Posted by: Adam McCann

In the next 7 minutes, a child in the U.S. will be bullied. It may be the son or daughter of someone you know. It may even be your own child. Meanwhile, only four in 100 adults will intervene. And only 11 percent of the child’s peers might do the same. The rest — 85 percent — will do nothing.

According to the CDC’s 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 19% of students in grades 9-12 said they were bullied on school property in the previous 12 months. 14.9% of students surveyed said they were cyberbullied. Bullying takes many forms, and technological advances have opened new ways for bullies to hide behind anonymity.

Besides the physical, emotional and psychological tolls it takes on victims, bullying produces adverse socioeconomic outcomes. The Association for Psychological Science recently found that those who are bullies, victims or both are more likely to experience poverty, academic failure and job termination in their adulthood than those who were neither. In addition, the affected individuals are more likely to commit crime and to abuse drugs and alcohol.

Even our schools take a financial hit from bullying. According to a National Association of Secondary School Principals report, the average public school can incur more than $2.3 million in lost funding and expenses as a result of lower attendance and various types of disciplinary actions.

In light of back-to-school season, WalletHub measured the prevalence and prevention of bullying in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help bring awareness to its harmful effects not only to America’s young people but also to society as a whole. We examined each state based on 20 key metrics, ranging from “bullying-incident rate” to “truancy costs for schools” to “share of high school students bullied online.” Continue reading below for our findings, additional expert commentary and a full description of our methodology.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/9920/bullying-geochart.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="https://ift.tt/2PEvE4n>  

States with the Biggest Bullying Problems

Overall Rank	State*	Total Score	‘Bullying Prevalence’ Rank	‘Bullying Impact & Treatment’ Rank	‘Anti-Bullying Laws’ Rank
1	Louisiana	73.56	1	2	32
2	Arkansas	68.22	2	1	30
3	Missouri	62.88	3	18	9
4	Idaho	61.28	4	32	14
5	Alaska	59.95	9	7	13
6	North Dakota	59.25	7	9	17
7	Wisconsin	56.28	8	36	3
8	West Virginia	55.38	11	12	22
9	Michigan	55.36	6	26	31
10	Wyoming	55.35	17	24	2
11	Iowa	54.34	10	20	28
12	Mississippi	53.56	21	5	19
13	Montana	53.36	25	37	1
14	South Carolina	53.27	26	4	21
15	Texas	53.25	27	3	26
16	Alabama	52.91	31	8	5
17	New Mexico	52.27	29	17	4
18	Georgia	51.59	18	16	25
19	Nebraska	50.58	23	29	10
20	Pennsylvania	49.67	14	23	34
21	South Dakota	49.09	15	33	27
22	Maryland	48.98	12	35	35
23	New York	48.88	5	13	47
24	New Hampshire	48.76	16	40	15
25	Oklahoma	48.45	30	25	20
26	North Carolina	48.00	37	11	8
27	Hawaii	47.94	34	19	12
28	Utah	47.22	28	38	16
29	Illinois	46.77	19	15	44
30	Kentucky	46.53	13	31	42
31	Maine	46.31	33	39	6
32	Arizona	45.99	39	21	7
33	Tennessee	43.87	32	10	45
34	New Jersey	43.15	20	30	41
35	Ohio	42.32	35	28	33
36	Indiana	41.84	40	22	24
37	Rhode Island	40.26	22	46	36
38	Connecticut	39.27	24	44	43
39	Nevada	38.96	46	14	11
40	Kansas	37.66	41	41	18
41	Florida	36.54	44	6	38
42	California	33.72	43	34	36
43	District of Columbia	33.28	42	43	28
44	Colorado	32.24	36	45	46
45	Virginia	32.15	45	27	40
46	Delaware	31.12	47	42	23
47	Vermont	30.02	38	48	39
48	Massachusetts	21.45	48	47	48

*Unfortunately, due to data limitations, the following states were excluded from our analysis: Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington.  

   

Ask the Experts

Bullying can result in many negative consequences not only for the victim but also for the bullies themselves, their parents, their schools and society as a whole. In order to understand the causes of bullying and identify ways to prevent it, we asked the following key questions to several experts with extensive knowledge of bullying. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and responses.

1. What are the main factors that put a child at risk of being bullied?
2. What are the main factors that contribute to a child becoming a bully?
3. How can parents protect their children against cyberbullying in our socially connected society?
4. In evaluating the best and worst states in addressing bullying incidents, what are the top 5 indicators?
5. What kinds of programs should state and local governments develop in order to prevent bullying?
6. Should schools or parents face any liability when their children bully others?

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• Stan Davis Co-researcher (with Dr. Charisse Nixon, Penn State Erie), Youth Voice Project
• Dana Johnson Lecturer & Child Welfare Coordinator, Social Work Professional Program, PHLASH Meals Coordinator, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
• Deborah Wilson Gadsden Certified Olweus Bullying Prevention Trainer-Consultant, Workplace Bullying Institute Trained Professional Consultant, Family Design Resources, Inc.
• Robin Kowalski Professor, Clemson University
• Robert G. Harrington Professor, University of Kansas

Methodology

In order to identify the states with the biggest bullying problems, WalletHub compared the 47 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Bullying Prevalence, 2) Bullying Impact & Treatment and 3) Anti-Bullying Laws.

We evaluated these categories using 20 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the highest prevalence of bullying.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Please note that Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington were excluded from our analysis due to data limitations.

For the “Cost of Truancy” measure, we assumed a single day of truancy per school year due to bullying and used the following formula:

Cost of Truancy for Schools as a Result of Bullying = 8%*ADA*(Spending per Pupil/180)

• 8 Percent: Rate of middle school students who reported skipping school at least once due to fear of being bullied
• ADA: Average Daily Attendance
• Spending per Pupil/180: Financing per school day, per pupil

Bullying Prevalence - Total Points: 50

• Bullying-Incidents Rate: Full Weight (~16.67 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of high school students who were bullied on school property.
• Cyberbullying-Incidents Rate: Full Weight (~16.67 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of high school students who were bullied online.
• Physical-Violence Rate: Full Weight (~16.67 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of high school students involved in a physical fight on school property.

Bullying Impact & Treatment- Total Points: 25

• Share of High School Students Who Missed School for Fear of Being Bullied: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Share of High School Students Who Experienced Feeling Sad or Hopeless: Half Weight (~2.08 Points)
• Share of High School Students Who Attempted Suicide: Half Weight (~2.08 Points)
• Psychologists per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Student-to-Counselor Ratio: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Child or Adolescent Therapists per Capita (per Residents under 18 Years Old): Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Cost of Truancy for Schools Due to Bullying: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Anti-Bullying Laws - Total Points: 25

• State Anti-Bullying Laws & Policies: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• State Anti-Bullying Laws Including “Cyberbullying” or “Electronic Harassment”: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• State Anti-Cyberbullying Laws Including “Criminal Sanction”: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• State Anti-Cyberbullying Laws Including “School Sanction”: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• State Anti-Cyberbullying Laws Requiring School Policy: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• State Anti-Cyberbullying Laws Including “Off-Campus Behaviors”: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Share of Secondary Schools that Engage in Practices Related to LGBTQ Youth: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Presence of Adopted and Enacted Laws Regulating Mandatory School Resource Officers: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This binary metric measures whether or not a state has adopted and enacted laws regulating the mandatory nature of school resource officers.
• Share of Secondary Schools with Practices in Place to Prevent Bullying and Sexual Harassment: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric refers to 4 categories of preventive practices:
  • All school staff received professional development on preventing, identifying, and responding to student bullying and sexual harassment;
  • Has a designated staff member to whom students can confidentially report student bullying and sexual harassment;
  • Uses electronic, paper, or oral communication to publicize and disseminate policies, rules, or regulations on bullying and sexual harassment;
  • Provide parents and families with health information on preventing student bullying and sexual harassment.
• Presence of CDC’s National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This binary metric measures whether or not a Youth Violence Prevention Center is present in the state.

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Sources: Data used to create these rankings were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bureau of Labor Statistics, StopBullying.gov, National Education Association, National Center for Education Statistics, National Conference of State Legislatures, Cyberbullying Research Center and Psychology Today.

Image: shironosov / iStock.com

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