Risk Factors

May 15-June 15 is Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month. This year’s theme is Everyone Can Play a Role! Learn the facts about tics and Tourette syndrome (TS), and how you can play a role to stop bullying of children with TS. Bullying doesn’t just happen to the smallest kid in the …

Although bullying can occur among individuals of any weight, overweight and underweight children tend to be at higher risk for bullying. Targets of verbal bullying based on weight, sometimes referred to as  “weight teasing,” can experience a number of negative consequences, including a change in body perception. Weight teasing by …

It was time for everyone in my 6th grade class to line up in the school gym for our annual weight/height measurements by the school nurse. My stomach was already churning, because, if past experiences taught me anything, I would need to brace for the bullying that would ensue after …

Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Studies – PDF suggest that this type of peer victimization is a pervasive issue — 28% of children and …

In the past decade, headlines reporting the tragic stories of a young person’s suicide death linked in some way to bullying have become regrettably common. There is so much pain and suffering associated with each of these events, affecting individuals, families, communities and our society as a whole. There is …

Bullying can happen anywhere.  It can happen in person, online, or behind your back. But there are some groups that are at higher risk. Erin Reiney is the Director of Injury and Violence Prevention at the Health Resources and Service’s Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). She leads …

Recent media publicity around suicides by youth who were bullied by their peers has led many to assume that bullying often leads directly to suicide. Although youth who are involved in bullying are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and attempt suicide than those who are not involved in bullying, …

Bullying can affect everyone—those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide. Although kids who are bullied are at risk of suicide, bullying alone is not the cause. Many issues contribute …

On the surface, bullying and youth substance use may seem like separate problems.  However, from research, we know that kids who use drugs or alcohol are at risk for other problem behaviors during their teen years. Recent findings confirm previous studies that found links between bullying and substance use. In …

From a very early age, we pick up on important social cues that benefit us throughout school, and even into our working lives. These cues include standing at an appropriate distance, not touching the person in front of you, and even using the right volume when speaking. These basic skills …

Bullying can affect everyone—those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide. It’s important to talk to kids to determine whether bullying—or something else—is a concern. Kids who are bullied can …

Bullying can happen anywhere—cities, suburbs, or rural towns. Depending on the environment, some groups—such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT) youth, youth with disabilities, and socially isolated youth—may be at an increased risk of being bullied. Ingrid Donato is at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and …