Apart from the fear of attending school the next day, there are more effects to bullying than meet the eye. It’s imperative to understand that bullying continues over a long time, and your child may not only develop some short-term fear, but they will be exposed to long term effects which may be difficult for them to handle. Before the damage is done, here are some effects of school bullying on children that you should know.

 

Low Self Esteem

When a bully exerts their authority on the victim, the result is usually a feeling of helplessness. That is what your child feels. When it occurs day after day, your child’s esteem reduces, and more serious problems develop. They lack the courage to face life. They can’t deliver on their goals and start failing on matters they could handle. Look for reduced esteem, and some of it may translate into the fear of attending school the next day. On the long-term, your child may become anxious and develop self-destructive behavior.

 

Social Withdrawal

When your child gets bullied a lot, they tend to isolate themselves from others. Why? They can’t bear with the shame of facing others when they consider themselves inferior. They may also fear that another bully may come from the crowd. So, to stay safe, it is better to be alone. In being alone, they cause much harm to themselves, because humans grow because in an environment of mutual relationships with others.

 

Psychosomatic Symptoms

These are such symptoms which develop while there is no medical cause behind them. You may get your child complaining of stomach aches, headaches, muscle pains, and other physical aches. If this is happening and the cause can’t be established, take a deeper look at what is happening to them in school. It’s a sign of a much bigger problem.

 

Disturbed Sleep and Eating habits

Once you notice a change in eating and sleeping habits and bedwetting, these are signs that your child is facing a bully at school. These are symptoms related to the natural flight response we have. It shows that psychologically they are fighting something which makes them behave so. When you start seeing this, take time and look at whether a pattern develops and that will help you know that it’s not all well and you should find out.

 

Depression

After long periods of bullying and mental stress, children start developing signs of depression, which later in life may develop into chronic depression. Pay attention to times when your child is stressed out and try to investigate the underlying problems before they spew into the danger zone.

 

Health Problems

A child facing the continuous stress of a bully and suffering silently through it is prone to health problems. Without proper feeding, anxiety, withdrawal, and unease will make your child body system susceptible to attacks. Therefore, dealing with the various effects of bullying will help your child not get to this stage of complicated health.

 

The Bottom Line

Bullying will eventually take a toll on the health and wellness of your child, both short term and long-term. Dealing with it by identifying the bully is key, the next phase is to understand that the bully is also a child suffering in some way. Addressing both cases will prevent future problems.…