Bullying is a type of aggressive behavior that aims to hurt or subject a victim to an environment or a situation that will not favor their well-being. Bullying is a major societal problem that has long been affecting the relationship between individuals (CDC). The perpetrators of bullying activities mostly commit such vices because of a superiority complex which puts them in an advantaged position against their victims. Society should ensure that they deal with the menace of bullying to enhance a safe environment for personal and societal growth. This is because bullies negatively impact the victim’s psychological well-being, decrease self-confidence and increase cases of suicide in the community (CDC). Bullies should be punished because they affect the victim’s psychological well-being, decrease self-confidence, and cause suicide.
Bullying is one of the factors that bring about a devastating impact on individual mental health. When an individual in greatly exposed to unwanted aggressive behaviors on different occasions, they tend to experience psychological distress, which is not healthy for their well-being (Jeffries et al.). Individuals may experience bullying in different life scenarios, from childhood to adulthood. Bullying is a factor that should be considered a major health concern due to the negative impact it has on an individual (Jeffries et al.). One of the main environments where bullying is prevalent is in senior facilities, where most adults spend most of their time.
Being subjected to bullying in adulthood has increased the number of individuals battling various mental health-related relations. Bullying within most senior facilities has led to most adults living with various invisible scars, which negatively impact their psychological well-being (CDC). Invisible scars have a negative impact on an individual’s mental health in that when the individual thinks or comes across a scenario that makes them think about their past, and they get affected (Divecha). Bullying causes mental or psychological distress because it subjects an individual to an environment that causes the victim to have various invisible scars which they find difficult to move on from.
When victims come across a scenario that makes them recall their past experiences with bullying, they tend to get affected. Poor mental health results from bullying because one will have to live with the thoughts of past incidences. One of the main negative impacts of poor mental health is that one may also develop acute distress, which is also a major health concern (Jeffries et al.). Some of the major bullying incidences that have a devastating impact on a victim’s mental health include physical molestation and sexual violence such as rape.
A significant decrease in self-confidence is also another major negative impact of bullying within a senior facility. An individual subjected to bullying tends to feel unwanted by the perpetrators (CDC). Most individuals tend to have few friends because they fear associating with other individuals due to their previous experiences when dealing with a larger group of people. This is because they develop a sense of inferiority complex within their immediate environments (CDC). Inferiority complex as a result of bullying is one of the main factors that make an individual demean themselves when associating with other people.
Some of the major factors that may make other individuals bully an individual are because they lack the power to defend themselves. At the same time, the perpetrators enjoy and possess the power to subject other individuals to bullying. Such victims lack self-confidence because they are aware that even if they try to seek the power to defend themselves, it will still be in vain (Divecha). Some of the powers that may make an individual subject other to bullying within a senior facility include access to resources such as finances, physical power such as age and size, and popularity.
Most victims of bullying lose self-confidence because they feel that they cannot deal with the factor of a power imbalance between them and the perpetrators. Indirect bullying is also one of the major ways an individual loses self-confidence in fighting for their freedom (Jeffries et al.). This is because they do not have access to the people subjecting them to different bullying scenarios. For example, an individual may be bullied within the online platform, which may end up having a devastating impact on the victim’s well-being and still don’t have the ability to deal with the situation (Jeffries et al.). This is because the victim may be an anonymous person or be in a different region which the victim finds difficult to access.
The cases of suicide have been on the increase due to bullying within most senior facilities. One of the main reasons an individual may commit suicide due to bullying is because it may make an individual develop a negative self-image after the bullying incident. Some of the major bullying incidences that may lead a victim to commit suicide include rape (Jeffries et al.). A significant number of men and women have reported cases of rape which has brought about a negative impact on the victim’s well-being.
The main reason why most victims commit suicide after a bullying incident is because society does not believe them when they open up about the incidences. When a victim opens up about a bullying incident that greatly impacts their life, they expect the people they tell their stories to offer solutions (Andresen and Buchanan). However, a significant number end up not getting the required solutions and end up opting for suicide as the only solution. For example, a victim may report their bullying experiences to the police department but end up not getting justice while the perpetrators are left free (Andresen and Buchanan). This may trigger the victim to consider committing suicide because their individual is free, and they cannot live with the fact that they did not acquire justice.
Another major reason why a bullying victim may end up committing suicide is because of the negative implications brought about by the bullying incidences. The scars brought about by bullying negatively impact an individual’s well-being when they meet or encounter them (CDC). For example, molestation and rape victims may end up with various untreated diseases and physical injuries that they cannot stand living with (CDC). One may also get pregnant and may not want to raise a kid as a result of rape and ep up committing suicide. The best way to deal with such victims is by subjecting them to positive environments and therapies that may help them forget their past bullying experiences.
To effectively eradicate bullying within a senior facility, it is relevant to first understand some of the major risk factors that push individuals to commit or subject other individuals to acts of violence. This involves understanding the perpetrator’s behaviors and how they relate with other individuals in society (Jeffries et al.). In senior facilities, it is important to understand the relationship between the bullies and the victims by determining their differences. For example, in most communities in the United States of America, most African Americans have been subjected to bullying by the White Native citizens of the nation because of the superiority complex that the whites possess.
Considering the major risk factors associated with bullying is one of the most important considerations when dealing with bullying within a given setting. Risk factors are majorly related to an individual’s background (Andresen and Buchanan). Some of the major risk factors that influence an individual to become a bully within a senior facility include family risk factors, personality risk factors, and behavioral risk factors. These are some of the major factors that, when considered, will help find long-term interventions for bullying within senior facilities in the community (Andresen and Buchanan). Peer and community risk factors are also some of the risk factors that may increase the cases of bullying in senior facilities.
Family risk factors include abuse by parents, siblings, or relatives, which may make an individual embrace abusive traits and treat others the same way they were treated while growing up. Providing one with an environment that will enable them to forget their past is one of the most reliable strategies in dealing with family risk factors that catalyze bullying in senior facilities (Andresen and Buchanan). Personality risk factors such as low self-esteem can also be dealt with effectively to reduce the cases of bullying within society. Strategies that enhance an individual’s self-confidence will also help in motivating them to avoid bullying others in society. Education on the negative impacts of peer pressure also enables on to make sound and healthy choices by themselves without following their peer’s negative influences.
Understanding individual behaviors are one of the most significant ways of dealing with the problem of bullying within senior facilities. Some forms of bullying experienced within the senior facilities include unfair resource allocation, poor remuneration, racial discrimination, getting over-worked, verbal abuse, rumor-mongering, violent threats, and sexual harassment (Jeffries et al.). Some of the major traits of bullies within a senior facility include lack of empathy, always in dire need of power to control other individuals, not having many friends because of their behaviors, and low self-esteem (CDC). However, most male bullies have different traits from female bullies.
Another effective approach to dealing with the menace of bullying within a senior facility or setting such as assisted living community is by creating a positive environment within the community. Most individuals come from assisted living facilities where there are people from different backgrounds (Jeffries et al.). The cases of bullying are majorly prevalent in assisted living communities since individuals possess different behaviors. Every senior facility community has its own culture that they adhere to enhance togetherness (Jeffries et al.). However, new residents are majorly subjected to bullying by the old residents, which affects their well-being and how they interact with others within the community.
Creating a positive environment will help enhance the residents’ relationships since they will easily have the space to co-exist without looking into their differences. Some of the most effective ways of creating a positive environment to prevent bullying within senior facilities include formulating and implementing rules which govern how individuals must behave within the community (Jeffries et al.). This will help individuals to determine what is expected of them and how they should relate with others within the space (Jeffries et al.). Inviting them during the formulation of the rules is one of the ways of ensuring inclusivity which makes everyone feel that they are part of the community. This will also help ensure a culture of inclusion and respect for all facility members.
Senior facilities also consist of individuals from different backgrounds who work in different departments. However, individuals possess different behaviors, which greatly impact how they relate with other individuals within the facility (Al-Ghabeesh and Qattom). Individuals who possess power over others within a senior facility are the ones who bully their subjects (Al-Ghabeesh and Qattom). For example, individuals who head various departments within a senior facility may subject their juniors to bullying by denying them some of their rights for their benefit. Senior facility bullying is one of the most devastating forms of bullying experienced by adults since it has a negative impact on an individual’s mental health (Al-Ghabeesh and Qattom). Most of them fail to report bullying activities they are subjected to because they do not want to lose some of the benefits that they acquire from the facilities. A significant number of the victims are not aware that staying in such environments for long is the main reason and cause of psychological distress and poor mental health.
Another effective way of reducing senior facilities bullying is by ensuring high levels of education and training within the facilities. Training and education help in bringing the resources and tools required to eradicate bullying within senior facilities closer to the victims and perpetrators (Le Menestrel). Training enables the victims of bullying in senior facilities to effectively respond to bullying incidences that they may encounter within the senior facilities. Training and education enable the seniors to understand what is required of them and how they should relate with others within the facility (Le Menestrel). This approach also enables the victims to connect with strong and reliable partners who can effectively help intervene and prevent future bullying incidents within the senior facilities.
Community education and training is also a significant approach in dealing with the cases of senior facilities bullying. It is considered a long-term strategy in dealing with senior facility bullying since it enables an easier understanding of the dos and don’ts in addressing bullying cases in the facilities (Le Menestrel). Training also enables individuals considered bullies in a given senior facility to know the implications of their behaviors (Le Menestrel). This, in turn, enhances positive behavior change in such individuals, resulting in a good relationship within the facility (Le Menestrel). Some of the major possible implications that a bully individual in a senior facility may encounter for bullying others are termination of relations and contracts or being reported to the police department for further investigations for cases such as sexual harassment.
Another significant way of preventing bullying in senior institutions is by ensuring that the facilities have adopted rules and regulations that enhance harmony among all the members. Rules and regulations enable the institution to control the individuals’ behaviors for their own benefit (Andresen and Buchanan). To achieve a long-term intervention for bullying, the institutions should not only adopt prescriptive step-by-step prescriptions but also adopt rules and regulations that address bullying incidences on the spot upon occurrences (Andresen and Buchanan). Rules and regulations which reduce bullying within senior facilities through on-the-spot intervention are one of the most effective ways of punishing the perpetrators. On-the-spot punishment also provides the victims with confidence that they are safe within the facilities.
Another significant way the bullying problem can be dealt with within a senior facility is by ensuring strict adherence to government laws. The government has ensured the enactment and implementation of laws that criminalize bullying within society (Le Menestrel). Subjecting other individuals to circumstances that affect their well-being is deemed to be an act against the law. Such laws have significantly reduced the cases of bullying within society and have enhanced quality relations amongst members of the community (Le Menestrel). For example, in the United States of America, verbally abusing an individual by negatively referring to their racial orientation is considered to be an act of bullying, which is against the law.
The power of imbalance within a given senior facility should also be considered a major factor when dealing with bullying within the facility. Some of the main factors that bring about the power of imbalance within a senior facility include differences in physical characteristics such as age, strength, and size (Divecha). An individual’s association with popular peers in the facility, access to resources, possession of high levels of skills, a superior background, and being outnumbered are some of the major factors that catalyze bullying in senior facilities. The power of imbalance within a senior facility has also motivated superior individuals to subject others to bullying (Divecha). Eradicating the power of imbalance and ensuring high levels of equality within the facilities will help in dealing with the cases of bullying in the facilities.
In as much as bullying has been considered one of the most demoralizing events in an individual’s well-being, other individuals have resorted to the act as a way of freeing themselves from various factors. Individuals with low self-esteem in a senior facility feel they do not have any say in the community (Le Menestrel). Most of them have resorted to bullying to gain more power within the facility, and it has enabled them to be heard and hence get their problems solved. For example, an individual in a senior facility who has faced bullying in the past may portray a bully’s trait as a self-protection mechanism within the society. There are various invisible scars that individual have which may also force them to portray characteristics of a bully within a given senior facility.
In conclusion, bullying is preventable effectively by determining the major risk factors that increase the chances of the perpetrators committing an act of bullying and empowering them through behavior change programs. Adopting various anti-bullying policies within a facility is also one of the major ways of doing away with bullying within senior facilities. Doing away with bullying will significantly help decrease the cases of mental health-related suicides, enhance good psychological well-being, and enhance a peaceful co-existence within a senior facility regardless of age. Acquiring and implementing laws and regulations that make bullying to be easily punishable is a major strategy for mitigating the menace of bullying within a senior facility.
Works Cited
Al-Ghabeesh, Suhair Hussni, and Haya Qattom. “Workplace Bullying and Its Preventive Measures and Productivity among Emergency Department Nurses.” BMC Health Services Research, vol. 19, no. 1.
Andresen, Felicia J., and Jeffrey A. Buchanan. “Bullying in Senior Living Facilities: Perspectives of Long-Term Care Staff.” Journal of Gerontological Nursing, vol. 43, no. 7, 2017, pp. 34–41.
CDC. “Preventing Bullying.”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019, Web.
Divecha, Diana. “What Are the Best Ways to Prevent Bullying in Schools?”Greater Good, 2019, Web.
Jeffries, Heather, et al. “Measuring and Addressing Elderly Bullying is a Senior Residential Community.” The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, vol. 45, no. 3, 2018.
Le Menestrel, Suzanne. “Preventing Bullying: Consequences, Prevention, and Intervention.” Journal of Youth Development, vol. 15, no. 3, 2020, pp. 8–26.