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(Sharp, 1995; www.bullypolice.org). Similarly, students who report witnessing family violence are three to seven times more likely to be involved in school bullying as victims, bullies, or bully-victims (McKenna et al., 2011; Shields & Cicchetti, 2001). Bullying is defined as aggressive behavior perpetrated by students who hold and/or try to maintain a dominant position over others, with the premeditated intention of causing mental and/or physical harm or suffering to another (Morita, 1985). Bullying is distinguished from conflicts, in which students of similar status (similar physical size, social status, etc.) may have disputes and arguments, but one party does not have a decided unfair advantage over the other. Moreover, unlike typical “conflicts,” bullying tends to focus on repeated actions by a student or students against the victim(s) (Karna et al., 2011). Bullying can resemble more classic abuse of children in which an adult has a decidedly unfair advantage over the child. While the behavior of the adult may not be intended to inflict harm on the child, sometimes the adult’s behaviors toward the child reveal harm in a more insidious fashion (e.g., by exploitation of the child). Certainly, the line between disciplining a child and bullying a child can be difficult to discern; a fundamental difference is that “disciplining ” typically is done with the intention of “teaching” the child better behaviors to replace more primitive ones, rather than to amplify the power the adult has over the child. The child’s interpretation of the experience can also help distinguish where on the spectrum discipline falls. Since bullying has been a familiar phenomenon throughout history, it is often considered to be “just a part of growing up.” However, bullying is not normal, does not enhance skill development in those bullied (or in bullies or bystanders), and is clearly detrimental. Not only is bullying strongly associated with immediate psychological damage to students, GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS Childhood victimization, including school bullying, has been shown to alter development in the psychological, emotional, cognitive, social, and behavioral realms (Ando, Asakura, & Simons-Morton, 2005; Herman, 1997). Just as there are many ways in which children may be traumatized, there are diverse ways in which children are affected by and respond to trauma. Also important to consider is the potential risk for and impact of multiple childhood victimizations. In this chapter we review the school bullying of abused and maltreated children to clarify shared vulnerability factors and develop an understanding of how to identify the bullying of victims of abuse in school and how to employ interventions to help this vulnerable population. BULLYING At any point in time, about 15%–20% of the students in elementary and secondary/junior high schools in the United States are involved in bullying as victims or bullies (Analitis et al., 2009; Olweus, 1994b). In a nationally representative study of U.S. students, ages 12–18, 32% reported bullying victimization at school. Of these victims, 21% reported being consistently made fun of, 18% said they were the subject of rumors, 11% had been pushed, shoved, tripped, or spat upon, 6% were threatened with harm, 5% were excluded from activities on purpose, and 4% were made to do things they did not want to do or had their property purposefully destroyed (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). In many cases, children at risk for school bullying also experience other forms of trauma. Students involved in bullying , whether as bullies or victims, report more victimization in other domains, such as physical and sexual abuse, compared with students without a history of victimization The Abused Student Cornered School Bullying amidst Trauma MONA PATEL POTTER, M.D. SOONJO HWANG, M.D. JEFF Q. BOSTIC, M.D., ED.D. 14 140 Special Populations and Special Topics nition of bullying as a major safety/health issue, and actions required by the legislation (ranging from action encouraged , to funded, to mandated) (Srabstein, Berkman, & Pyntikova , 2008). When effective and comprehensive programs have been implemented, reports indicate significant decreases in bullying experiences among students (Olweus & Limber, 2010). UNDERSTANDING FULL VICTIMIZATION STATUS Experiencing multiple victimizations can contribute to differences in symptom expression and overall functioning among students; clinical focus on a single form of victimization might underestimate the impact of other victimizations (Holt, 2007; Turner, Finkelor, & Ormrod, 2010). The usually public nature of bullying may make it more apparent than other forms of victimization. Accordingly , trauma-related symptoms might be attributed to bullying if other forms of victimization are not disclosed by the victim. Table 14.2...

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