Bullying, which refers to negative activities or aggressive behaviors against someone, is found to be common among school-going children today. Most often, bullying will be done against someone with the intention of harming or bothering the individual. In several cases, the victims of bullying are found to be harassed for the characteristics that are deemed as different from others. Among children, the most common reasons are noted to be:

• Physical disability
• Learning disability
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Sexual orientation

Today, bullying is found to be a common issue among teens and it appears that boys are more likely to bully when compared to girls. Another thing that has to be noted is that bullying among boys is more physical as opposed to bullying among girls. The girls’ bullying is found to be more psychological (example: spreading rumors). Finally, the shocking aspect of child bullying is that it is found to be more prevalent in schools than elsewhere. It’s to be remembered that child bullying will lead to several negative consequences among the victims. This article has taken the child bullying as a point of discussion here. It will speak about how nurses or nurse practitioners can identify a child bully victim. Read on…

The Responsibility of Nurses in Child Bullying:

The nurses, especially the school nurses are in the best position to recognize the child bullying victims at the school. They can carry out both physical, as well as psychological assessments to identify the victims. Upon identifying the bullying victim case, the nurses have the responsibility to take immediate actions to intervene in suspected/real bullying. Thus, the nurses are considered to be an important resource for the school going children as they don’t grade the children based on academic performance and/or discipline as their parents and teachers do. The neutral position of the nurses can help foster a trustworthy relationship among children.

In addition, the school nurses might be the first to note the increased absenteeism or complaints of ailments, which can be the indications of stress among bullying victims. Sometimes, children will tend to make themselves absent to the scene to avoid bullying. Thus, nurses, with their comprehensive training, as well as skills should educate the school administrators, staff, and the parents about the bullying. They should also be in a position to educate everyone about the health risks and consequences that could be faced by victims. This way, nurses and nurse practitioners should take the responsibility of creating awareness of bullying and its warning signs among the people.

One thing that needs to be remembered by each and every nurse that she is one of the sources of help when it comes to child protection. Apart from doctors and midwives, nurses are the named professionals, who are expected to provide advice, as well as support in child protection.

Signs of Bullying among Children:

Being a nurse or nurse practitioner, one should be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills to identify the bullying victim. For this, one must know the risk factors of child abuse. Some nursing diagnoses that might be appropriate for the child that is bullied include the following acute pain associated with the physical abuse and/or injuries. It can also include the fear and anxiety in relation to the threat of being punished. Sometimes, delayed growth, development, or imbalanced nutrition in relation to the insufficient caretaking can also be the signs.

The parental abuse can put the child at the risk for contracting “Shaken baby syndrome”. Some children can suffer insomnia as attributed to the fear and anxiety. A few children who are the victims of parental abuse will be at the risk of trauma or post-trauma syndrome. Apart from all these, a few children will be seen isolating themselves from the society. Here, it’s to be noted that the post-trauma syndrome can also be associated with sexual molestation, incest, or rape.

There are also cases wherein the nurses will have to identify the child that is neglected. It’s to be noted that child neglect is also a form of bullying that could affect the child mentally. To identify the child that is neglected, one must look out for the symptoms of the failure of the child to thrive in relation to fear and anxiety. Here again, Many other signs that are described above can be related to finding out whether the particular child has been the victim of neglect.

Counseling the Affected Child:

Nurses and the nurse practitioners have to provide the required emotional support to the affected child. They also need to encourage, as well as facilitate coping skills and strategies among them. It’s to be noted that the experience of bullying is a traumatic psychological crisis for the victim that has to be addressed immediately. Therefore, the nurses along with the other healthcare professionals must emphasize that the victim hasn’t done anything wrong and that his/her life will be in danger if not addressed immediately. Remember, it will not disappear without any action. So, act appropriately to save the child.