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Abstract

The poor mental health outcomes associated with being bullied in school are well documented in the research literature. Trauma-informed approaches offer one possible avenue of support. The aim of this study is to examine the traumatic impact of being chronically bullied in school and evaluate the use of a pilot trauma-informed therapeutic intervention. In this study, 18 parents in England whose child was receiving a new bullying-focused trauma-informed therapy completed an online questionnaire about their child’s experiences of bullying and their trauma symptoms. Their children were aged between 8 and 16 years old (M_age = 11.28 years, SD_age = 2.24 years), 9 (50%) young people were male, and 9 (50%) were female. The questionnaire was completed before and after the 12-week therapeutic intervention. The findings of the study highlight the negative impact being bullied has on poor mental health, particularly on symptoms of trauma. The results of the small-scale evaluation also highlight how the trauma-informed therapeutic intervention reduced symptoms of trauma and supported children and young people to cope with their experiences of bullying. While a pilot study, the findings offer a potential avenue for helping young people being chronically bullied in school.

Keywords

Bullying trauma trauma-informed therapy

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The trauma of bullying: Evaluating the impact of a trauma-informed therapeutic intervention to support children who have been chronically bullied in school

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