Italian
On the occasion of the National Day against Bullying and Cyberbullying, Dr. Valeria Fiorenza Perris, Psychotherapist and Clinical Director of the online psychology service Unobravo, explains how empathy education can help prevent and effectively counteract the phenomenon of bullying.
MILAN – On February 7th, the National Day against Bullying and Cyberbullying is celebrated. Established in 2017 by the Ministry of Education, this date represents an important opportunity to reflect on a widespread phenomenon that is difficult to eradicate.
According to the United Nations, 1 in 3 students between the ages of 13 and 15 has been a victim at least once in their life. The ISTAT has also conducted research on these phenomena, revealing that, among 11 to 17-year-olds, almost 1 in 5 Italian teenagers (19.8%) have experienced acts of bullying once or more times a month.
This data is in line with what was recorded by ELISA, the bullying and cyberbullying prevention project promoted by the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the University of Florence. Studies conducted by the ELISA platform during the school year 2020-2021 revealed that 22.3% of high school students were victims of bullying in the classroom and 8.4% of cyberbullying. The percentage of those who exhibited bullying and violent behaviors towards their peers was 18.2%, while 7% engaged in cyberbullying actions.
Even more alarming are the data released in early February by MOIGE, the Italian Parents Movement, according to which more than half (54%) of minors in Italy have experienced bullying in real life and almost 1 in 3 (31%) have been victims of cyberbullying.
Bullying and cyberbullying: what are they?
What is meant by bullying? The term bullying refers to all those behaviors of domination and oppression carried out by one or more subjects, the “bullies,” towards a “victim,” identified as the target of verbal, physical, or psychological violence. It generally occurs among the younger ones and is perpetrated by children and teenagers against their peers.
Cyberbullying presents the same characteristics as “traditional” bullying, with the particularity that it manifests itself through the internet, in various forms and with potentially even more serious consequences than offline bullying.
The first studies on the subject were conducted in 1978 in Norway. Nine years later, in 1987, the term bullying began to be used within scientific journals. Since 1982, bullying has been the subject of international research Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), in which Italy has also been participating since 2001.
Fighting Bullying and Cyberbullying
In Italy, the fight against bullying and cyberbullying is regulated by Law No. 71 of May 29, 2017. Despite this decree being the first legislation specifically addressing cyberbullying throughout Europe and a significant step forward, the phenomenon, as sadly reminded by the news, is still far from being contained. Just think of cases like that of Alessandro, the thirteen-year-old from Gragnano, Naples, who took his own life last September after suffering heavy persecution and harassment from bullies, or the more recent one of Lucas, the French teenager who died by suicide in January after being a long-time victim of homophobic bullying at school. In addition to these episodes that, due to their tragic outcome, have caught the media’s attention, there are countless stories of bullying or cyberbullying buried, to which no one gives a voice.
How to address and prevent bullying in all its forms
To effectively counteract this phenomenon, “bullying can be tackled with synergistic actions capable of impacting the phenomenon when it occurs, but also of preventing it. Also very important is the listening ability of parents and teachers. Families and educators should show receptivity and never underestimate the signals and manifestations of discomfort sent by children and teenagers, such as refusal to go to school, a drop in performance, a tendency towards isolation, or psychosomatic disorders. If not identified and contained in time, bullying can have consequences on the individual, even very serious ones with possible repercussions during adulthood. It can lead to the manifestation of anxiety, insecurity, and low self-esteem and, in more severe cases, also to the onset of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and self-harm. In adolescents, one consequence could be the development of the Hikikomori syndrome, voluntary isolation from social dynamics that cause discomfort,” commented Dr. Valeria Fiorenza Perris, Psychotherapist and Clinical Director of the online psychology service Unobravo.
In addition to intervention, awareness and prevention activities are essential to hinder the phenomenon at its source and contain it even before it occurs. “Despite bullying being a widely known term and the attention on the issue being very high, especially in recent years, one of the aspects still too poorly considered is precisely prevention. Both at home and at school, it is essential to carry out a deep awareness-raising work, encouraging dialogue, promoting knowledge and relationships among young people, teaching openness and respect towards diversity, fostering self-esteem and empathy development,” added Dr. Fiorenza Perris.
Empathy Education: An Effective Prevention Resource
Several studies on the correlation between empathy and bullying have found that the ability to feel empathy can contribute to the organization of social behavior and modulate the characteristics of interpersonal relationships. Empathy and sensitivity towards others would, in fact, lead individuals to moderate aggressive and violent behaviors and to come to the aid of others in times of difficulty.
Is it possible to learn empathy? “The answer is yes. Each individual, during their own growth process, develops along a continuum, towards increasingly evolved forms of empathy. Although empathy is an innate ability, to which we are all predisposed from birth, its development is profoundly influenced by our experiences and the environment that surrounds us. This is why it is essential to promote an empathetic environment and educate young people about empathy, both at home and at school. Emotional education, which empathy certainly cannot do without, is the basis for a healthy development of the individual and their relational skills, and an effective antidote to any form of violence and bullying,” stated Dr. Valeria Fiorenza Perris, Psychotherapist and Clinical Director of Unobravo.
Psychological Therapy and Bullying
Adult reference figures play a key role in the fight against bullying. In addition to promoting a non-violent and inclusive environment, parents and teachers must be vigilant and intervene promptly in case of difficult situations. In this perspective, it can be beneficial to seek the support of an expert, with whom to undertake a path of psychological therapy. Psychotherapy can address both the victim and the bully. Through a targeted path, the psychologist will work alongside the child to help him understand the causes of bullying behavior and face its consequences. Receiving psychological support can also be very useful for those parents who would like to help their child or who wonder how to act in case of bullying at school.
For example, Unobravo offers the opportunity to carry out online individual therapies or parent training with expert therapists in the prevention and contrast of bullying and cyberbullying phenomena. With the consent of parents or a legal representative, minors can also undergo a psychological path and benefit from the support of a professional.
