Bullies and victims of bullying are more likely than their peers to be experiencing family violence at home, according to a CDC study of Massachusetts students.
The report, which is based on the 2009 Massachusetts Youth Health Survey of 6,000 students, found that students who said they had been involved in bullying—as a perpetrator, victim or both—were five times more likely to report they had been hurt physically by a family member, compared to those who said they were neither a victim nor a bully. And they were substantially more likely to have witnessed violence against other family members, according to a story in The Boston Globe.
“This survey sheds more light on what we’ve seen demonstrated repeatedly by other data—that bullying involves a multitude of factors,” says Candi Cushman, education analyst for CitizenLink. “The best and most compassionate thing we can do for all kids is to recognize that bullying is always wrong for any reason and support strong school policies that prohibit it.”
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