Bullying among girls on the increase

By recognizing there’s a problem, steps can be taken to solve it. That’s the premise behind a recent survey which found that half of the more than 3,000 teen boys and girls, ages 13 to 19 who responded, experienced physical threats or were pushed in a mean way in the past year.

Even more alarming is that bullying, once thought of as a problem specific to boys, is also widespread among girls. In fact, of the half that reported threats and violence, 44 percent were girls. The survey was conducted for the Secret to Self-Esteem Program.

Bullying Threatens

Self-Esteem

Bullying, an aggressive behavior that has potential to cause physical or psychological harm to the recipient, can include name-calling, teasing, verbal threats, social exclusion and pushing. Key examples revealed by the survey:

Girls are more likely to experience verbal abuse such as being teased about their appearance (64 percent of the girls versus 58 percent of boys) and have false rumors spread about them (72 percent of girls versus 60 percent of boys).

Boys were more often targets of physical aggression such as being beaten up (11 percent of boys vs. 6 percent of girls) and having property destroyed (46 percent of boys vs. 31 percent of girls).

How do teens cope with bullying?

The survey revealed that 22 percent of girls and 13 percent of boys call a friend for support. The major difference: Only 5 percent of girls compared to 19 percent of boys would seek support from an adult.

Dr. Ann Kearney-Cooke, Ph.D., director of the Cincinnati Psychotherapy Institute and a leading expert on adolescent issues said, "Through my experience with teenagers, I’ve learned that day-to-day acts of bullying and victimization have become a frequent problem in many schools across the country.

Building self-esteem in teenagers is the primary factor in the prevention of bullying behaviors––for the bullies as well as the victims."

Kearney-Cooke and the Secret to Self-Esteem Program are using the survey findings to create a curriculum which helps girls build a healthy sense of self-esteem.

To find out more about Secret to Self-Esteem, visit the Website at www.secret.com.