Running head: IS BULLYING A GLOBAL PROBLEM

Is Bullying a Global Problem or

Just in American Schools?
Crystal M. Dell
Jacksonville State University

Author Note
Crystal M. Dell, HPER Department, Jacksonville State University.
Crystal Dell is now at the Secondary Education Mathematics Department, Jacksonville
State University.
Correspondence concerning this research paper should be addressed to Crystal Dell,
Secondary Education Mathematics Department, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL
36262. Contact: coachdell13@hotmail.com

Is Bullying a Global Problem

Abstract
Children in the United States of America are provided with some of the best opportunities when
it comes to education. There are several outlets for parents to choose from including free public
schools, private school, and Christian schools. There is, however, one major concept that all
schools, elementary and secondary, share in common, BULLYING. Bullying is an issue that has
been around since the beginning of organized education classes. The profile of a bully is not
always clear, cut, and defined; the same goes for the victim. Unfortunately, in some cases the
bully can be a teacher or coach. School administrators must work non-stop to put into place antibullying programs. This requires parents, students, and teachers to be well informed about the
issue and work together to prevent and stop bullying. There are many forms of bullying, and
with the major advances in technology, sometimes the bully can be completely anonymous.
Cyberbullying is a growing concern not only in the United States but worldwide. Students are
able to go online and post comments on social media that can be seen on the other side of the
world. This is a very dangerous situation because a child that feels like the world is against then
could potentially become suicidal. Suicide statistics among youth has increased exponentially
over the past few years, and it is correlated with the advancements in social technologies.
Orenstein, A.C., Levine, D.U., Gutek, G.L., & Vocke, D.E. (2014, p. 281) states, young
people, seem to be frequently using their electronic devices to transmit materials that can be
perceived as harmful or damaging to others status, health, or reputation. In several
incidentsvictims of such materials have proceeded to kill themselves (Orenstein, et al. 281,
2014). Not only is this a tragic fact but it affects all parties involved. The families of the victim
can never see or hold their loved one again. The aggressor has to live with the knowledge that

Is Bullying a Global Problem

they were a direct contributing factor in the death of another person. Legal action is becoming
more necessary to punish the more severe cases of bullying. The families of the aggressor stand
a possibility of losing their loved one due to jail time. Essentially, when bullying reaches these
extremes all parties lives that were involved will be changed forever. With the extreme nature of
the consequences that follow bullying, it is imperative that schools implement Anti-Bullying
measures and programs. Bringing awareness to the topic can have more influence than simply
addressing it by each individual situation. If others can spot the signs of a bully or notice when
someone may be a victim, than they can step up and stop the bully, or personally help the victim
before it is too late. Sometimes the victim is either too scared or embarrassed to speak out and
ask for help. Most bullies get their power from bystanders who just watch and say nothing. The
bully starts to think that no one is going to stop them and they are enjoying the show.
Keywords: cyberbullying, verbal bullying, social bullying, physical bullying, suicide

Is Bullying a Global Problem

Is Bullying a Global Problem or

Just in American Schools?
Introduction
One of the biggest issues in all schools in todays society is bullying. This issue is a
worldwide problem and does not discriminate between whom it affects. Anyone can become a
victim of a bully, and some people are bullies but do not even realize it. Throughout the paper, I
will discuss the definition of bullying, where it occurs, types of bullying and those who are
affected by it. I will also be discussing what is being done to prevent bullying and the
consequences associated with bullying.
Bullying happens in all countries and in all schools. Although there are many different
programs that focus on anti-bullying, they are not 100% successful and we need to do more. A
huge factor that plays a role in the bullying crisis is, Children who witnessed family violence
tend to displace their anger and frustration onto their classmates- a seemingly safer target
(Shea, M., Wang, C., Shi, W., Gonzalez, V., & Espelage, D. (2016)). Children tend to imitate
their surroundings, which in turn can bring poor behavior into an education setting (Shea, et al.,
2016). In order to stomp out this issue parents, teachers, students, and administration must work
together.
Definition of Bullying
Bullying can be defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior between children, in or out of
school, which involves a power imbalance (Bullying Definition, 2016). The behavior is
repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (Bullying Definition, 2016). The

Is Bullying a Global Problem

behavior must be aggressive, repeated, and include some form of power imbalance to be
classified as bullying (Bullying Definition, 2016). Bullying includes actions such as making
threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone
from a group on purpose (Bullying Definition, 2016).
Types of Bullying
There are four types of bullying: verbal, physical, social, and cyberbullying (Bullying
Definition, 2016). Verbal bullying is a form that can be either written or spoken (Bullying
Definition, 2016). This form of bullying may include teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual
comments, taunting, or threatening to cause bodily harm in any way (Bullying Definition, 2016).
Social bullying can also be considered relational bullying and involves damaging someones
reputation or status (Bullying Definition, 2016). Social bullying may include excluding someone
from an activity on purpose, telling others not to be that persons friend, spreading rumors, or
embarrassing someone in public intentionally (Bullying Definition, 2016). Physical bullying
occurs when someone hurts another persons body or possessions (Bullying Definition, 2016).
This form of bullying may include hitting, kicking, pinching, spitting, tripping, pushing another
person on purpose, taking or breaking someones belongings, or making mean or rude hand
gestures (Bullying Definition, 2016). Younger children are involved in verbal and social
bullying in elementary, and tend not to get physical until middle school (Shea, et al. 2016). The
final type of bullying is cyberbullying. This form of bullying includes the use of any electronic
communication to send threats, intimidating messages, or posting damaging materials that may
be perceived as harmful top ones reputation, health, or status (Orenstein, et al. 2014).

Is Bullying a Global Problem

Where Bullying Occurs

Bullying can occur anytime of the day, and in any location (Bullying Definition, 2016).
Most people think bullying just happens at school. It can occur on the bus, in the childs
neighborhood, on the internet, or in any public social location (Bullying Definition, 2016). The
most dangerous location of bullying can be considered the internet because the bully can remain
anonymous, which makes it difficult to identify the person and punish them or stop the
harassment. The profile of a bully can change based on circumstances in that childs life (Shea,
et al. 2016). Unfortunately, sometimes a victim may become a bully (Shea, et al. 2016). For
example, children who are exposed to violence by a parent or sibling may begin to interact with
their peers in the same manner (Shea, et al. 2016). According to the National Center for
Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics, nationwide almost 22% of students ages 1218 have experienced bullying (Bullying Definition, 2016). Sadly, this number is only based on
those who have reported or admitted to being bullied.
Who is Affected
When considering who is affected by the bullying, the answer is everyone (Bullying
Definition, 2016). Bullying involvement- as a perpetrator, a victim, or both- has been
associated with negative academic, social, and mental health consequences (Bullying
Definition, 2016). Immigrants from other countries have reported experiencing verbal
harassment, derogatory treatment, social exclusion, or name-calling only because of their race or
ethnicity (Shea, et al. 2016).
According to Shea, bullying was more common among older children, with physical
bullying being more prevalent among boys and relational bullying being more prevalent among

Is Bullying a Global Problem

girls (Shea, et al. 2016). Sexual minority youths, in particular, have a heightened vulnerability
to experiences of violence, including bullying victimization, compared with their heterosexual
peers (Coulter, R.W., Herrick, A., Friedman, M. R., & Stall, R. D. (2016)). Coulter states that,
sexual-orientation disparities in bullying victimization may be a driver of any sexual
-orientation differences in positive youth development (Coulter, et al. 2016). Although bullying
is not the only mechanism that is a factor in poor grades, it does play a significant role in
confidence and connections between peers, family, school, and community (Coulter, at al. 2016).
According to Coulter, bullying victimization is a major driving force in creating sexualorientation differences in positive youth development (Coulter, et al. 2016). Anti-bullying
policies at schools the enumerate sexual-minority youths as a protected class are necessary, but
insufficient (Coulter, et al. 2016).
The Effects of Bullying
The effects of bullying can be life long and sometimes turn deadly. Cyberbullying has
become an increasing public concern in light of recent cases associated with youth suicides that
have been reported in mass media (Anat Brunstein Klomek, PhD, Andre Sourander, MD, and
Madelyn S. Gould, PhD, MPH). According to Klomek, bullying behavior in youth is
associated with depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts (Anat et al.). This means that
victims of bullying consistently show more depressive symptoms than those that have not
experienced the trauma of bullying (Anat et al.). Both perpetrators and victims are at the
highest risk for suicidal ideation and behavior (Anat et al.). Suicidal ideation and depression
have been found to be more prevalent among females at any frequency of bullying (Anat et al.).
With boys, these two symptoms are only prevalent when the bullying is constant and harsh (Anat
et al.).

Is Bullying a Global Problem

Bullying Outside the U.S.

Bullying is not just an issue in the United States but a worldwide epidemic. "The
international literature shows that bullying and victimization are universally experienced,
although the rates may differ according to factors such as country, gender, domain of bullying
and ethnicity (Kljakovic, M., Hunt, C., & Jose, P.E. (2015,0). "Within New Zealand, CarrollLind and Kearney (2004) found that 63% of their sample (N = 1480) reported being bullied at
some stage in the past school year and of those bullied, 8% were bullied about once a week"
(Kljakovic, et al. 2015). New Zealand is not the only country to have a bullying issue.
Bullying among school-aged children is an international concern. Recent studies on schoolaged children in the United States, England, South Africa, Korea, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong,
Germany, Norway, and Sweden suggest that bullying impacts the physical, emotional, and social
health of the children involved (Cheng, Y., Newman, I., Qu, M., Mbulo, L., Chai, Y., Chen, Y.,
& Shell, D. (2010)). Clearly, bullying is a worldwide issue and as a united world, we need to
find a cure.
Recommendation of Prevention
Given the widespread concerns about bullying, a myriad of school-based anti-bullying
programs have been developed (Juvonen, J., Schaeter, H. L., Sainio, M., & Salmivalli, C.
(2016)). Although the effectiveness of these programs varies they do in some ways fight
bullying (Juvonen, et al. 2016). My personal opinion is that schools should start a bully patrol
similar to safety patrol or hall monitors. These students would be responsible for watching out
for those kids at risk and identifying bullies. Peer evaluation can be more productive than adults

Is Bullying a Global Problem

trying to control the situation. Juvonen states that, classroom teachers are to encourage
prosocial high status students to support a victimized classmate (Juvonen, et al. 2016). This
could be helpful because in a school setting there are leaders and followers. If the leaders step
up and protect the weak then the hope is that their peers will follow their example.
Discussion and Conclusion
Bullying is a worldwide epidemic and must be addressed with the utmost importance.
The statistics for youth suicide because of bullying is overwhelming and unacceptable. As a
personal survivor of bullying, I wish certain programs had been in place at the schools I attended.
Although our society has taken steps to protect those children at risk, they are still being
victimized every day. I feel that with the right program and participation from parents, students,
teachers, and administration students vulnerable to bullying can have a chance to succeed
without fear.

References
Anat Brunstein Klomek, PhD, Andre Sourander, MD, and Madelyn S. Gould, PhD, MPH. (n.d.)
Bullying and Suicide. Retrieved October 07, 2016, form
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/suicide/bullying-and-suicide
Bullying Definition.(n.d.). Retrieved October 07, 2016, from http://www.stopbullying.gov/whatis-bullying/definition/index.html

Is Bullying a Global Problem

10

Cheng, Y., Newman, I., Qu, M., Mbulo, L., Chai, Y., Chen, Y., & Shell, D. (2010, April). Being
bullied and psychosocial adjustment among middle school students in China. Journal of School
Health, 80(4), 193-199. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2009.00486.x .
Coulter, R.W., Herrick, A., Friedman, M. R., & Stall, R. D. (2016). Sexual-Orientation
Differences in Positive Youth Development: The Mediational Role of Bullying Victimization.
Am J Public Health American Journal of Public Health, 106(4), 691-697.
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Juvonen, J., Schaeter, H. L., Sainio, M., & Salmivalli, C. (2016). Can a school-wide bullying
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Kljakovic, M., Hunt, C., & Jose, P.E. (2015, September). Incidences of bullying and
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Orenstein, A.C., Levine, D.U., Gutek, G.L., & Vocke, D.E. (2014, 2011). Foundations of
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