Childhood Bullying: Words Do Hurt

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” This proverb is used by parents to try and soothe their child’s tears after they have been the victims of name calling. Taken literally the proverb is correct, but figuratively the saying could not be more mistaken. Most likely the 5.7 million American you, who are victims of bullying would agree that words certainly do hurt; fortunately for them, the general public believes that children are resilient. But how resilient do people expect them to be? The image to the left suggest that one out of ever three U.S. children is affected by bullying. With numbers such as these I believe the country needs to step back and reevaluate the way it sees children. Up until now, the belief has been that bullying by peers has short term mild to severe emotional effects; eventually the bullying will stop, the child will be able to lead a normal life and forget about their past experiences. This however, is not the case. I believe that the short term effects of bullying come with long term repercussions.

A recent study conducted by the University of Florida shows a link between those children who were the victims of social bullying during childhood, and symptoms of depression and anxiety in young adulthood. This evidence should be used as a basis for a change in how the United States views this type of harassment.Wendy Troop-Gordon, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at North Dakota State University, believes it is imperative to understand how past relational bullying affects people in adulthood. “Turning 18 is not a magical age when you leave all of these experiences behind," said Troop-Gordon, who is not affiliated with the study. "People do seem to carry these experiences with them." His statement could not be more correct. In this culture there is a great deal of expectations placed on turning eighteen. One day minors awaken, and are labeled adults. Turning eighteen is supposed to serve as a division between the life they lead, and the life they will lead. Most people would agree that the separation can never be the case, and both parts of ones life are forever intertwined.

Bullying however, is a double edge sword, and though bullies do not face disorders like depression and anxiety, they face problems forming and maintaining relationships with friends and family. Scientists at York University along with those at Queens University was conducted a new study which followed about 871 students, and surveyed then annually about their involvement in peer victimization. The study found that with those children who reported higher levels of bullying tended to be aggressive and lacking in a moral compass. They also experienced a lot of conflict in their relationships with their parents. In addition, their relationships with friends also were marked by a lot of conflict, and they tended to associate themselves with others who bullied. It appears as if no one is benefiting from bullying, although many would suggest that being the bully has no negative effects. It is difficult if not, impossible to judge which group is more advantaged, and safe to concluded that someone should put a stop to this.

However, this form of hazing is difficult to expel because most likely everyone is a guilty of gossiping, and name calling. Whether done intentionally or not social bullying can not be as easily controlled and regulated as school attire. The recent spring of school shootings such as the Columbine incident in 1999, is arguably the worst of its kind recent times. Both Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were victims of bullying, their school experience being the main cause for their murder spree. The Anti-Bullying Alliance, as shown on the right, was founded in 1992 by the National Children’s Bureau and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, has made an attempt to minimize and ultimately prevent the amount of bullying children incur. The alliance believes that by sharing information and encouraging research to identify what works, they can provide children a safer school environment. Thus far, the Anti-Bullying Alliance has succeeded in their quest, and has seen a marked decrease in the number of bullying cases reported by children. In addition to this program, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Germany have created an interactive role play game which aims to help children to cope with bullying at schools. The game allows for children to witness scenarios without having to be directly involved.

The evidence is clear, bullying, whether being the perpetrator or the victim, in childhood has long term negative effects. Perhaps the country can take and example from our English cousins and establish a national anti-bullying program. Such a program may lead to a reduction if not an elimination of school shoots. Early detection and prevention is possibly the solution to this problem. This brings forth a many questions, such as how early is early detection? Will such a program aid the 5.7 million who are already victims? These questions and concern are valid, but I personally would much rather worry about them after there has been a sincere attempt to stop this problem.

ADHD: Emerging Treatment

While building my linkroll recently, I began to read the blogs that are found on two of the websites I featured. From both websites I found blogs on ADHD and believed they were both interesting and informative. Both of the posts hinted that dietary changes may reduce the risk of ADHD. of The first blog, hosted by Psychology Today, is written by Lawrence Diller, M.D. and focuses on how the drug industry has shaped the way the country currently views ADHD, strictly as a biological disorder. Diller, a clinical faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco Medical School, suggested that the drug industry has the general public fooled on that nature of ADHD, and urges that a solution is found. The second blog, hosted by WebMD, is written by Dr. Richard Sogn, who has spent the past twenty years focused on ADHD and its associated disorders. In his most recent post Dr. Sogn writes about the use of iron supplements as a possible treatment for ADHD symptoms. He states that those who are affected by ADHD tend to have an iron deficiency, iron is needed by the body to produce neurotransmitters involved in ADHD. The image to the right shows the differences in the brain between those who are affected by ADHD and those who are not. My comments to both posts are as follows.

“The Coronation of Pharmarchy”
Comment:
Dr. Diller,
I would like to applaud you on your inaugural post; it was both interesting and informative. I was not aware of the controversies which surrounded ADHD treatment, and personally, I had always been quick to turn to medication as the solution. Since reading your post I have been researching ADHD treatment, and have found myself taking your perspective. It is not hard to believe that the drug industry is controlling medical treatments. In this country it appears that sooner or later, large industry always takes over. They have been very affective in their approach, because until recently I believed that ADHD was simply a biological disorder. However, upon further review I realized that no disorder is purely biological; this ties into the whole nature vs. nurture debate and I believe you would agree with me that everything is a mixture of both.

I was pleased with your term ‘pharmarchy.’ It is unfortunate that the good intentions of researchers are being overshadowed by the personal agenda of the drug industry, and it is our children’s mental health which suffers. I recently read that a home DNA test for ADHD is being offered by many companies (another ploy perhaps). I wonder if such a test could prove to be beneficial if used on newborns. Like the PKU test, early detection may be important. You stated that there is no direct evidence that dietary changes can help those with ADHD, but what if specific diet needs are met since birth? If children were tested for ADHD from infancy, we would be able to explore all avenues before resorting to medication. I also noticed that you failed to mention the use of cognitive behavioral therapy on children with ADHD, do you believe that this sort of treatment is effective? I would like to thank you for addressing such an important topic and I look forward to reading your future posts.

“Iron Supplements for ADHD”
Comment:
Dr. Sogn,
Thank you for an informative post, and although your post was short, it allowed me to raise some questions. I was intrigued by your previous post “Home DNA Testing for ADHD” and believed that a section in that post tied in well with this one. In this day and age medication, such as Ritalin, is used to quickly fix a disorder, but in your previous post I believed you offered an alternative. You stated that a nutritious and balanced diet low in sugar and high in omega-3 fatty acids would be a good diet for children who are at risk of developing ADHD. In this current this post you focus on the effects iron supplements have on ADHD symptoms. It was apparent to me that you believe a child’s’ diet may help prevent ADHD and its’ symptoms; however, I wonder if you have come across direct evidence that supports your claim? I am also curious to know if children may eat food high in iron instead of taking the supplement. Is there a significant difference? Also, is there a reason why children with ADHD have an iron deficiency?

On a side note I was intrigued by your blog description. It states that 3%-5% of children and adults are affected by ADHD. However, the media does make it appear as if there is a higher prevalence of this disorder. I personally know many children who are affected and are currently being treated for ADHD. I would have guessed that the prevalence for this disorder in children was higher than the number you suggested for both children and adults. Do you believe that the public’s perception of children affected by ADHD would lower if alternative methods of treatment, such as diet, proved to be successful? If this did happen, do you feel that people would continue to quickly turn to medication?

Birth Order: Defining Sibling Relationships

Siblings usually differ from each other in terms of their personalities and talents almost as much as unrelated children do. It is unlikely that two siblings will encounter the same set of parents. A times parents may feel that they need to encourage one of their children to be more social, while at the same time feel they need to constantly discipline another. This is most likely due to their differences in personality, and it is often the case where parents look at their children and ask themselves, why are they so different? Some of these differences may be due to temperament and genetics, but to a large extent, the disparity arises because children who grow up under the same roof actually experience very different families. One’s birth order in relation to their brothers and sisters is a key factor in the quality of the relationship between siblings. Although there are many factors that can affect sibling relationships, differences in age, gender, and family environment usually have a profound effect on the sibling relationship. Being the eldest of two, I believe that birth order greatly influences ones personality and relationship with their siblings.

Of the many factors that may affect the relationship between siblings, their ages, or space between each child in years is one of the biggest. Age spacing may also determine common experiences and interests giving them something to share. When there is a significant difference in age issues over power tend to rise. Each child tries to be the dominant one in the family so as expected there is a significant amount of conflict. Sibling rivalry can be healthy for the relationship, and is often unintentionally encouraged by parents. I would hope that parents would become aware of the rivalry and interfere before it escalated as far as the image to the left depicts. First-borns tend to show more authority when dealing with younger siblings. Anything the first born does is a big deal, simply because it's a first for the family. First-borns usually have the luxury of being showered with undivided attention for a couple of years before a second child comes along. As a result, many first-born children end up with a lot of natural confidence. According to a study, first-born children often have higher IQ’s than their siblings, are natural leaders and eager to please. The oldest tends to outshine their siblings academically, leaving the other children to feel inadequate; however the first-born may feel undervalued by parents if they sense that their parents have a close relationship with another sibling. Likewise, younger children feel bitter simply because the oldest child has the advantages of being older. This, however, forms a distinctive bond between them because the oldest feels they need to look after and teach the youngest, while the youngest needs to reach the standards set by the oldest. The study also suggest that in the event the first born were to die, another child were to be treated as the eldest, in that case there were no significant difference in IQ scores. This is because the the other child could benefit from advantages and responsibilities that are placed on the eldest.

Author Kevin Leman, a psychologist and a leading expert on birth order, believes that for parents disciplining their children is much easier when birth order is taken into account. Leman, a father of five and author of The Birth Order Book: Why You Are the Way You Are, says that while every child is unique, birth order determines much of a child’s personality. In his book, Leman states that the oldest sibling tends to be serious, goal-oriented, conscientious, well organized, believers in authority, reliable perfectionists and self-reliant. Leman’s research implies that the middle child does not have a definite list of general characteristics like the oldest and youngest. The personality traits of a middle child are more contradictory. Leman found that middle children are mediators, picky about who they confide in, and tend to have fewer problems than the first-borns. Since the younger siblings are often inexperienced in certain situations, the younger sibling may look to their older sibling for help. This suggests that the middle child is able to experience both the role as an older sibling and a younger sibling. The experiences among siblings lay the foundation for their relationships with other siblings, peers, and determine their personality with respect to the role they play.

Other than age differences, gender and the family environment play a vital role in sibling relationships. The differences in gender greatly affect the roles that are assumed in the family and also affect the relationship with siblings. Same sex sibling pairs tend to be more pro-social and care giving towards each other. They have a higher percentage of constructive interactions and a lower percentage of negative interactions than different sex pairs. However, different sex pairs are better able to stay away from some of the competition that may occur between same sex siblings. This is largely due to children being treated differently by parents and receiving different kinds of attention based on their sex. Likewise, the family environment also influences the quality of sibling relationships. Parents play a vital role in determining the type of relationship their children will have with each other. How parents talk to the first-born about the arrival of another child directly determines how the first-born will view their new sibling. While a new sibling can be viewed as a playmate, the child may feel left out and form resentment towards the sibling.

It is evident that the birth order theory is not without its flaws. An article in Time magazine, as shown on the right, explored the power of birth order, and pointed out some holes in the theory. The effects of birth order are usually always based on a typical or normal family; therefore, dysfunction can throw it out of balance. In a 2005 study, investigators at the University of Birmingham in Britain examined the case histories of 400 abused children and the 795 siblings of the abused children. Overall, they found that when only one child in the family was abused, the eldest child tended to be the scapegoat. When a younger child was abused, some or all of the other children were usually abused as well. Mistreatment of any of the children usually breaks the bond the parents have with the firstborn, turning that child from parental ally to protector of his siblings. At the same time, the eldest child may pick up some agreeableness skills from the younger children, which may aid in dealing with irrational parents. On the other hand the youngest child learns some of the firstborn's self-sufficiency.

This debate will never be entirely settled, and although for centuries parents have looked to birth order to determine what sort of people their children will become it is unclear if this theory has scientific merit. If anything, parents should look to themselves, and evaluate how they treat their own children. It is nearly impossible to treat ones children exactly the same, and small responsibilities, or lack of, that are placd on children actually help shape their personalities. There is no right way to raise a child, and it is important to expect differences, and embrace them. Yes, the theory of birth order and its effects on sibling relationships is not perfect; it brings us one step closer to explaining and understanding our own behavior.

Psychology Online: Exploring Cyberspace Part Deux

A couple of weeks ago I compiled a total of ten websites and blogs that I believed to important resources in psychology and more specifically child psychology. As I was searching for those websites, I became aware of the assortment of resources that are available, and realized that I could not place them all in one post. This week I chose to review and post ten more blogs and websites, using the Webby Awards and IMSA criteria. The links may be found on my linkroll located to the right below my feed items. ThePsychologics.com is a highly informative website that consists of wonderful general psychology information. The site explores five different psychology disciplines and tells the history of each area, as well as theories, and possible research. This site is easily navigable and very well organized; however, it does not allow for any interaction, and is a bit wordy. Similarly, A Guide to Psychology and its Practice contains plenty of general psychology information as well as more specific information for psychology students. This site is well organized but not appealing to the eye and looks quite boring. But do not allow the sites appearance to keep you away; this site contains both social and clinical issues as well as other important mental health topics. Child Development Institute is a great resource for parents, by offering parenting tips as well as information on common childhood disorders. This site is both easily navigable and interesting, however it lacks interactive tools, such as an online community. A psychology blog written by Dr. Deb offers insight into current psychological approaches and articles by someone in the field. Dr. Deb is witty and writes her blog in such a way that makes any topic interesting. Similarly, Life With Little Joe, as seen on the left, is an interesting blog that follows a mothers struggle to raise her child with multiple disorders, such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Aspergers Disorder, which is a form of autism. ePsychology.us is a different type of blog from the two previously mentioned because this blog posts different psychology related articles and offers a change to discuss them. Blogs aside, The Encyclopedia of Psychology is a great general resource for a psychology student as well as the general public. This website is part of the Jacksonville State University and is very well organized allowing the information to be easily found. The site offers eight different categories to choose from, and ranges from historical people to a variety of different psychology related organizations. I believe that one of the best features on this site is the built in translator, which allows the reader to translate the information into one of eight languages; however, the site is a bit gray and not aesthetically pleasing at all. As a psychology student I felt inclined to add two websites, which are superb resources to students. Intute: social sciences is a British website that offers a variety of resources on eleven psychology disciplines. The site is easily navigable, neat, and colorful. Likewise, Psychology Campus is easily navigable and offers an overview of many psychology disciplines. However, unlike intute: social sciences Psychology Campus does not offer any references and merely serves as a reference page. Lastly, Psychology Today is arguably the best place for all your psychology needs. A cut above the rest, this site offers varies resources and information that rival WebMD, my top pick last time around. This organized, colorful site, offers blogs as well as a search tool to find a therapist. And there you have it folks, my second compilation of ten websites and blogs which may serve as valuable resources to all your psychology needs.

Exploring Cyberspace: The Online World of Psychology

This week, I will focus on various websites and blogs that give general information as well as current research in child psychology. I evaluated the blogs and websites using the Webby Awards and IMSA criteria, the links to all these sites can be found in my link roll, which is located on the right just below my post label cluster. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) aims to inform the general population about many mental health disorders as well as precautions and possible treatment. The site offers a variety of general resources as well as current and past news headlines. Similarly, The Child Psychologist offers a vast amount of information from Down syndrome to characteristics that may indicate a child to be gifted or talented. Unfortunately poor organization within this website leaves a large body of text on the home page. Science Daily, offers more specialized information, it is easy to navigate and readily accessible to all web users. This site is an excellent source for news articles in various psychology fields such as child, cognitive and developmental psychology. The site contains video and news feeds, as well as book reviews. The Society of Pediatric Psychology serves as an information center to those wanting to pursue a career in pediatric psychology. The site provides information on a number of opportunities available in the field as well as how to become a member. PsychCentral, on the other hand is a mecca for teachers, students, and the general public alike. This website contains its own blog, as well as news, research, and quizzes among other things. The content is kept current and boasts information from journals, articles and essays. This site which uses the tag “Learn. Share. Grow,” offers an opportunity of doing just that by making the site both easily navigable and aesthetically pleasing. When the journals at PsychCentral fail to meet a thirst for knowledge or information Psychiatric Times is rich in journals composed by the psychology and doctorate scholars. This website however, is not very aesthetically pleasing and unfortunately not interactive, but may be used for textual evidence. Chicken and Cheese is a blog to read when looking to end the day on a lighter note. Chicken and Cheese is written by Mrs. Chicken, an East coast freelance writer, who with her husband raise their daughter known only as ‘The Poo.’ This colorful blog is a great site to visit when parenthood proves to be too challenging. When searching for a blog with more authority search no further than Cognitive Daily. This highly influential blog written by psychology professor, Greta Munger focuses on cognitive psychology with posts written "nearly every day," and in some cases twice a day. Cognitive Daily is very professional looking site with links to other interesting blogs. Another informative site is Research Blogging, which offers a list of psychology blogs ranging from child psychology to mental disorders such as autism. Although not nice to look at, this highly navigable site surely offers a blog to fit both ones interest and need. Last but definitely not least is the children's health section in WebMD, as seen on the right, which boasts the tag “Better information. Better health.” This informative site offers an array of news and video clips as well as an opportunity to ask specific questions and receive answers, this along with message boards and a community allows the site to be highly interactive. WebMD also breaks down children’s health into separate ages and stages in development making the site exceptionally navigable. One of the sites highlights is the blog written by Dr. Steven Parker, who writes about a variety of topics and uses personal experiences to strengthen his comments.

Sleep Deprived: The Melatonin Cure

Being fairly new to the blogosphere I found it difficult to find respectable blogs. Being sleep deprived myself, I ventured on a quest to find how sleep deprivation affected children, I believe I found something better. Dr. Steven Parker put it best when he said that ' there is nothing more beautiful than a sleeping child.' Anyone who has ever taken care of a child for more than a couple of hours will agree, but to what extremes will parents go to ensure that their 'little angel' falls asleep? I stumbled across two blog posts, which talked about the use of melatonin as a sleep aid for children. The first post I found was "Is it wise to drug your kids to sleep?" written by Dr. Steven Parker which questions the use of melatonin as a sleep aid for normal children. The second post, "Melatonin well-tolerated sleep aid in children with autism," I found at Brain Mysteries and discuses the use of melatonin as a sleep aid for autistic children. I believe that it is imperative to examine the use of melatonin in both groups.

"Is it wise to drug your kids to sleep?"
Comment:
'Dr. P,' I too share your concerns about using medications to improve a child’s sleep habits. I recently babysat three of my cousins-ages 4, 5, 7; I found myself wanting to rip my hair out around 10:30 p.m. when they were still awake. I tried everything, warm milk, bedtime story, warm bath, but to no avail and by this time I was completely exhausted and ready to collapse but my cousins were as wide-eyed as ever. Being a college student and not having children of my own I found myself relieved when my aunt and uncle finally arrived. The children were no longer my responsibility, whether they would immediately fall asleep or stayed up for another 2 hours was no longer my concern. I can only imagine what parents go through when their children will not fall asleep, and there is not anyone to rescue them. So after a couple of sleepless nights and trying days it is only normal for parents to want some relief after feeling like they have exhausted all avenues, but I agree that medication is not the answer. It is not possible to compare the sleep habits of healthy children with those that suffer from autism because autistic children tend to produce less melatonin than their normal counterpart. I also wonder if the children's parents look for other causes that may be troubling their child? For instance there have been an increase of earthquakes felt in Southern California, and I know a child who refused to fall asleep because they were scared. Unfortunately, the parents of this child were not aware of this until two sleepless nights had past. Also, I read in an article that taking melatonin on a regular basis reduces the amount your body produces naturally, and therefore establishes a dependence on orally taking melatonin. Shouldn't this be considered a long term effect?

"Melatonin well-tolerated sleep aid in children with autism"
Comment:
I would like to thank you for a very informative post, and it was only earlier today that I read a blog post which made me aware of the use of melatonin as a sleep aid for autistic children. I am glad to see that the parents of children with such a debilitating illness can find some temporary relief, allowing the child and therefore themselves to sleep through the night. Lack of sleep causes negative health effects for all children, such as obesity, but I cannot imagine the effects sleep deprivation has on autistic children. As you may be aware, we live in a society where medication seems to be the quick solution to most problems, but I was pleased to see Beth Malow suggest that the melatonin treatment be accompanied with sleep behavioral therapies. From the study led by Malow, you stated that three of the children reported mild side effects, what were the side effects and are they typical for melatonin use? It was recently brought to my attention that parents of non-autistic children were given melatonin as a sleep aid to their children. I wonder if the melatonin has the same effect in both groups of children. I would like to know how the children's day time behavior changed, and are the hours of sleep a child gets correlated with the daytime behavior in all autistic children? The families of autistic children already deal with so much in terms of the child's care, I am curious to know if there are any documented long-term effects that come with daily melatonin use?