New Study Explores Bystander Intervention in Cyberbullying
July 2, 2015—Cyberbullying is drawing increasing attention, with online activity soaring and a larger number of bullying cases resulting in tragedy. “Bystander Intervention in Cyberbullying” a new study published in the National Communication Association’s Communication Monographs reveals specific online conditions under which witnesses to cyberbullying are likely (or unlikely) to intervene in defense of a victim.
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Some Forms of Cyberbullying Less Emotionally Harmful than Face-to-Face Harassment, Study Finds
Bullying and harassment that occurs both in-person and online takes highest toll
WASHINGTON; June 3, 2015—While online bullying is often accompanied by face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying that starts and stays online is no more emotionally harmful to youngsters than harassment that only occurs in-person and may actually be less disturbing because it's likelier to be of shorter duration and not involve significant power imbalances, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.
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Project to Reduce Violence in Panama City with Improved Parenting
March 23, 2015—University of Manchester researchers have piloted a parenting trial aimed at improving child behaviour in Panama City, which has the eighth-highest murder rate in the world.
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Cyberbystanders: Most Don't Try to Stop Online Bullies
While most don't directly intervene, many take indirect measures
COLUMBUS, OH; February 24, 2015—In a new study, 221 college students participated in an online chat room in which they watched a fellow student get “bullied” right before their eyes. Only 10 percent of the students who noticed the abuse directly intervened, either by confronting the bully online or helping the victim.
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Physical Violence Linked to Disruption of Stress Hormone in Women
Findings may explain why these women develop health-related problems, say UO and Oregon Social Learning Center scientists
EUGENE, OR; December 22, 2014—A new study links physical violence against women by male partners to a disruption of a key steroid hormone that opens the door potentially to a variety of negative health effects. The study by the University of Oregon and the Oregon Social Learning Center looked at daily fluctuations of cortisol levels in men and women. Cortisol was drawn from saliva samples of 122 couples during on-site assessments and four times a day—upon waking up, 30 minutes later, in mid to late afternoon and at bedtime—over four consecutive days.
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Girls, Boys Affected Differently by Witnessing Parental Violence
December 2, 2014—Witnessing violence by parents or a parent’s intimate partner can trigger for some children a chain of negative behaviors that follows them from preschool to kindergarten and beyond, according to researchers at Case Western Reserve University.
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Bullying in Schools Is Still Prevalent, American Report Says
CLEMSON; October 22, 2014—Despite a dramatic increase in public awareness and anti-bullying legislation nationwide, the prevalence of bullying is still one of the most pressing issues facing American youth, according to a report by researchers from Clemson University and Professional Data Analysts Inc., and published by the Hazelden Foundation.
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Might versus Right: Bullies, Allies and Victims
October 21, 2014—Every year when the World Day of Bullying Prevention peeks over the October horizon, the year’s bullying research gets a thorough going-over by school administrators, parents and politicians. It isn’t that no one cares the rest of the year; rather, having an “awareness day” gives everyone a chance to take stock. How far have we come? What have we learned? Are we all on the same page?
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Study Finds Online Bullying Creates Offline Fear at School
HUNTSVILLE, TX; July 1, 2014—Cyberbullying creates fear among students about being victimized at school, a recent study by Sam Houston State University found.
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Bullying May Have Long-Term Health Consequences
May 12, 2014—Bullied children may experience chronic, systemic inflammation that persists into adulthood, while bullies may actually reap health benefits of increasing their social status through bullying, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.
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Domestic Violence Victims More Likely to Take up Smoking
Women who experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their partner were 58 percent more likely to be smokers
May 5, 2014—One third of women around the world have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of their intimate partners with consequences from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Now, in a new study in 29 low-income and middle-income countries, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health have identified yet another serious health risk associated with intimate partner violence (IPV): smoking.
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Stigma: At the Root of Ostracism and Bullying
Experts in bullying and children's mental health gather at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting to describe new research and what it means for children's mental health
VANCOUVER, BC; May 5, 2014—Increasing evidence shows that stigma—whether due to a child's weight, sexual orientation, race, income or other attribute—is at the root of bullying, and that it can cause considerable harm to a child's mental health.
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Nightmares May Signal a Child Is Being Bullied
Study finds victims of bullying are at increased risk of experiencing sleep disturbances
VANCOUVER, BC; May 3, 2014—Many children who are bullied suffer in silence. The trauma can lead to anxiety, depression, psychotic episodes and even suicide.
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Girls View Sexual Violence as Normal
April 8, 2014—New evidence from the journal Gender & Society helps explain what women’s advocates have argued for years—that women report abuse at much lower rates than it actually occurs. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), 44% of victims are under the age of 18, and 60% of sexual assaults are not reported to police.
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For Most Adolescents, Popularity Increases the Risk of Getting Bullied
WASHINGTON, DC; April 1, 2014—A new study suggests that for most adolescents, becoming more popular both increases their risk of getting bullied and worsens the negative consequences of being victimized.
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World's Dangerous Neighborhoods Produce Aggressive Children
DURHAM, NC; January 22, 2014—Children around the world who grow up in dangerous neighborhoods exhibit more aggressive behavior, says a new Duke University-led study that is the first to examine the topic across a wide range of countries.
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Bullying Shown to Increase Likelihood of Psychotic Experiences in Later Life
December 17, 2013—New research has shown that being exposed to bullying during childhood will lead to an increased risk of psychotic experiences in adulthood, regardless of whether they are victims or perpetrators.
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School Climate Key to Preventing Bullying
To prevent bullying, schools need to understand positive school climate, use reliable measures to evaluate it and improve it using effective prevention and intervention programs
RIVERSIDE, CA; November 22, 2013—To effectively prevent bullying schools need to understand positive school climate, use reliable measures to evaluate school climate and use effective prevention and intervention programs to improve the climate, a recent paper co-authored by a University of California, Riverside assistant professor found.
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Torture Permanently Damages Normal Perception of Pain
TAU researchers study the long-term effects of torture on the human pain system
November 5, 2013—Israeli soldiers captured during the 1973 Yom Kippur War were subjected to brutal torture in Egypt and Syria. Held alone in tiny, filthy spaces for weeks or months, sometimes handcuffed and blindfolded, they suffered severe beatings, burns, electric shocks, starvation, and worse. And rather than receiving treatment, additional torture was inflicted on existing wounds. Forty years later, research by Prof. Ruth Defrin of the Department of Physical Therapy in the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University shows that the ex-prisoners of war (POWs), continue to suffer from dysfunctional pain perception and regulation, likely as a result of their torture.
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Bad Boys: Research Predicts Whether Boys Will Grow out of It—or Not
ANN ARBOR; November 5, 2013—Using the hi-tech tools of a new field called neurogenetics and a few simple questions for parents, a University of Michigan researcher is beginning to understand which boys are simply being boys and which may be headed for trouble.
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Calculating the Risk: Child Sexual Assault
November 5 , 2013—Affluent girls residing in two-parent homes are much less likely to be sexually assaulted than other female youth, according to a new study from the University of Iowa. The research revealed that when family income reaches 400 percent of the poverty threshold, or around $92,000 for a four-person household, the risk of sexual assault declines by more than half.
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Bullying Prevention Begins at Home
If your child is on either side of the bullying dynamic (or both sides, as is sometimes the case) it isn't necessarily because you're doing something wrong as a parent. But you may be the person who is best situated to help your child work toward change.
October 3, 2013—October is Bullying Prevention Month, so once again it’s time for schools and community organizations to raise awareness of the effects of bullying and plan prevention efforts.
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Why Won't She Leave Him? Abused Women Often Fear for Pets Left Behind
URBANA, Ill; September 25, 2013—Veterinarians and women's shelters can make it easier for abused women to decide to leave their homes, particularly when the abuser is using a beloved pet as part of a campaign to control his partner, reports a new University of Illinois study.
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Sibling Bullying: What's the Big Deal?
CLEMSON, SC; September 23, 2013—Sibling bullying is a type of violence that is prevalent in the lives of most children, but little is known about it, researchers say.
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Everyday Sadists Take Pleasure In Others’ Pain
And they may be more common than you think
APS; September 12, 2013—Most of the time, we try to avoid inflicting pain on others—when we do hurt someone, we typically experience guilt, remorse, or other feelings of distress. But for some, cruelty can be pleasurable, even exciting. New research suggests that this kind of everyday sadism is real and more common than we might think.
Two studies led by psychological scientist Erin Buckels of the University of British Columbia revealed that people who score high on a measure of sadism seem to derive pleasure from behaviors that hurt others, and are even willing to expend extra effort to make someone else suffer.
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Is War Disappearing? Um . . . Probably Not
Study suggests countries may simply have less ability to fight
COLUMBUS, OH; August 29, 2013—While some researchers have claimed that war between nations is in decline, a new analysis suggests we shouldn't be too quick to celebrate a more peaceful world.
The study finds that there is no clear trend indicating that nations are less eager to wage war, said Bear Braumoeller, author of the study and associate professor of political science at The Ohio State University.
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Dating Violence Impedes Victims' Earnings
August 27, 2013—Dating violence in adolescence not only takes a physical and emotional toll on young women, it also leads to less education and lower earnings later in life, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by a Michigan State University researcher.
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Community Intervention Program Reduces Repeat Intimate-Partner Violence
August 20, 2013—Mothers who completed a mandatory community intimate-partner violence (IPV) program were less likely to be re-victimized and more likely to leave an abusive spouse or partner, say researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Being Bullied Throughout Childhood and Teens May Lead to More arrests, Convictions, Prison Time
HONOLULU: August 1, 2013—People who were repeatedly bullied throughout childhood and adolescence were significantly more likely to go to prison than individuals who did not suffer repeated bullying, according to a new analysis presented at the American Psychological Association's 121st Annual Convention.
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When Bar Fights Get Mean, Bystanders Intervene
But not if there's a woman involved
July 23, 2013—People are more likely to try to break up a bar fight when they believe the conflict is too violent, or has the potential to become more violent, according to an international team of researchers. These bystanders used nonaggressive interventions to break up about 65 percent of the fights between two aggressive males. Most bystander interventions were classified as nonviolent interventions, which included verbally stopping the fight, or separating the fighters, according to the researchers.
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Study Examines Suicide Risk and Protective Factors for Youth Involved in Bullying
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL; June 19, 2013—New research out of the University of Minnesota identifies significant risk factors for suicidal behavior in youth being bullied, but also identifies protective factors for the same group of children.
The article, "Suicidal Thinking and Behavior Among Youth Involved in Verbal and Social Bullying: Risk and Protective Factors" is being published in a special supplemental issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. The supplement identifies bullying as a clear public health issue, calling for more preventative research and action.
The analysis showed clear risk factors for suicidal thinking and behavior among young people involved in bullying. Among them: self injury, such as cutting, emotional distress, running away, and previous trauma in childhood, such as physical or sexual abuse.
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Babies Witnessing Violence Show Aggression Later in School
June 17, 2013—Aggression in school-age children may sometimes have its origins in children 3 years old and younger who witnessed violence between their mothers and partners, according to a new Case Western Reserve University study.
“People may think children that young are passive and unaware, but they pay attention to what’s happening around them,” saidMegan Holmes, assistant professor of social work at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland.
Between three and 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence each year, according the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence.
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Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence Not Getting Adequate Mental Health Services
COLUMBIA, MO; June 10, 2013—Although many abused women suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or depression, they are not receiving needed mental health services, a University of Missouri researcher found.
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Childhood Bullying Increases the Risk of Self-Harm During Adolescence
WARWICK, U.K; May 28, 2013—A new study has proven that being bullied during childhood directly increases the likelihood of self- harm in late adolescence.
The analysis, led by researchers from the University of Warwick in association with colleagues at the University of Bristol, highlights that being bullied at primary school age can cause enough distress to significantly increase the risk of self-harming in later adolescence.
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Teen Girls Who Exercise Are Less Likely to Be Violent
WASHINGTON, DC; May 6, 2013—Regular exercise is touted as an antidote for many ills, including stress, depression and obesity. Physical activity also may help decrease violent behavior among adolescent girls, according to new research to be presented Monday, May 6, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC.
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Iowa State Researchers Find Parent-Child Violence Leads to Teen Dating Violence
AMES, IA; March 25, 2013—Teens today are involved in intimate relationships at a much younger age and often have different definitions of what is acceptable behavior in a relationship. Violence is something that is all too common and according to researchers at Iowa State it is a reflection of the relationships teens have with their parents or their parent’s partner.
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Bullied Children Can Suffer Lasting Psychological Harm as Adults
DURHAM, NC; February 20, 2013—Bullied children grow into adults who are at increased risk of developing anxiety disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts, according to a study led by researchers at Duke Medicine.
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What Killed Amanda Todd? A Look at Cyberbullying and Teen Suicide
The tragic death by suicide of fifteen-year-old Canadian Amanda Todd on October 10, 2012, brought several important issues into the media spotlight. Chief among them were cyberbullying, mental health issues and Internet safety. It also sparked discussions about vigilante vengeance as Anonymous “hacktivists” trained their sights on Amanda’s online tormenter and blackmailer, whose cyber-weapon was a risqué Webcam image of the young girl taken when she was only twelve.
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Social Bullying Prevalent in Children's Television
BLOOMINGTON, IN; September 27, 2012—A new research study led by an Indiana University professor has found that social bullying is just as prevalent in children's television as depictions of physical aggression.
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Cyberbullying: 1 in 2 Victims Suffer from the Distribution of Embarrassing Photos and Videos
July 25, 2012—Researchers at Bielefeld University have discovered that young people who fall victim to cyberbullying or cyber harassment suffer most when fellow pupils make them objects of ridicule by distributing photographic material. According to an online survey published this month, about half of the victims feel very stressed or severely stressed by this type of behaviour.
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Workplace Bullying Witnesses Consider Quitting More than the Victims
July 5, 2012—New University of British Columbia research reveals that workers who witness bullying can have a stronger urge to quit than those who experience it firsthand.
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Cyberbullying and Bullying Are Not the Same, Says Research
April 13, 2012—University of British Columbia research comparing traditional bullying with cyberbullying finds that the dynamics of online bullying are different, suggesting that anti-bullying programs need specific interventions to target online aggression.
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What Makes Solo Terrorists Tick?
December 15, 2011—The double terrorist attack in Norway last July, which claimed 77 lives, has moved violent acts committed by single individuals up the political, media and now research agendas. Known as "lone wolf terrorism," these acts are carried out independently of established terrorist organizations. In his new report Understanding Lone Wolf Terrorism, Dr. Ramón Spaaij, from La Trobe University in Australia and the University of Amsterdam, examines this so-far largely unexplored phenomenon.
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Childhood Bullying Linked to Adult Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration
June 6, 2011—Men who report having bullied peers in childhood appear to have an increased risk of perpetrating violence against an intimate partner in adulthood, according to a report posted online today by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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Shane Gomes: Teaching Alternatives to Family Violence
January 26, 2010—Shane Gomes is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at California State University in Los Angeles, where he teaches courses in human violence, child maltreatment and family violence, In his clinical practice, he works with parents, children and adolescents as individuals, but he also works with couples and whole-family units. Through his practice, Gomes has regularly seen the effects of family violence and child maltreatment firsthand.
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Family Violence: When Home Is Not a Haven
January 15, 2010—In a world where even ordinary stress on the job or at school can seem battering at times, and outside influences are in constant flux, home, hearth and family are expected to remain steady—a serene and sheltering haven. Home, they say, is where the heart is.
Unfortunately for many, home can be anything but a safe haven. Men and women alike may find their home a fierce battleground. For children it may be where they are most vulnerable to assault, misuse or deprivation, ironically at the very hands of those who have a duty to safeguard and nourish them. Even the elderly may have reason to fear those who should be their caretakers.
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Cindy Miller-Perrin: Fighting Family Violence With Family Resilience
Cindy Miller-Perrin received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Washington State University and is currently Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Pepperdine University. Her research areas include child-clinical psychology, development, and medical/health psychology. She is widely published in the areas of child sexual abuse, prevention, and physiological psychology, and is a co-author of a textbook titled Family Violence Across the Lifespan. She is also teaches a course on Positive Psychology at Pepperdine.
In this 2010 interview, Gina Stepp asked Miller-Perrin about family violence from a preventive perspective.
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Who Am I? The Question of Teen Violence
September 30, 2009—“In violence we forget who we are,” wrote American novelist and literary critic Mary McCarthy in 1961. Her indictment was aimed at writers who had come to depend heavily on “sensation” and had “lost interest in the social,” but it has become all the more relevant in a world where a focus on the sensational has escaped from fiction to permeate real life.
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Social Form of Bullying Linked to Depression, Anxiety in Adults
GAINESVILLE, FL; April 22, 2008—Spreading rumors and gossiping may not cause bruises or black eyes, but the psychological consequences of this social type of bullying could linger into early adulthood, a new University of Florida study shows.
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Children Who Bully Also Have Problems with Other Relationships
March 25, 2008—Students who bully others tend to have difficulties with other relationships, such as those with friends and parents. Targeting those relationships, as well as the problems children who bully have with aggression and morality, may offer ideas for intervention and prevention.
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Confusion Surrounds Bullying, Says Study
Adults and children don't always identify the same behavors as "bullying"
October 29, 2004— While children and adults have similar intellectual definitions of bullying, they may differ when applying them in reality, says a University of Toronto researcher.
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