Effects of School Bullying
Bullying within schools causes many unwanted effects. Bullying affects up to 70% of students in schools in
America (Canter, 2005). Victims of bullies often suffer long-term effects from their experiences. Victims of bullies
can suffer from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, physical and psychosomatic complaints, posttraumatic stress
disorder, and suicidal ideation (Kaltiala-Heino, Rimpela, Marttunen, Rimpela & Rantenan, 1999; McKenney, Pepler,
Craig & Connolly, 2002; Williams, Chambers, Logan & Robinson, 1996).
Bullies themselves can also suffer long-term effects from their experiences. Bullies are more likely to suffer
from mental health disorders, substance abuse, domestic violence, depression, poor career performance, and an
increase in criminal behavior as adults (Carney & Merrell, 2001; Kumpulainen, Rasanen & Puura, 2001).
Using Bibliotherapy to Reduce Bullying
There are many books that deal with bullying. Some of these books focus on the bully, some focus on the
victim, and some focus on an outsider who is observing the bullying. It is important to explore all aspects of the
bullying behavior in the classroom. It is appropriate to read books about each of the different people who are
affected by bullying.
It is important to choose books that are appropriate for your specific classroom. Make sure that both the
reading level and maturity level of the book are appropriate for your class. Students will not benefit from a book that
they cannot understand. Make sure to read the book beforehand to ensure that there will be no surprises when
you’re reading it out loud to your class for the first time.
While reading the book aloud, ask students questions about the characters such as;
Why do you think this person is behaving this way?
How do you think this person is feeling right now?
What would you do if you were in this situation?
What could Character A say to Character B to help this situation?
The important thing is to get an open and honest dialogue going in the classroom. Each student should feel
comfortable enough to speak about how he or she feels about the story. Encourage each student to participate, but
do not force anyone to volunteer information they don’t want to share. Many students will open up during a
classroom discussion only if they feel safe and non-threatened, so be sure to keep the tone of the discussion calm
and peaceful. Encourage sharing and discussion, but do not allow blaming or finger-pointing.
To further explore th