and nausea. Jacobsen says: “Victims of bullying engage in riskier health behaviors, and they have a reduced mental health status. The key message is that bullying affects both mental and physical health, and it influences health and risk behavior…Parents, educators and lawmakers should not assume that bullying is a ‘normal’ part of growing up. Taking steps to protect children and young adolescents from bullying will improve student health and learning.”

Educators who've taken on bullying prevention in their schools get applause from me and hope that their efforts will be successful in future generations of children.