The Bullied Brain. David Walsh, Ph.D.

Transcription

1 The Bullied Brain David Walsh, Ph.D.

2 For news text (612) * *

3 What Is Bullying? Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions intended to hurt another person. It is often repeated over time, creating long-term patterns. Victims are often kids who are perceived as different, eg. very high rates for GLBT students * *

4 Types of Bullying Verbal--name calling, teasing Social--rumors, excluding, ignoring Physical--pushing, hitting, punching Cyberbullying--using communication technology

5 Symptoms of Being Bullied Unexplained injuries, bruises, lacerations, etc Makes up excuses not to go to school Avoids certain places or avoids playing outside alone Changes in eating and sleeping patterns Few friends Statements indicating helplessness Blames self for problems * *

6 Symptoms of Bullying Has trouble controlling anger Blames others Does not accept responsibility for actions Needs to win or to be best Often popular * *

7

8 Old Problem-New Methods Ease and access to private space. Speed of rumor mill Sense of anonymity Depersonalization * *

9 Caution: Cyberbullying 14% report being bullied face to face 48% report being cyberbullied

10

11 Addressing cyberbullying Remember young people are more likely to be perpetrators than victims. Start with a conversation. Make sure your kids understand your zero tolerance policy on cyberbullying. Talk about the parental controls or screen locks you use and why. Remind your kids that technology is a privilege. Catch your kids being good and nurture empathy!

12 What can young people do? Refuse to pass along hurtful messages Save messages and give them to an adult at home and at school Tell friends to stop cyberbullying Talk about cyberbullying!

13 Privacy Settings

14

15 Default settings Caution: Opt in versus Opt out Friends of friends (how many?) Google search and Facebook search (search settings) Everyone versus Customized groups Social mapping (Foursquare, Places, etc...) Multiple accounts

16 Smart Social Networking Never share a password except with a trusted adult Think about profile as public no matter what Protect personal information This is true for online gaming, cell phones, socializing, and more.

17 Bullied Kids Are More Likely to... Be depressed and anxious Be suicidal Skip school Have academic problems Use drugs Get in fights and carry weapons

18 GABA and Learning GABA = Gamma Amino Butyric Acid GABA--- Brain Tranquilizer When GABA levels are OK we feel relaxed and ready to learn. When GABA levels are low we feel anxious and worried...on the lookout for danger.

19 GABA (Continued) Concentration and learning are hampered when GABA levels are low because the brain is on the alert for threat and danger. Therefore comfort, security and connection are important in the classroom for maximum learning.

20 Connection and Stress, anxiety, and threat shift brain activity from the cortex to lower brain regions. This interferes with thinking, problem solving. Cortisol interferes with memory. Learning

21 Threats Bullying Chaos Loneliness

22 Connection--the Most Protective Factor Names matter Eyes matter Hands matter Hearts matter

23 Kids Will Find Ways to Connect Positive Teams, clubs, scouts, youth groups etc. Negative Gangs

24 Bullied Kids Show... As much damage as children abused by parents. Damage is as great for verbal/emotional as it is for physical bullying. Damage is long-term, even into adulthood.

25 The Bullied Brain Cortisol higher in bullied boys but lower in bullied girls. Speculation about girls is that chronic elevation leads to decreased production. Elevated cortisol impacts memory and learning. Cortisol s impact on the hippocampus.

26 The Bullied Brain Abnormalities in the corpus callosum affecting coordination between left and right hemispheres. Animal studies suggest bullying causes a disruption in neurogenesis, especially in the hippocampus.

27 PTSD and the Bullied Brain Basic job of the brain is survival Role of hippocampus

28 Bullying Prevention Talk, discuss, acknowledge, messaging Zero tolerance policy with quick and consistent follow through. Discourage the no talk rule Communication between parents and school

29 Citations Hurtful Words: Association of Exposure to Peer Verbal Abuse With Elevated Psychiatric Symptom Scores and Corpus Callosum Abnormalities Martin H. Teicher, M.D., Ph.D., Jacqueline A. Samson, Ph.D., Yi-Shin Sheu, M.A., Ann Polcari, R.N., Ph.D., and Cynthia E. McGreenery Am J Psychiatry 2010; 167:

30 Poverty and Brain Development David Walsh, Ph.D.

31 Is There a Gap? There is a worrisome gap between low and middle SES children in many areas of cognitive development. As measured by Bailey Infant Behavior Scales. As measured by IQ and other cogntive aptitude tests. As measured by academic achievement tests.

32 The Differences Are Significant In a measure of intelligence (IQ) of a group of 50 low SES six-year-olds the average score was 81. Only 20% scored at 90 or higher.

33 Neuroscientists Have Studied... Prefrontal executive system (impulse, attention, flexible thinking) Left perisylvian language system (suntax, semantics, phonology) Working memory Spatial reasoning Visual cognition (pattern recognition

34 Biggest Gaps The biggest gaps between low and middle SES children was in prefrontal executive function, language, memory and working memory. (Martha Farah et al U of Pennsylvania) Also differences in spatial reasoning.

35 Chicken or Egg? Does low SES environment cause cognitive deficits or do people with cognitive deficits end up in low SES? Evidence is clear that low SES is the cause. Twin studies. Adoption studies.

36 Causes--Physical Nutrition (considered a contributor, not cause) Iron deficiency Protein deficiency Lead Exposure Drug Abuse (especially prenatal)

37 Causes--Environment 300% difference between number of words heard/day between low and middle SES. Hours of one on one picture book reading prior to kindergarten 25 hours for low SES 1,700 for middle SES

38 Causes--Stress Impact of cortisol on memory Impact of stress on learning Stress dysregulation

39 Remedies Parent education Early childhood education eg Headstart Community resources Libraries, museums etc. Providing brain building resources eg.

40 Resources Martha Farah, University of Pennsylvania Helen Neville, University of Washington