How an Involved Parent Can Help Prevent Bullying

This is the VOA Special English Education Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglishToday we have the last of three reports on bullying. Last week we shared some of your comments on this issue. Now, we talk to a researcher who presented a study in May at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Rashmi Shetgiri is a pediatrician at the University of TexasSouthwestern Medical Center and Children's Medical Center Dallas. Doctor Shetgiri said about thirty percent of American children are involved in bullying. She said about thirteen percent of them are bullies, eleven percent are victims and six percent are both bullies and victims. The newstudy led by Doctor Shetgiri shows that parents could help prevent bullying by improving communication and involvement with their children. The study identified factors that seem to increase or decrease the risk that a child will be a bully. She said children who have emotional or developmentalproblems or who have mothers who have poor mental health are more likely to be bullies. Older children and children who live in homes where their primary language is not English are less likely to be bullies. Another difference: The study found that African-American and Latino children were morelikely to be bullies compared to white children. For the study, the researchers used the two thousand seven National Survey of Children's Health. Parents of children age ten to seventeen were asked whether their child bullies or is cruel or mean to others. Not surprisingly, how a parent acts may also influence whether or not a child becomes a bully. Parents who often get angry with their children and feel that the children often do things that bother them a lot are much more likely to have a child who becomes a bully. However, parents who share ideas with their children and talk with them are much less likely to have children who become bullies.
University of Nebraska psychologist Susan Swearer says communication between students and teachers can also reduce bullying. She says studies have shown improvement when students are taught about bullying and respectful behavior. Some programs also try to get people to intervene to stop bullying.
Professor Swearer advises parents and teachers to try to get children to talk to them about being bullied. Otherwise a child could feel hopeless and helpless to do anything about it. And that's the VOA Special English Education Report.

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 06May10)