Today’s podcast discusses childhood bullying, how it is defined, the impact it has and, most importantly, any possible link between bullying and school shootings.
According to the Center for Disease Control, bullying is a form of youth violence and is an adverse childhood experience that can lead to trauma. The CDC defines bullying “as any unwanted aggressive behavior or behaviors by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or dating partners, that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance, and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated. Bullying may inflict harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social or educational harm.”
Bullying can take several forms, including:
- Physical violence such as hitting, kicking and tripping
- Verbal aggression including name-calling, teasing and shaming
- Relational/social aggression such as spreading rumors and isolating from a group
- Physical damage to property of the victim
- Cyberbullying, or aggression through technology such as texting or the use of social media platforms.
If bullying is a common experience of growing up, why should we worry about it? According to the CDC, “bullying negatively impacts all youth involved including those who are bullied, those who bully others and those who witness the bullying, known as bystanders”.
In this episode, Patricia speaks with Dr. Susan Strauss, an expert, author and international speaker on discrimination, harassment and bullying. She investigates complaints of bullying and serves as an expert witness in lawsuits on bullying in the workplace or in school. She provides customized training on discrimination, harassment, bullying, communication and respect. She is an accomplished author on the subject and we are very lucky to have her here today.
In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.
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