HRSA’s Stop Bullying Now! Campaign CAPT Stephanie Bryn, MPH

1. HRSA’s Stop Bullying Now! Campaign CAPT Stephanie Bryn, MPH U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration September 2011

2. Today’s Discussion • Bullying Overview • Consequences of Bullying • Campaign Resources • A Case Study for Using SBN! Resources • How School Counselors Can Help • Partnerships: Federal and IWGs • What’s Next for the Campaign

3. Bullying Overview

4. Bullying… • Is aggressive behavior that intends to cause harm or distress • Usually is repeated over time • Occurs in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power or strength

5. Key Facts About Bullying Bullying is best understood as a group phenomenon in which children may play a variety of roles. • Child Who Bullies • Child Who Is Bullied • Bystander/Witness

6. Examples of Cyberbullying • Repeatedly sending rude or offensive text messages • Posting or sending digitally altered photos • Impersonating another and sending offensive messages • “Happy slapping” postings • Tricking someone into revealing embarrassing info and forwarding it to others

7. Partner PSA: NCPC

8. Cyberbullying and “Traditional” Bullying Similar characteristics: • Aggressiveness • Power imbalance • Repetitiveness Different characteristics: • Anonymity • Disinhibition • Accessibility • Punitive fears • Bystanders

9. Consequences of Bullying

10. Bullying, School Engagement & Academic Achievement

11. Health Consequences of Bullying Studies comparing symptoms of children who are bullied to their non-bullied peers, the child victims manifested: Higher rates of physical problems • Consistently higher risks of psychosomatic problems among victimized children shown in a search of 11 studies through March 2008 involving 152,186 children, ages 7 to 16 years (Gini & Pozzoli, 2009) • Among 15,686 US middle school students, those who suffered one or more physical or emotional symptoms several times a week were 2.4-3.5 times more likely to be involved in frequent bullying incidents (Srabstein et al., 2006) • Bullied students in Dutch schools, ages 9-12, were 3 times more likely to have headaches, feel listless and wet their beds, and were twice as likely to have trouble sleeping, have stomach pains, feel tense, tired and have poor appetites (Fekkes, et al., 2004)

12. Health Consequences of Bullying Signs of distress and psychological difficulties • Adolescents surveyed in the U.S. who reported frequent exposure to 4-5 different forms of bullying were at high risk of depression, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts (Klomek, Marrocco, Kleinman, Schonfeld, & Gould, 2008) • Bullied youth reported more psychopathology and lower self worth in a large study of Norwegian adolescents aged 11-15 (Undheim & Sund, 2010) • Australian children who are bullied frequently (at least once a week) were twice as likely to report wishing they were dead and having reoccurring thoughts of suicide (Rigby, 1996)

13. Bullying and Civil Rights • Some bullying-related incidents that fall under schools’ anti-bullying policies may also trigger responsibilities under anti-discrimination statutes enforced by US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR)− Examples of discriminatory harassment: • racial and national origin • sexual, gender-based • disability • In October 2010, OCR released a letter to clarify the relationship between bullying and discriminatory harassment and provide information on how schools should respond to discriminatory harassment cases – www.ed.gov for more information

14. State Laws States with Laws on Bullying 47 States with No Laws on Bullying 3 (MI, MT, & SD + DC)

15. HRSA’s Stop Bullying Now! Campaign Resources

16. Stop Bullying Now! Basics Who: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) What: Stop Bullying Now! Campaign When: Launched in 2004 Why: Raise awareness about bullying, advocate for prevention & intervention, and maximize partnerships.

17. Who Makes Up the SBN! Campaign Team?

18. Audience-Specific Tip Sheets

19. Audience-Specific Tip Sheets

20. Recommendation: Use Tip Sheets to Provide Staff Training • Include all staff in bullying prevention training. Staff should be able to recognize bullying and know how to intervene. • Training for all staff • Administrators • Teachers • School Counselors • School Resource Officers • School Nurses

21. DVD Video Toolkit • Produced in partnership with U.S. Department of Education • Webisodes • PSAs • Video Workshops

22. Webisode: KB’s Day

23. Recommendations for Use • Play Webisodes and PSAs during: • Teacher /Staff Training • In the Classroom • After-School activities • PTSA Meetings • Community Events • Have PSA’s available in: • Library • Media Center

24. Activities Guide • Suggestions for planning activities to raise awareness • Model programs

25. Recommendations for Use • Activities Guide ideas include: • Stop Bullying Now! theme week • Brown Bag Lunch/Teacher In-service • Engage your PTA • Mentoring program • Chalk it up! • Pledge wall • Much more

26. Posters for Youth

27. Recommendations for Use • Display posters at any of these locations: • Hallways • Library • Lunchroom • Bus stops • Locker room • School Nurse’s office • Classroom • Admin office • Gym • Counselor’s office

28. Recommendation: Use Students as Experts • Youth know what is going on in their school • Youth involvement and youth leadership sends an important message • Peer-to-peer engagement can be highly effective

29. A Case Study for Using SBN! Resources

30. Case Study: Journal of School Nursing (2010) Participants • Study was conducted by the MASNR (MA School Nurse Research Network) • Involved 65 students aged 8-14 from 11 schools in MA • Participants had a documented physical, developmental/behavioral, and/or mental disability and were integrated in regular classrooms. Using Stop Bullying Now! Campaign resources, the school nurses conducted a number of interventions Vessey, J. A., & O’Neill, K. M. (2010). Helping students with disabilities better address teasing and bullying situations: A MASNRN study. The Journal of School Nursing. Published online: 10/16/10 at jsn.sagepub.com

31. Journal of School Nursing study (2010) Intervention Every 2 weeks for 24 weeks, a school nurse conducted a 30-minute support group with 3-8 students. Participants viewed a Webisode from the SBN! Campaign, nurses led a discussion using questions posed at the end of the Webisode, and the nurse enhanced this discussion with role-playing, word-find games, script writing, etc. SBN! tip sheets (12) were distributed to parents and staff every 2 weeks. Nurses reinforced the content as appropriate in naturally occurring encounters with students. There was a celebration (with SBN! t-shirts, etc.) at the conclusion of the intervention

32. Building Resiliency Findings • Students perceived fewer bothersome peer interactions and felt better about themselves. • Authors concluded that students had become more resilient in managing teasing and bullying situations. Focus groups with nurses who led the groups showed: • students felt special by being asked to participate • the groups helped increase friendships and give power to students to speak up for friends • the groups helped to lift the veil of secrecy to allow students to talk openly about teasing and bullying • special relationships were built between children, parents, and nurses

33. How School Counselors Can Help

34. How School Counselors Can Help Serve as a resource for youth, parents/families & other adults in the school and community. Children, parents, and other adults will seek information or assistance in dealing with bullying. Utilize the SBN! Campaign Tip Sheets when talking with children, youth and their families. Link to www.StopBullying.gov from your school’s website. Be watchful for possible signs of bullying among children and youth with whom you interact. Use “Warning Signs that a Child is Being Bullied” SBN ! Tip sheet. Use “Children Who Bully” Tip Sheet for more about characteristics of children who bully, risk factors for bullying, and common myths about children who bully.

35. How School Counselors Can Help Take immediate action if you suspect bullying. Discuss your concerns with the child’s teacher, administrators and the child’s family. Recommend appropriate treatment, referral, and management protocols for children who have been bullied or who have bullied others. Utilize SBN! Tip Sheets. Work with school personnel and others in your community to prevent and reduce bullying. All adults in a community have a responsibility to keep youth safe. Establish/participate on a safety council/committee or Task Force. Establish/participate in a Town Hall Meeting with other community leaders.

36. Grade 5 Most helpful adult behaviors Less helpful adult behaviors Least helpful/most likely to make things worse Youth Voice Project, Stan Davis and Charisse Nixon, www.youthvoiceproject.com The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention

37. Grades 6-8 Most helpful adult behaviors Less helpful adult behaviors Least helpful/most likely to make things worse Youth Voice Project, Stan Davis and Charisse Nixon, www.youthvoiceproject.com The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention

38. Grades 9-12 Most helpful adult behaviors Less helpful adult behaviors Leasthelpful/most likely to make things worse Youth Voice Project, Stan Davis and Charisse Nixon, www.youthvoiceproject.com The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention

39. What Adults Did that Helped Me the Most - Youth Voice Project Youth Voice Project, Stan Davis and Charisse Nixon, www.youthvoiceproject.com The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Just the fact that they were willing to listen and give their advice helped even though my issues were small Tell me that it was wrong what [the other person did]; that helped my self esteem (M) Talked to me and made me calm and relaxed; I felt comfortable and able to open up to them (F)

40. Grade 5 Most helpful peer behaviors Less helpfulpeer behaviors Least helpful/most likely to make things worse Youth Voice Project, Stan Davis and Charisse Nixon, www.youthvoiceproject.com The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention

41. Grades 6-8 Most helpful peer behaviors Less helpfulpeer behaviors Least helpful/most likely to make things worse Youth Voice Project, Stan Davis and Charisse Nixon, www.youthvoiceproject.com The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention

42. Grades 9-12 Most helpful peer behaviors Less helpfulpeer behaviors Least helpful/most likely to make things worse Youth Voice Project, Stan Davis and Charisse Nixon, www.youthvoiceproject.com The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention

43. Helpful Peer Actions asReported by Youth Youth Voice Project, Stan Davis and Charisse Nixon, www.youthvoiceproject.com The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Supported me and not her. They listened to what I had to say and encouraged me that the people who were treating me that way were being immature. They talked me through it in a way that did not make me feel the urge to hurt anyone. They spent time with me and made me feel good. Talked to me, still were my friends, made me happy, feel like nothing went on.

44. SBN! Partnerships: Federal and IWGs

45. IWGs are legs for the Campaign

46. The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention

47. Strengthen Parent/Family &School Partnerships • Host parent/family programs focused on bullying and cyberbullying. • Involve the PTSA and school clubs. • Post bullying information on your school website and link to StopBullying.gov • Send home SBN’s Tip Sheets for parents/families. • Designate a contact person at the school who is knowledgeable about bullying and cyberbullying and can assist parents/families.

48. What’s Next for the Campaign?

49. Expanding to Younger Audiences • SBN! Campaign was developed for youth (ages 9-13 yrs) • SBN! Campaign has created 2 new research-based Webisodes for young children (ages 5-8) • Discussion Guide • Tip Sheet for Young Children

50. Youth Leaders’ Toolkit for High School Older youth use SBN! resources to mentor younger youth Watch the Webisodes together and use the Discussion Guide Create a project and empower youth to spread the bullying prevention message