Effects of Bullying on a Bullied Child

There are many effects of bullying on a bullied child. There are the effects while the bullying is going on that impact the child today going forward. There are effects that are long term and may follow your child into adulthood causing all manner of problems.

Your child is his own person and the effects on him/her will depend on his personality. We can work with our children to minimize the effects by building character and self esteem.

We must keep an open mind and understand that effects of bullying alone may not be the issue but it certainly increases the likeliness of Kids experiencing:

EFFECTS OF BULLYING in the beginning

In the beginning, level one bullying can cause the child to feel fear and shame. He may try to figure out what he has done to be targeted by the bully and change.

Parents may notice small changes that are warning signs your child is being bullied like:

a shift in what their child wears
small change in the type of language they use.

However, your child may not come and say he is being bullied. He may choose to keep the bullying secret. It is important for parents to pick up on the subtle hints your child is providing. Knowing the Warning Signs of bullying can help you identify it quickly to start providing the support and guidance your child needs to avoid the long term effects

as the bullying progresses

As the bullying progresses to level two and beyond the effects get worse. Everytime your child gets bullied it changes who they are and reduces the chance they will seek help or look for solutions. They become victims and experience all manner of consequences.

Depression and anxiety
Increased feelings of sadness and loneliness
Problems developing good friendships
Changes in sleep and eating patterns,
Loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy
Health complaints: Stomach aches, ulcers, generalized complaints
Lower scores on tests and overall grades in school
Reduced participation in school activities.
They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.
Engage in risky behaviors to gain approval or avoid the bully
Missing out on major milestones like graduation ceremonies
Developing the "victim" mentality that will follow them through life making them more likely to experience other negative situations.

Effects of Bullying can have serious consequences

In extreme cases:

Children who are bullied either implode or explode. Depending on the temperament of the child. They do not have the skills to gather support, resources or guidance to avoid the worst scenario.

A very small number of children will implode and commit Bullycide. This is a choice they make to take their own life rather than face one more day of being bullied.

And then there is the other extreme:

A very small number of bullied children might retaliate through extremely violent measures. In 12 of 15 school shooting cases in the 1990s, the shooters had a history of being bullied.

Effects of bullying can follow into adulthood

Bullying can have long term negative consequences.The Bullying follows them into adulthood.

A child who is bullied can miss out on important mile stones of growing up. They may skip school dances. They avoid playing in sports at school. This causes them to miss out on chances to engage with peers and make friends based on common interests. These are important socialization skills. These children grow up with out the skills to make friends, engage in team work and deal with differences.

Many children get bullied in the bathroom. This causes them to avoid the bathroom while at school. Later in life these Bullied children grow up to be adults with bladder and kidney troubles.

The list goes on and on. We know from research depression and anxiety during younger years can continue into adult life and may lead to depression resistant to treatment.

Many adults report serious issues due to brief bullying episodes that were never fully resolved.

We as parents can help minimize these effects of bullying on a bullied child. We can build our understanding of what bullying is and how to prevent it. If your child is already experiencing bullying you can look at ways to help your child stop it.

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