Evaluating Claims

Topic:

● Effects of bullying

Research question:

● How does bullying affect a child psychologically?

Non-Scholarly Articles:

1. Alexander, R. (2019). Anxiety, Depression, and Suicide: The Lasting Effects of Bullying. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/bullying-affects-victims-and-bullies-into-adulth ood-022013

2. Hurley, K. (2018). Short Term and Long Term Effects of Bullying. Retrieved from https://www.psycom.net/effects-of-bullying

3. Nierenberg, C. (2015). Childhood Bullying Can Have Lasting Effects on Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/53034-childhood-bullying-lasting-mental-health-effects.htm l

4. Steele, A. (2020). The Psychological Effects of Bullying on Kids & Teens. Retrieved from https://mastersinpsychologyguide.com/articles/psychological-effects-bullying-kids-teens/

Scholarly Articles: 1. Sourander, A., Helstelä, L., Helenius, H., & Piha, J. (2000). Persistence of bullying from

childhood to adolescence—a longitudinal 8-year follow-up study, Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 24, Issue 7, P 873-881, ISSN 0145-2134, doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(00)00146-0, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213400001460

2. Arseneault, L., Bowes, L., & Shakoor, S. (2010). Bullying victimization in youths and mental health problems: ‘Much ado about nothing’? Psychological Medicine, 40(5), 717-729. doi:10.1017/S0033291709991383

3. Moore, S. E., Norman, R. E., Suetani, S., Thomas, H. J., Sly, P. D., & Scott, J. G. (2017). Consequences of bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence: A systematic

review and meta-analysis. World journal of psychiatry, 7(1), 60–76. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v7.i1.60

Evaluation:

In the article “Childhood Bullying Can Have Lasting Effects on Mental Health,” author Nierenberg (2015) stated that Bullying can have a lasting effect on a person's mental health. She mentions a new study found that, compared with children who were not bullied, children who were often bullied at the age of 8 were more likely to develop mental illness that needed treatment in adulthood. This new study is by far the largest study of bullying in young children, and has the longest follow-up period, and can track children aged 8 to 29. In this study, the researchers analyzed data collected from approximately 5,000 children in Finland. When the children reached the age of 8, they filled out a questionnaire asking whether they were victims of bullying or the behavior of other children, and how often this behavior occurred. The researchers then checked the mental health of children aged 16 to 29 by checking the data in the national hospital registry, including all inpatient and outpatient mental health visits in Finland. Among the children who are bullied, about 20% of teenagers have mental health problems and need treatment, and among the victims who are often bullied, 23% of children seek help for mental illness before the age of 30. Approximately 31% of these children have psychiatric problems that require treatment, and in all four groups analyzed in this study, these children also have the highest incidence of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and substance abuse. Moreover, she mentions Dr. Andre Sourander, a professor of child psychiatry at the University of Turku in Finland said that teachers, parents and their peers should take bullying seriously, because early intervention in children’s bullying can help prevent their long-term mental health consequences. The weakness of this article will be the solution. Nierenberg didn’t talk about any solution for how people should detect and prevent bullying when children are young. Overall, the article mainly talks about how bullying can bring negative effects on people’s mental health.