The week in BULLYING news

i'm sorry rjohn, need me to go rough up someone there for ya? i've been taking some muay thai for about 2 months now, i can knee them in the toofus if you need.

thanks, rich, but you know what?
I am TOTALLY the work bully.

I am not a lie.

then i must ruff you up kind sir!

*rolls sleeves*

I say unto you of the weak knees and noddle arms
BRING IT!

This site discusses cyberbullying ("when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted" usually by another child, preteen, or teen, via "the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones") and provides prevention tips and action items. Includes details about the roles of parents, teachers, and police in creating a safe online environment. From WiredKids, a charity focused on the prevention of cybercrime and abuse.

http://stopcyberbullying.org/

The school bully -- does it run in the family?
A shove, a taunt or name-calling on the playground or in the hall, away from the eyesight, earshot and authority of the teacher – childhood bullying can involve physical contact, spreading rumors and other negative behaviors committed over and over again to intimidate, humiliate and isolate the receiver of the behavior. A review of national and international research on the issue is finding a family connection to the origins of young bullies. Elizabeth Sweeney, a University of Cincinnati master's degree student in sociology, presented her findings Aug. 3 at the 103rd annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

Sweeney reviewed research out of England, Germany, Norway, Japan, South Africa and the United States, which she reports lagged behind the European countries in examining the phenomenon of bullying prior to this decade. The majority of the research that she examined involved children between the ages of nine and 16.

Sweeney says her review of the literature found that children raised by authoritarian parents – parents who are demanding, directive and unresponsive – are the most prone to act out bullying behavior.

On the other hand, there were parallels showing that children raised by nurturing, warm, responsive parents were less likely to bully.

"Children who experience hostility, abuse, physical discipline and other aggressive behaviors by their parents are more likely to model that behavior in their peer relationships," she writes. "Children learn from their parents how to behave and interact with others," Sweeney says. "So if they're learning about aggression and angry words at home, they will tend to use these behaviors as coping mechanisms when they interact with their peers." Her review also found that children from middle-income families were less likely to bully than children from the high and low ends of the family income scale.

She says that while some studies suggest boys are more prone to bullying than girls, others state that it runs equally among the genders, although boys are more likely to act out bullying physically, while girls are more verbal.

Sweeney adds that it is the tolerance of bullying that "has served as one of the primary contributors to its persistence and severity." She is advocating research that would delve more deeply into the issues of bullying, including in-depth interviews with children, families and school officials.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/uoc-tsb080408.php

"Victimization may not only reinforce the negative self-concepts that a risk factor for victimization, such as obesity, may cause, but a risk factor for victimization, such as obesity, will also make it more likely that the adolescent will be victimized indefinitely. In other words, the risk factors that strengthen the links in this pathway will also keep the pathway intact because it is also a risk factor for being victimized," Adams states in the report.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/uoc-jop080608.php