New Jersey among states with worst bullying in America
New Jersey has the fourth-worst problem with bullying in the country, a new study by WalletHub says.
New Jersey ranked fourth overall, behind California, Alaska and Nevada. The study included Washington, D.C., and did not include Minnesota, Oregon or Washington due to data limitations.
New Jersey ranked seventh in bullying prevalence, fourth in bullying impact and treatment and 26th for anti-bullying laws.
Cyberbullying, violence factored in
Each category was weighted using metrics including number of students skipping school due to worry about bullying, costs of truancy on schools, bullying incidents, cyberbullying incidents, physical violence, strength of anti-bullying laws and practices relating to LGBTQ youth and sexual harassment.
Notable among those factors, New Jersey ranked fifth for percentage of high school students involved in physical violence at school − ranking behind only California, Nevada, Georgia and Alaska.
More: New Jersey ranks fifth in the list of happiest states, report shows
Among its neighbors, Pennsylvania recorded the sixth-worst bullying problem in the study, while New York ranked 39th and Delaware came in last among the areas ranked, meaning it had the smallest bullying problem.
Why does bullying matter?
In addition to the more obvious physical, emotional psychological impacts, bullying also has socioeconomic impacts for both individuals and schools, the study says.
For example, "The Association for Psychological Science found that those who are bullies, victims or both are more likely to experience poverty, academic failure and job termination in their adulthood than those who were neither. In addition, the affected individuals are more likely to commit crime and to abuse drugs and alcohol," the study reports.
More: Here are the 20 healthiest cities in NJ: Is your town on the list?
Schools also can lose millions of dollars in attendance-based funding due to absences.
How to prevent bullying
WalletHub talked to three experts about multiple topics surrounding bullying, including how to best prevent it.
Here's what Lori Latrice Martin, associate dean and professor at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Louisiana State University, said:
"School systems should have programs in place that protect children from bullying by fully investigating reports by students, parents, or other concerned individuals. Teachers and other school personnel should receive research-based training on identifying bullying and developing strategies to de-escalate conflicts. There must be accountability at various levels. School administrators must be held accountable for protecting students and providing services or referrals for students as needed."
Which children are bullied?
"At-risk children for bullying tend to be children who are unique in some way. This often means that the child is a different race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation than the majority of their peers, the child is differently abled, the child has a unique family composition, or the child is experiencing poverty," said Rebekka Russell, assistant professor of social work and social work field director at Malone University.
Why do children bully?
Why children bully is a complex question with many answers, according to Tovah P. Klein, associate professor of psychology and director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development. But home environments, especially ones with harsh punishment, violence, threats or humiliation, children who are bullied themselves and children who are fixated with social hierarchy or popularity may be more apt to become bullies.
For more details on the study, visit wallethub.com/edu/e/best-worst-states-at-controlling-bullying/9920
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey ranks high for bullying in United States
