Could bullying actually be on the decline? New study seems to say yes

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A new study, which was released today by the American Academy of Pediatrics and will be in its June issue of “Pediatrics,” collected data from 246,306 students in 109 Maryland schools from 2005 to 2014. The study by Tracy Evian Waasdorp, Elise T. Pas, Benjamin Zablotsky and Catherine P. Bradshaw looked at reports made by students in grades fourth through 12th and considered 13 indicators of bullying. The good news is that in 10 out of the 13 indicators, the researchers saw a significant decline and that included in-person incidents of physical and verbal bullying as well as cyberbullying.

The researchers also noted that students had an increased perception that adults do enough to stop the bullying. Students also expressed more feelings of safety and belonging at school.

The study also compared each year and found that the most recent years showed the must improvement.

What the study can’t tell us is why. What particular program or programs in those schools were working? Or was it even a program done in school that was making the difference?

Of course, none of these studies mean anything to you if your child is the one being bullied.