ABSTRACT
Bullying is a serious problem for children and young people and one that greatly affects their emotional health and well-being. Bullies abuse their power over others in a whole variety of ways that make the target or targets feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, worthless, excluded and endangered. Institutions that ignore the damage done by condoning such behaviour create contexts that are not conducive to mental health. Research in the field of bullying – whether at school, university or the workplace – provides many signposts for researchers in the wider field of mental health. Large-scale surveys such those by Sourander et al. (2010) and Lereya, Copeland, Costello, and Wolke (2015) consistently indicate that those children and young people who are involved in bullying, whether as targets or perpetrators, are at heightened risk of mental health difficulties and that the consequences can be severe and long-lasting. More in-depth studies of the individuals who are affected by bullying reveal a range of risk factors and personal characteristics that interact to increase the emergence of emotional and social distress. Luca, in chapter 8, demonstrates vividly the long-term impact of bullying on a child’s mental health that can persist well into adult life, and the role of counselling in alleviating that person’s suffering over the years. Cowie and Colliety, in chapter 9, overview a number of therapeutic approaches for dealing with the mental health issues experienced by those who bully, each of which illuminates the factors that underlie the bully’s tendency to engage in negative behaviour towards vulnerable peers.
