Suicidal ideas are often associated with adolescence as this group is vulnerable to a variety of issues. Notably, for the US adolescents, suicide is the “third leading cause of death” (Litwiller & Brausch, 2013, p. 675). One of these issues is bulling. Bullying is a common practice in schools as it has been estimated that 16% of US adolescents have been victimized while 13% of US adolescents have been involved in bullying (Juhnke et al., 2010).
These figures are quite alarming as bullying acquires new forms due to the development of technology and it can potentially involve more people. Juhnke et al. (2010, p. 18) define bullying as a term which includes “any physical or emotional abuse that a child or adolescent may endure in or outside of school”.
As for the new forms of bullying, the so-called, cyber bullying comes into play, it can consist of “any number of aggressive activities toward another in an online environment including harassment, denigration, impersonation, trickery, and exclusion” (Juhnke et al., 2010, p. 18). Some researchers and officials claim that the correlation between suicide rates among adolescents and bullying can be challenged.
Nonetheless, the extensive research shows that the correlation exists and bullying is one of the risk factors for development of suicidal ideas in adolescents. It is necessary to note that there is quite extensive research into the reasons for adolescent suicide rates and the correlation between bullying and suicides. Kim and Leventhal (2008) provide a review of a number of researches concerning bullying and suicide.
Kim and Leventhal (2008) stress that both victims and perpetrators are at risk of committing suicide. The researchers claim that all the studies (37) which were implemented in different countries and with different samples show that there is a strong correlation between bullying and development of suicidal ideas. However, the researcher also adds that the studies had certain limitations.
Thus, the studies failed to take into account other risk factors, such as psychological state of adolescents, gender, socio-economic status of the families, etc. More so, the studies are largely based on self-reports, which are quite subjective and analysis of these reports could result in distorted conclusions (Kim & Leventhal, 2008). Nonetheless, these limitations do not contradict the assumption that the correlation between bullying and suicide rates exists.
In addition, Litwiller and Brausch (2013) report that there is a strong correlation between bullying (both physical and cyber) and substance abuse as well as suicide rates. The researchers note that the three concepts are interrelated and it is clear that bullying is associated with higher rates of substance abuse and suicide rates.
As has been mentioned above, contemporary adolescents have to handle a variety of issues. Bullying and especially cyber bullying have proved to be a significant threat. Nonetheless, some researchers tend to note that the correlation is insignificant.
Such reports bring to the fore the necessity to provide comprehensive and exhaustive evidence to show that bullying and adolescent suicide rates are correlated. This evidence will make officials take the issue more seriously and consider ways to diminish bullying in schools. The current study aims to reveal the exact correlation between bullying and suicide rates in US adolescents.
The hypothesis of the present research is as follows: there is a strong correlation between bullying (cyber and physical) and suicide rates as adolescents involved in bullying (both victims and perpetrators) tend to develop suicidal ideas and many of these adolescents attempt to commit suicide. The present research will complete the gap as it will take into account such factors as gender, socio-economic status, substance abuse, psychological state, etc.
Reference List
Juhnke, G.A., Granello, P.F., & Granello, D.H. (2010). Suicide, self-injury, and violence in the schools: Assessment, prevention, and intervention strategies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Kim, Y.S., & Leventhal, B. (2008). Bullying and suicide. A review. The International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 20(2), 133-154.
Litwiller, B.J., & Brausch, A.M. (2013). Cyber bullying and physical bullying in adolescent suicide: The role of violent behavior and substance. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(5), 675-684.