UNAIR NEWS – An eleven-year-old student in Singaparna, Tasikmalaya, died of depression last June after getting bullied. The case shocked the public as the victim suffered physical, mental, and sexual abuse.
Addressing the issue, a psychology expert at Universitas Airlangga, Dr. Dewi Retno Suminar MSi Psikolog, stated that the victim suffered trauma. The impact of bullying will remain unforgettable.
“Not to mention, it was an unusually bizarre case,” she said.
Bullying impacts the victim’s confidence level and causes trauma, suicide, and physical violence that could lead to death. “Especially when the victim has no environmental support, they keep it bottled up until the negative effect grows. Once it’s unresolved, it will definitely harm their physical conditions,” she warned.
Environment, peers, and family factors
According to Dewi, the closest environmental factor plays a huge role in child bullying as every factor within interacts with one another. The children’s most intimate level of the environment, known as the microsystem, directly influences their growth.
It is also impacted by the social layers in school or among peers, such as bullying cases between the smart and the other students, the rich and the poor, and the students with power and the scared.
Another impact comes from the family, such as over-proud parents. Dewi said that children are allowed to say no for sensible reasons. It is not a form of disobeying; instead, it allows them to speak up their thoughts and express their feelings.
Letting the children express their thoughts will make them stronger. It will build their confidence and teach them not to be scared. Teach the children to say ‘no’ and ‘not now’. These things should be taught in parenting so the children are able to fight back when they are getting bullied.
“People who see someone being bullied should not blame the victim, support them instead. Parents [of the bullied children] often forget and blame their children. It knocks down their self-esteem. Instead, build their self-confidence,” she suggested.
Author: Affan Fauzan
Editor: Feri Fenoria
