[Catalist] "What worries Australian children? BTN Happiness Survey finds 1 in 5 wouldn't talk about problems"

[Michael McGarry]

Greetings Science Colleagues,

Mental Health in the News

BTN Happiness Survey ABC URL: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-05/btn-happiness-survey-australian-children-mental-health/6820652 <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-05/btn-happiness-survey-australian-children-mental-health/6820652>
"Two-thirds of kids experience bullying"

"Two-thirds of children told the survey they had experienced bullying at some stage of their lives - and of those, 39 per cent said it went on for a year or more."


"The survey showed more kids aged 8 to 10 said they had been bullied in their lifetime. This is confusing at face value, as it is unlikely that fewer 16-year-olds have experienced bullying in their life than eight-year-olds."

"An obvious reason for this could be the increased awareness of the word 'bullying' among children, according to Ms Smout."

"We've worked very hard at trying to reduce bullying and conflict in schools, and part of that has been lots of education about how it's not okay to treat people in cruel and unkind ways," she explains.

"But the unfortunate side effect to this education is that we have many children who are hyper-aware of the word bullying, who are hyper-alert to being treated unkindly and who label bullying inaccurately... Actually what they're experiencing is conflict between peers. Conflict between peers happens routinely, every day, and it's absolutely what we have to help children deal with - but it's not bullying.”"

"Is every conflict between students bullying?" 

Bullying No Way URL: https://www.bullyingnoway.gov.au/resources/pdf/fast-fact-bullying-in-schools.pdf <https://www.bullyingnoway.gov.au/resources/pdf/fast-fact-bullying-in-schools.pdf>

"Not all aggressive or harmful behaviour between people is bullying. While conflicts and aggressive behaviour need to be addressed, it is important to be clear when these behaviours are not actually bullying."
"The definition of bullying has three critical aspects - a repeated pattern, the misuse of power within relationships, and behaviour which causes harm; all three aspects need to be present in order for behaviour to be called bullying." 

Best Wishes,

Mike McGarry
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