1

Lifetime Consequences of Bullying

By: Dayra A. Figueroa Delbrey
What do you know
about bullying? Did
someone tell you
about the long-term consequences
bullying comes with? According to a
study explained in the newspaper article,
Sequelas del bullying durarn ms de
40 aos, written in El Nuevo Da, this
type of abuse leaves profound marks in
health, social and economic areas that
keep on going in the adult life. Certainly,
this is not to generate some ruthless fear
of bullies but to try and understand what
is going on and remedy the situation
more positively.
We know that in Puerto Rico we
have three laws to protect the students
and victims: Ley #49 del 29 de abril de
2008, this law prohibits harassment and
intimidation between students from
public schools; Ley #284 del 24 de
agosto de 1999, the second law is against
stalking in Puerto Rico; and, finally, Ley
#88 del 9 de julio de 1986, this is the law
that protects minors in Puerto Rico. Also,
in order to prevent and intervene
bullying, there are web pages such as
Puerto Rico Stop Bullying Association
Inc. However, we should ask ourselves,
could this be enough to do just that? To
prevent the harm that comes from
bullying and intervene before it could
happen?
This issue concerns me deeply
because Im going to be a future teacher.
In schools, we can see various
manifestations of bullying; however,
bullying does not occur only in schools,
it can happen in, bathrooms, lunchrooms,
hallways, etc. So, I believe this should
distress everyone as well in order to
avoid violent confrontations. As teachers
and professionals, we should impact the
lives of children and young adults in
general, in order to be a positive example
to others and bring a possible alternative
in conflict resolution. This is so, because
violence has negative consequences and
a profound impact in the future of every
person.
Now, the background of the issue
presented in the article mentioned before,
is a longitudinal study (that lasted 43
years) realized by King's College in
London with 7,771 citizens from
England, Scotland and Gales. Victims
and bullies show certain signs that make

2
us aware of the situation. For instance,
bullies may express psychopathic
manifestations and victims may reveal
anxiety and depression. However,
according to Brenda E. Matos, General
Psychiatrist with a subspecialty in
children, in her 2012 article Bullying:
un problema con repercusiones, riesgos y
consecuencias serias, 50% of bullies
come from abusive homes and, usually,
the discipline is applied physically. This
means that bullies are victims too and are
equally vulnerable because they are
struggling with violent issues with their
parents, in this case. With this
background, we all should take measures
to remedy this situation.
As a future teacher, I believe Im
going to face these situations eventually
and I wish to have the tools necessary to
work with the various necessities my
students will show. For example, positive
conflict resolution; for this, I will work
hard to be an intermediary for my
students. If my students need a friend,
thats what Im going to be; nevertheless,
being a friend goes both ways. In a
student-teacher scenario, friendship
demands respect for my authority and me
respecting the individuality of my
students. For me, it all resides in love and
comprehension; if my students come
from shattered homes, I hope that
education may help reconstruct whatever
is broken.
Finally, Louise Arsenaul, one of
the investigators in the Kings College
study, explained that: We need to stop
seeing bullying as an inevitable part of
growing-up. Teachers, parents and those
who create public policies should know
that what happens during recess in
schools can have long-term repercussions
on children. She also stated that the
programs to stop this behavior are
extremely important but we should also
focus on preventive programs. I would
like to add that education begins at home.
If we want our society to have confident
children and young ones and worry less
about violence, we should discipline
them with love.













References

La Nacin, Cosat Rica. Secuelas del
bullying duraran ms de 40 aos.
El Nuevo Da 24 April 2014. Web. 24
Apr. 2014.
Matos B. Bullying: Un problema con
Repercusiones, riesgos y consecuencias
serias. Galenus- Revista para los
mdicos de Puerto Rico 34 (2012). n.
pag. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Puerto Rico Stop Bullying Association Inc.
Junta de Directiva y Comit Asesor de
Prevencin e Intervencin, 2014. Web.
24 Apr. 2014.