Transcript of BULLYING AND SUICIDE: UNRAVELING THE LINK Christine Moutier, M.D., AFSP Chief Medical Officer...
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- BULLYING AND SUICIDE: UNRAVELING THE LINK Christine Moutier,
M.D., AFSP Chief Medical Officer Deborah Temkin, Ph.D., The Robert
F. Kennedy Center Jill Harkavy Friedman, Ph.D., AFSP Vice President
of Research
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- THIS SESSION WILL: Acknowledge prominent discussion/public
opinion re: bullying and suicide and offer an alternative Present a
model for understanding youth suicide in the context of multiple
risk and protective factors, and show where bullying can fit into
this model Review current research findings Present a model
bullying prevention approach Emphasize and offer guidance on safe
messaging Provide future direction for AFSP Field Advocates and
Chapters 2
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- CURRENT DIALOGUE IS IT REALLY ACCURATE? Media and public
discussion have created a narrative of death by bullying Many
suicide prevention and mental health groups (including AFSP) have
reacted by insisting the opposite that suicide is NOT directly
caused by bullying Reality is probably somewhere in the middle of
these 2 polarized discussions 3
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- INTERACTING VARIABLES RISK Biological Factors Psychological
Factors RISK Past History Current Life Events
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- INTERACTING VARIABLES RISK Biological Factors Psychological
Factors RISK Past History Current Life Events
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- INTERACTING VARIABLES RISK RISK Current Life Events
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- INTERACTING VARIABLES RISK Biological Factors Psychological
Factors RISK Past History Current Life Events
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- YOUTH RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS: SOME EXAMPLES Risk
Factors:Protective Factors: 8 History of/current self harm behavior
History of/current experiences with abuse/victimization Living
with/history of mental or substance use disorder Prolonged stress
Highly stressful life event Access to means Impulsivity and or
aggression Intense emotional states (despair, hopelessness,
humiliation) Access to and receiving effective mental health care
Parent connectedness Connectedness to peers/other supportive adults
Perceived caring by others Perceived school and neighborhood safety
Positive community connections Positive self-esteem, problem-
solving skills, sociability
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- WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SHOW? CDC convened an expert panel
focusing on the relationship between bullying involvement and
suicide-related behaviors (Sept. 2010) Key themes emerged in
reviewing the latest research: Bullying among youth is a
significant public health problem; it is prevalent and frequently
has detrimental effects There is a strong association between
bullying and suicide- related behaviors, but this relationship is
mediated by other factors Public health strategies can be applied
to the prevention of bullying and suicide 9
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- BULLYING IS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM Young peoples
involvement in bullying in any capacity (bully others, are bullied,
or both) correlates with poor mental and physical health and
engagement in other risk behaviors Involvement in bullying can also
have long-lasting, detrimental effects months or even years after
the bullying occurs 10
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- ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BULLYING AND SUICIDE-RELATED BEHAVIORS Is
STRONG involvement in bullying in any capacity is linked to
increased risk for suicidal ideation and behavior -- HOWEVER --
Considering bullying experiences isolated from other experiences
explains a relatively small amount of variation in suicidal
ideation Suicide risk will be more accurately predicted when
considering the entirety of risk and protective factors for a
particular youth 11
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- ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BULLYING AND SUICIDE-RELATED BEHAVIORS Is
COMPLEX : Persistent involvement in bullying can lead to low
self-esteem, isolation, depression, anxiety, despair Bullying can
precipitate suicidal behavior in already vulnerable youth Mental
and developmental disorders may manifest in ways that increase the
likelihood of being involved in bullying Bullying others may signal
mental health vulnerabilities Students who observe bullying
behavior may also be at risk 12
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- PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTION Integrated approaches
that focus on preventing both suicide AND bullying Focus on shared
risk and protective factors, including individual coping skills,
family and school social support, and supportive school
environments 13
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- PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTION Example strategy
components: Increase youths ability to cope with school-related
problems and conflict Help youth build positive relationships with
parents, other family members, teachers, classmates, and intimate
partners Address youths barriers to accessing effective mental
health and substance abuse treatment, and monitor youth currently
in treatment Foster supportive and connections to school and home
environments and communities 14
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- D EBORAH A. T EMKIN, P H.D. Manager, Project SEATBELT Bullying
Prevention Initiative Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and
Human Rights 202-463-7575 x243 temkin@rfkcenter.org
http://bullying.rfkcenter.org/ 15
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- TALKING ABOUT SUICIDE AND BULLYING SAFELY AND ACCURATELY When
speaking to others about or covering suicide and bullying in the
media, we must always be aware of the potential for: Suicide
Contagion Increases in suicide deaths linked with certain kinds of
public visibility and media coverage about suicide Most likely to
occur among persons who are already seriously depressed or
contemplating suicide 16
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- SUICIDE CONTAGION Contagion risk has been observed when: The
number of stories about individual suicides increases A particular
death is reported in great detail across many stories Coverage of a
suicide death is placed on the front page of a newspaper/at the top
of a newscast The headlines about specific suicide deaths are
framed dramatically 17
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- TALKING ABOUT SUICIDE AND BULLYING SAFELY AND ACCURATELY DO:
Emphasize the complexity of suicidal behavior Acknowledge that
bullying can be a contributing factor and or a precipitating event
in youth suicide Emphasize individual and collective responsibility
for supporting the well-being of youth who are bullied AND those
who bully others Encourage help-seeking and emphasize availability
of supportive resources Emphasize the vital importance of family,
school, and community support and connectedness 18
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- TALKING ABOUT SUICIDE AND BULLYING SAFELY AND ACCURATELY DO
NOT: Include details of a suicide death in titles or headlines
Describe the method used Attribute the suicide death only to
bullying or other negative life events Normalize suicide by
presenting it as the logical consequence of bullying, rejection,
discrimination, or exclusion Idealize young people who die by
suicide or create an aura of celebrity around them Use the term
bullycide 19
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- TALKING ABOUT SUICIDE AND BULLYING SAFELY AND ACCURATELY Know
your audience! Emphasizing the scope of the problem (i.e. sharing
statistics) is more appropriate to do with elected officials
Emphasizing that suicide is preventable, suggesting helpful
resources, and encouraging help-seeking is more appropriate to do
with general audiences (that may include persons at-risk) 20
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- SAFE MESSAGING RESOURCES www.afsp.orgwww.reportingonsuicide.org
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- U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: WWW.STOPBULLYING.GOV Specific
recommendations for media in developing safe content around
bullying: http://www.stopbullying.gov/news/media/ Other sections:
What is bullying Cyberbullying Who is at risk Prevent bullying (at
school & in the community; training center) Respond to bullying
Get help now 22
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- RFK CENTER: PROJECT SEATBELT http://bullying.rfkcenter.org/
Comprehensive information and resources for schools, homes, and
communities 23
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- DISCUSSION, QUESTIONS & COMMENTS What can we as AFSP Field
Advocates, Chapter volunteers, and staff do to promote public
health approaches to prevention and to influence more accurate
discussions around bullying and suicide in our own communities?
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