Group drumming, especially when combined with reflective practices, can be an effective therapeutic intervention to reduce bullying and violence. (The Impact of Group Drumming on Social-Emotional Behaviour in Low-Income ChildrenPublished by University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA May 2010)
According to the Australian National Mental Health Commission on School Based Interventions for Bullying Prevention, "Bullying among children and adolescents has been recognised as a public health concern as well as a leading risk factor for mental illness. In Australia, approximately 25% of Year 4 to 9 students are bullied at least once every few weeks during the school term. Since 2016, bullying has been increasingly identified as a key issue facing young people, and it estimated that 910,000 Australian children, or 25 students per school, experience bullying victimisation at some stage during their schooling. The total cost of bullying has been estimated at $525 million for the course of one student cohort over 13 years of school. These costs were largely attributable to school staff time spent on dealing with bullies and victims of bullying, and the cost for parents of students to stay at home when victimised children refuse to attend school. Accounting for the long term consequences of bullying, costs are estimated at over $1.8 billion in the 20 years after the students had left school. These costs were driven by the extent to which bullying impacted educational performance and the level of productivity, subsequent chronic health conditions, and impacts on family and the community from continued bullying behaviour. The most recent review of studies has shown that school based anti-bullying programs are effective in reducing both bullying victimisation by 15-16% and bullying perpetration by 19-20%."
According to "The Economic Cost of Bullying in Australian Schools", a report conducted by PwC on behalf of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, the costs associated with bullying total an estimated $2.3 billion incurred while the children are in school and for 20 years after school completion, for each individual school year group. The report also states that, each year, 543,000 bully perpetrators instigate more than 45 million bullying incidents."
Schools that use the Rhythm4Wellness Anti-bullying Program approach, promote safe and respectful student behaviour.
The data used throughout this section are from data sources that asked children how often they experienced behaviours related to bullying, at least once or repeatedly over a specific period.
1 in 4 children aged 8–12 who completed the eSafety Commissioner’s Youth Digital Participation Survey showed experienced unwanted contact and content while online.
According to the Bureau of Statistics annual report on bullying statistics, approximately 962,306 school students are being bullied in schools today. As the number of children attending school increases year on year, the problem will likely continue to grow.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1 in 5 Year 4 students experience bullying on a weekly basis.
Data from Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) in 2016 found that almost half (46%) of children aged 12–13 who experienced at least 1 bullying-like behaviours within a year also used bullying-like behaviours against another child.
Additional data from the LSAC in 2016 shows that 7 in 10 children aged 12–13 experienced at least 1 bullying-like behaviour within a year.
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There can be a range of physical, psychological, social and academic consequences for children who are victims, perpetrators, bystanders and up-standers of bullying (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2016). Children who are bullied, as well as those who witness or intervene in bullying, may experience immediate physical or emotional consequences (such as injuries or embarrassment). Children victims of bullying are also:
More likely to have poor academic performance
At risk of struggling with transition points throughout life, such as adjusting to secondary school
More likely to have mental health concerns, such as feelings of anxiety and depression
At higher risk of suicide (AIFS 2017; Rigby & Johnson 2016).
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On average, Year 4 students who were bullied achieved lower scores in TIMSS and PIRLS than children who were not, and there was a relationship between the average score achieved by children and the frequency of bullying (Figure 5). A similar pattern was observed among Year 8 students (Thomson, Hillman et al. 2017 & Thomson, Wernert et al. 2017).
Bullying can have substantial impacts on victims, perpetrators and witnesses, as well as the broader social environment (ReachOut Australia 2017; Rigby & Johnson 2016).
The ACWP showed that 11% of Year 4 students and 8% of Year 6 students had used bullying-like behaviours against another child in the same school term the survey was conducted (AIHW analysis of the ACWP).
Data from the LSAC showed that more children who experience bullying-like behaviours use these behaviours against others than those who do not. About 46% of children aged 12–13 who experienced bullying-like behaviours in the 12 months before the survey had also used these behaviours against another child in the same period, compared with 7.4% of children who did not experience any of these behaviours. Around 94% of children who used bullying-like behaviours against someone else in the 12 months before the survey had also experienced such behaviours in the same period (ABS analysis of the LSAC).
Data from the LSAC in 2016 showed that about 34% of children aged 12–13 used bullying-like behaviours against another person in the 12 months before the survey, including 14% who used these behaviours in the month before the survey (Figure 7). Of those children who used bullying-like behaviours against another person in the month before the survey, almost half (49%) had used 2 or more types of bullying-like behaviours (AIHW analysis of the LSAC).
Many children who bully have also been the victim of bullying themselves. Research suggests that children who bully other children are:
More likely to engage in criminal offending and substance abuse
More likely to have poor educational and employment outcomes
At higher risk of depression later in life (Australian Education Authorities 2019; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2016; Lodge 2014; Vaughn et al. 2010).
The shared experience of creating music together builds trust, encourages active listening, and promotes a sense of collective achievement.
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