What are the effects of bullying on the victim?
There can be tragic emotional consequences for victims of bullies. In recent studies, almost 50% of those surveyed revealed that they had considered suicide as a result of bullying. It is devastating to report that this group turns thoughts into actions at a much higher rate than those who have not been bullied. Victims of bullying are also much more likely to suffer from depression.
A devastating effect of bullying is the pattern it creates in the lives of victims of bullying that can last a lifetime. Nearly 40% of people bullied at school continue to be bullied later in adult life at work, higher education, and in social circles as well.
In our young and developing children, self-esteem is crucial. Bullying takes away their self-esteem like nothing else, and victims of bullies consistently report feeling worse about themselves after being bullied. The normal child feels low self-esteem at a rate of around 1%, while bullied children report feelings of low self-esteem at up to 40%.
Children, adolescents and even adults who have been bullied have much higher levels of absenteeism than those who have not. The defense mechanism of getting out of the situation is very common. Unfortunately, this defense is just a Band-Aid for the problem and ultimately prevents them from dealing with the issue, making new friends, and also takes them out of circles and networks where support and help may very well be available.
While we’re talking about friends, victims of bullying find it hard to keep the ones they have, let alone make new ones. This is partly due to the herd mentality and is most often seen in adolescence. Standing up for people against a bully or bullies can really make you stand out and isolate yourself from the rest of the group and this is one of the things teens fear the most. Peer pressure also plays a role, and someone the victim normally counts on as a friend may appear to be joining the bullies if she doesn’t support them. The betrayal shown by their friends’ reluctance to step in and help them can often feel even worse than bullying!
Because victims of bullying walk away from the situation, they often don’t learn the coping strategies they will use later in life. As a result, their relationships are often poor and short-lived, patterns of bullying continue well into adult life, and sometimes the victim may become the bully, resorting to aggression and violence to solve problems.
The results of bullying and the impacts on the victim can range from mild annoyance at a minimum, to tragically suicide, and sometimes even murder-suicide at worst. It is a devastating outcome by any measure and something we all need to take more seriously.