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Almost two thirds of young people reported that they were bullied at school
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Nearly half of young people who said they were bullied at school, also reported experiencing mental health issues including anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation as a result
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A third of children being bullied avoid school or college as a way of coping.
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70% of teachers feel ill-equipped to support children with mental health issues related to bullying.
Nearly half (44%) of young people who were bullied at school say it impacted on their mental health and that they experienced issues such as anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts, according to a new survey.
The findings are being released by Anti-Bullying Alliance, hosted by National Children’s Bureau, with support from YoungMinds to mark the start of Anti-Bullying Week in partnership with Barclays (16-20 November 2015).
Over half (57%) of the 16-25 year olds who said they were bullied reported that this changed their behaviour and the way they felt, such as feeling angry or withdrawn; and just under half (43%) said they experienced body image anxieties. While a third (34%) avoided school or college as a way of coping with bullying.
Many of the young people polled said the effects of bullying have continued to cast a shadow over their lives after leaving school. Nearly half (46%) said that being bullied has had a long lasting effect on their self-esteem and confidence since leaving school and almost 37% of those bullied said it had had a negative effect on their ability to form personal relationships.
40% of those young people who were bullied said access to a supportive teacher trained in dealing with bullying would have made a difference. Yet, 70% of the 170 teachers surveyed said there was inadequate support for schools working with children with mental health issues and over half would value better training. 57% of teachers said in-school counsellors would help schools better support these vulnerable children.
In a separate survey conducted with the Royal College of General Practitioners, 92% of the 126 family doctors surveyed said they have had no formal training, resources or information to help them support children and young people with symptoms that relate to bullying. They confirmed that bullying has long lasting effects with 92% of GPs having seen adults with symptoms relating to childhood bullying.
A young person told us:
When I began high school, I got verbally abused every day and was even beaten up in school. It did lead to me developing severe mental health issues at the time, I was afraid of going to school, so had to move. It was a dark and scary time.
Lauren Seager-Smith, National Coordinator of the Anti-Bullying Alliance said:
Bullying is a public health issue. We all need to play our part to stop bullying wherever and whenever it happens – whether it’s in school, the community or online – but it’s vital that we also invest in support for children and families impacted by bullying. We would like to see more training for teachers and health professionals, in school counselling, and much needed funds for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
Sarah Brennan, CEO of YoungMinds said:
We tend to think of bullying as a series of throwaway incidents in a child's Life but this survey shows how devastating and life-changing the experience of bullying can be. If it isn't dealt with effectively it can lead to years of pain and suffering that go on long into adulthood. We need to skill up teachers, parents and GPs to be able to respond to victims in ways that make them feel listened to, taken seriously and cared for. With the advent of social media bullying doesn't stop when school ends it continues 24 hours a day, so we need to fully support young people both on and off-line to deal with the consequences and to enable them to recover and flourish.
Ashok Vaswani, CEO of Personal and Corporate Banking at Barclays said:
No child should suffer bullying in silence and as an official sponsor of Anti-Bullying Week we are proud to help give a voice to this incredibly important issue.
Dr Liz England, Clinical Champion for Mental Health for the Royal College of GPs, said:
Bullying – and increasingly cyber-bullying - can lead to very serious mental health problems in our young patients, which are often not talked about and go unnoticed.
GPs have a very difficult job in identifying mental health issues in young patients as they are often not the primary reason someone has for visiting their GP, and because of the stigma that unfortunately exists around discussing mental health problems.
It is important that our young patients know that GPs are highly trained to deal with physical and mental health problems - and to have sensitive, non-judgemental conversations with patients about any health issue.
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Notes to editors
For further information please contact National Children’s Bureau media office:
- Lucy Barnes, Media Officer at lbarnes@ncb.org.uk or on
- 020 7843 6045.
- Richard Newson, Media Officer at rnewson@ncb.org.uk or on 020 7843 6047
- For urgent enquiries out of office-hours call: 07721 097 033.
About the surveys
The survey, conducted in November 2015, polled 1,496 young people aged 16-25 and 170 teachers in the UK. The poll was conducted online by OnePoll.
In a separate poll 126 GPs took part in an online survey, created with the assistance of the Royal College of General Practitioners. The data was collated and analysed by the NCB Research Centre.
Recent stats on levels of bullying
- 8% of all young people had experienced bullying daily.
- 40% of young people were bullied in the last 12 months
- LSYPE2 ‘Our Future’, Longitudinal Study of Young People in England: cohort 2, wave 1, Baker et al, Department for Education, 2014
- (Study based on tens of thousands of 13 year olds)
The Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) is a unique coalition of organisations and individuals, who work together to reduce bullying and create safer environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn. ABA is hosted by the National Children's Bureau. For more information visit www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk
The National Children's Bureau (NCB)
The National Children's Bureau is a leading charity that for 50 years has been improving the lives of children and young people, especially the most vulnerable. We work with children and for children, to influence government policy, be a strong voice for young people and practitioners, and provide creative solutions on a range of social issues. For more information visit www.ncb.org.uk
Anti-Bullying Week 2015
Anti-Bullying Week is coordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, hosted by National Children’s Bureau and runs from 16th-20th November 2015. For more information on how you can get involved in Anti-Bullying Week 2015 visit: www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk #antibullyingweek @ABAonline
YoungMinds
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. Driven by their experiences we campaign, research and influence policy and practice.
Barclays
Barclays is an international financial services provider engaged in personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management with an extensive presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Barclays’ purpose is to help people achieve their ambitions – in the right way. With 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 130,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays visit: www.barclays.com
The Royal College of General Practitioners
The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 50,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.