Bullying peer response
Dear (State the name of the student)
I agree with you that cyberbullying is associated with greater risks of self-harm and suicidal behaviors, especially when teenagers are involved. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention argues that bullying increases the risk of youths having sleep difficulties, depression, anxiety, dropping out of school, or having low academic achievement (Megan Meier Foundation, n. d.). These effects exacerbate the situations that bullied teenagers are already facing. Also, teenagers who are victims of cyberbullying are approximately 2 times more likely to attempt to take their own lives (Megan Meier Foundation, n. d.). This statistic supports your assertion regarding the relationship between suicidal behaviors and cyberbullying
Additionally, my research has revealed that students who are victims of cyberbullying are unlikely to report their predicaments to any adult. For instance, a recent study revealed that only 33% of victims of cyberbullying incidents feel comfortable reporting their predicament to an adult (Byrne, Vessey & Pfeifer, 2018). As such, nurses must create strong professional bonds between them and the students from schools in which they work. One of the reasons teenagers are unlikely to report their victimization to an adult is the fear of being denied access to social media (Byrne et al., 2018). This means that school nurses must ensure that they act with a high level of professionalism when dealing with students, for instance, by respecting their client’s right to confidentiality unless in the situations in which the teenager is at risk of committing suicide.
References
Byrne, E., Vessey, J. A., & Pfeifer, L. (2018). Cyberbullying and social media: Information and interventions for school nurses working with victims, students, and families. The Journal of School Nursing, 34(1), 38-50.
Megan Meier Foundation (n. d.). Bullying, cyberbullying, & suicide statistics. Retrieved from https://meganmeierfoundation.org/statistics