Bullying
Bullying linked to trauma
This page explores the concept of bullying and how it links to trauma.
Our focus is to support those who have been bullied, parents, schools, and the workplace so as to better understand how someone who has been bullied can become traumatised and how they can then seek support so that they can develop towards post-traumatic growth and to heal.
It is also essential to recognise that people who bully do so for a reason. It can be difficult to empathise, but we aim to support those individuals who bully which may resolve their bullying behaviours.
A Definition of Bullying
There is no legal definition of bullying, however, bullying is usually associated with repeated interpersonal behaviours with an intention to hurt someone which can be emotional or physical and is defined as an imbalance of power.
A Definition of Abuse
Abuse is defined as any action that intentionally harms or injures another person.
Bullying is a form of abuse!
People become traumatised from their experience of being bullied.
A Definition of Trauma
The Law
- Violence or assault
- Theft
- Repeated harassment or intimidation, for example name calling, threats and abusive phone calls, emails, or text messages
- Hate crimes – bullying at school
Hate Crime
Who Gets Bullied?
Anyone can experience bullying – children, young people, and adults.
Who is at Risk?
- Children, young people, and adults with disabilities.
- Disabled children and those with additional learning needs.
- LGBTQ; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning.
- Underweight or overweight.
- Children living in poverty.
- Young carers.
- Children in the care system.
- Those who have fewer friends and are seen as vulnerable.
- Those who are weak and unable to defend themselves.
- Those who are anxious, depressed or have low self-esteem.
- Young people who do not have labelled clothing/trainers.
- Those who do not have the up-to-date smart phone.
- Children from minority race and faith groups.
- Gifted and talented children.
- Those who do not get along well with others and seen as annoying.
- Children who are perceived to be attention seeking.
- Those perceived as intellectual.
- Do not get along well with others and seen as annoying.
- Those who look neglected.
Where are People Bullied?
At Home
In Your Neighbourhood
School Transport
College
University
Workplace
Venues Where Activities Take Place
What Constitutes Bullying?
Hitting/pinching/punching/kicking. Tripping someone up. Throwing objects. Spitting. Pushing and shoving. Vandalising or stealing their possessions. Biting. Abusive phone calls. Rude hand gestures.
Name calling. Teasing and taunting. Threatening behaviours. Inappropriate sexual comments. Intimidation.
Taking your friends away from you. Spreading rumours. Making things up to get you into trouble. Leaving someone out on purpose. Excluding you. Harming your reputation. Embarrassing someone.
Sending you offensive texts or messages. Posting insulting messages online. Sharing inappropriate photos. Excluding you from group chats. Blackmail and grooming. Threatening messages. Cyber stalking. Hacking to use your personal online identity to share inappropriate information.
Other forms of bullying:
Intimate partner violence which occurs between two people who are, or once were in a relationship.
Hazing, which is a situation created intentionally that causes embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule to members of a group or team. It can be used to initiate new members to a group.
Gang violence.
Harassment, when behaviours are persistent and create a hostile environment.
Stalking is repeated harassment or behaviours which are threatening such as following a person, contacting a person, or damaging a person’s property.
The Effects of Bullying – a Traumatic Event
“Although exposure to bullying constitutes a systematic exposure to a series of negative events over a prolonged time-period, rather than one single traumatic event, it has been claimed that the distress many of the victim’s experience equalises the stress associated with traumatic events”.
To understand more about trauma, trauma symptoms and how to recover, follow this link
Given that bullying is sustained repeatedly, and that it is classed as abusive and therefore traumatic, the effects can be experienced in the long term.
Traumatic experiences often involve a person’s felt sense of fear, a lack of safety and security in what you perceive as your dangerous world.
This can leave you feeling helpless.
When you feel a threat to life, you can feel overwhelmed and isolated which can result in trauma.
The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatised.
Even when the bullying stops, people may live in anticipation and fear of the next incident happening.
Long Term Effects of Bullying and how Bullying can Impact on your Mental Health:
- Depression
- Frustration
- Anxiety
- Isolation
- Withdrawal
- Suicidal
- Upset
- Angry
- Humiliation
- Self-harm
- Avoiding social situations
- Absence from school or work
- Eating disorders
- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Anti-social behaviours
- Running away from home
- Poverty
- Debt
- Unemployment
- Unstable relationships
- Lack of confidence
- Low self-esteem
- Addictions
- Gambling
- Smoking
- Prescription medications
Bullying has a strong relationship with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The videos below explains Adverse Childhood Experiences and the long-term effect of bullying from childhood and throughout your life if not addressed:
There is HELP and Support for YOU!
TALK TO SOMEONE tell them about how you are being bullied and by whom BULLYING IS NOT OKAY report it BULLYING NEEDS TO STOP and for you to be free from the fear YOU ARE NOT ALONE seek help.
Why People Bully
- Parental interpersonal violence.
- Parental mental health issues, leaving the child without emotional availability.
- Neglect at home.
- Parental drug/alcohol misuse.
- Do not feel secure in any relationships.
- Have less parental involvement or having issues at home.
- Death of a loved one.
- Have been bullied themselves.
- View violence in a positive way, a form of protection for themselves.
- Have friends who bully others.
- Have been physically or sexually abused.
- Are envious of other people’s lives.
- To mask how they feel about themselves.
- They are or have been looked after or are a care leaver.
- Have low self-esteem.
- Parental divorce.
Is your behaviour a way of you controlling something because you have no control in other areas of your life?
Is this your way of coping with the difficulties you are experiencing in your life?
Are you projecting your frustration and anger as a release for your life difficulties?
Are you unable to punish the people who have hurt you, so you are hurting other people instead?
Use this link to Kidscape who can support you and your family.
Use our help directory for contact details of national support agencies.
References:
Herman, J. (1992). Trauma and Recovery. New York: Basic Books.
Idsoe, T., Vaillancourt, T., Dyregrov, A., Hagen, K. A., Ogden, T., and Nærde, A. (2021). Bullying victimization and trauma. Frontiers in psychiatry, 11, 1602.
Matthiesen, S. B., and Einarsen, S. (2004). Psychiatric distress and symptoms of PTSD among victims of bullying at work. British journal of guidance and counselling, 32(3), 335-356.