More often than not, we focus on the emotional effects of bullying on children. A new study cited by Brenda Goodman in an article for HealthDay News, however, says there are physical effects of bullying on children, and these kids manifest physical symptoms. These symptoms are ones that we parents must always be on the lookout for, especially when our children do not report bullying.
Common physical symptoms of bullying victims
The study, which is actually a combined look at 30 other studies which focus on some 220,000 school-aged children from 14 countries, says bullying victims are twice as likely to report being sick or feeling physically bad than those who are not experiencing bullying. Among the common physical effects of bullying on children are stomach aches, diarrhea, dizziness, headaches, nausea, neck or shoulder pain, tense muscles, back aches, breathing troubles, and even bedwetting.
Goodman quotes study author Gianluca Gini, an assistant professor of developmental psychology at the University of Padua in Italy as saying that “The results of this study suggest that any recurrent and unexplained physical symptom can be a warning sign of bullying”.
Get bullied kids to open up
This should be a wakeup call for parents of bullied kids who don’t say anything about it. If you suspect your children are bullying victims but are not reporting it, you really need to pay closer attention if they manifest physical symptoms without rational explanations. When they do, you have to try to have them open up about any bullying they might be experiencing. It can be tough, especially since kids do not really like talking about being bullying victims, but you have to make an effort before the bullying, if any, and the resulting physical effects of bullying on children get way out of hand.
To read the article, click here.
