Working Group on Bullying and Cyberbullying

Working Group on

BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING

Purpose

ISPCAN’s Working Groups address a wide spectrum child abuse and neglect topics. The Working Group on Bullying and Cyberbullying aim to increase awareness of this issue, promote prevention strategies, clarify issues related to definitions, and facilitate consistency in data collection and measurement.

We encourage interested ISPCAN members as well as nonmembers to join the conversation by subscribing to this page, submitting a blog post, or posting a comment in the Forum below. We welcome participants from all disciplines and with varied experiences.

Convener: Lucia C.A. Williams, ISPCAN Councilor; please contact [email protected]

Our Goal:

The goal of this Working Group on Bullying and Cyberbullying is to increase awareness of this critical issue, promote prevention strategies, clarify issues related to definitions, and facilitate consistency in data collection and measurement. Bullying can affect everyone—those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide. Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, school, and mental health issues. Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school resulting in decreased academic achievement—GPA and standardized test scores—and school participation. A very small number of bullied children might retaliate through extremely violent measures or engage in the abuse of alcohol and other drugs in adolescence and as adults.

We encourage interested ISPCAN members as well as nonmembers to join the conversation by posting a comment in this Forum. We welcome participants from all disciplines and with varied experiences.