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Charlottesville, VA--Students at Virginia high schools in which they report a high rate of bullying post significantly lower scores on standardized tests required for graduation, according to research presented at the 119th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, held in Washington, D.C.

"Our study suggests that a bullying climate may play an important role in student test performance," said Dewey Cornell, a clinical psychologist and professor of education at U.Va.'s Curry School of Education. "This research underscores the importance of treating bullying as a schoolwide problem rather than just an individual problem."

The research, which is part of the ongoing Virginia High School Safety Study, compiled surveys about bullying in 2007 from more than 7,300 ninth-grade students and almost 3,000 teachers at 284 high schools across Virginia. Approximately two-thirds of the students were white; 22 percent were African-American and 5 percent were Hispanic.

The study found that schoolwide passing rates on standardized exams for Algebra I, Earth Science and World History were 3 percent to 6 percent lower in schools where students reported a more severe bullying climate.

"This difference is substantial because it affects both the educational success of many students who don't pass the exams and the school's ability to meet federal requirements," said Cornell, who is also director of the U.Va. Youth Violence Project.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, students must receive a passing grade on the standardized tests to graduate from high school, and at least 70 percent of a school's students must pass the tests for the school to keep its state accreditation in Virginia.

The high school freshman year is pivotal, Cornell said; research has shown that poor academic performance in ninth grade predicts a higher probability of high school drop-outs.

The survey defined bullying as "the use of one's strength or popularity to injure, threaten or embarrass another person on purpose. Bullying can be physical, verbal or social. It is not bullying when two students of about the same strength argue or fight."

The No Child Left Behind Act puts schools under immense pressure to improve standardized test scores, Cornell said. "This study supports the case for schoolwide bullying prevention programs as a step to improve school climate and facilitate academic achievement," he said.

Effective anti-bullying programs must take a schoolwide approach involving students, teachers and parents, Cornell said. The programs should provide help for bullying victims, counseling and discipline for bullies, and education for bystanders to discourage them from supporting bullying. 

The U.Va. study was co-authored by Anna Lacey, a graduate student in clinical and school psychology, and the research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The study couldn't explain the reasons for a bullying climate at some schools or the causes of lower test scores at those schools, but the researchers offered several theories. The academic performance of students in schools with pervasive bullying may suffer because students are less engaged in learning due to fears about bullying or due to a greater level of school disorder associated with bullying, they said. Teachers also may be less effective because they spend more time focused on discipline, they added. 

Cornell said he doesn't believe bullying has increased in schools, but media attention has highlighted the serious problem. 

"We have always had bullying in our schools," he said. "What has changed is we have become more aware of bullying due to a series of high-profile tragic cases involving school shootings and suicides.

"Our society does not permit harassment and abuse of adults in the workplace, and the same protections should be afforded to children in school."

SOURCE: University of Virginia, "Bullying May Contribute to Lower Test Scores, U.Va. Researchers Find," news release, August 5, 2011

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2011 National Teen Survey Uncovers Surprising Links between Substance Use and the Viewing of Social Networking Sites and Suggestive Teen Television Programming

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- American teens ages 12 - 17 who in a typical day spend any time on social networking sites are at increased risk of smoking, drinking and drug use, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents, the 16th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia). 

For the first time this year, the survey asked 12- to 17-year olds whether they spend time on Facebook, Myspace or other social networking sites in a typical day. Seventy percent of teens report spending time on social networking sites in a typical day compared to 30 percent of teens who say they do not. This means that 17 million 12- to 17-year olds are social networking in a typical day

Social Networking Teens at Increased Substance Abuse Risk
Compared to teens who spend no time on social networking sites in a typical day, teens who do are

• five times likelier to use tobacco;
• three times likelier to use alcohol; and
• twice as likely to use marijuana.

Teen Substance Abuse Photos Rampant on Social Networking Sites
The CASA Columbia survey found that 40 percent of all teens surveyed have seen pictures on Facebook, Myspace or other social networking sites of kids getting drunk, passed out, or using drugs. Half of teens who have seen pictures of kids drunk, passed out, or using drugs on Facebook and other social networking sites first saw such pictures when they were 13 years of age or younger; more than 90 percent first saw such pictures when they were 15 or younger.

Compared to teens who have never seen pictures of kids getting drunk, passed out, or using drugs on social networking sites, teens who have seen these images are

• three times likelier to use alcohol;
• four times likelier to use marijuana;
• four times likelier to be able to get marijuana, almost three times likelier to be able to get controlled prescription drugs without a prescription, and more than twice as likely to be able to get alcohol in a day or less; and
• much likelier to have friends and classmates who abuse illegal and prescription drugs.

Teens Viewing Suggestive Teen Programming at Increased Substance Abuse Risk
This year's survey explored teen TV viewing habits in relation to teen substance abuse. One-third of teens (32 percent) watch teen reality shows like Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, or 16 and Pregnant or teen dramas like Gossip Girl in a typical week.

Compared to teens who do not watch suggestive teen programming, teens who typically watch one or more such programs per week are

• twice as likely to use tobacco;
• almost twice as likely to use alcohol;
• more than one-and-a-half times likelier to use marijuana;
• twice as likely to be able to get marijuana within a day or less; and
• more than one-and-a-half times likelier to be able to get prescription drugs without a prescription within a day or less.

American teens ages 12 - 17 who in a typical day spend any time on social networking sites are at increased risk of smoking, drinking and drug use, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents, the 16th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia).

"The relationship of social networking site images of kids drunk, passed out, or using drugs and of suggestive teen programming to increased teen risk of substance abuse offers grotesque confirmation of the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words," said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA Columbia's Founder and Chairman and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. "The time has come for those who operate and profit from social networking sites like Facebook to deploy their technological expertise to curb such images and to deny use of their sites to children and teens who post pictures of themselves and their friends drunk, passed out or using drugs. Continuing to provide the electronic vehicle for transmitting such images constitutes electronic child abuse." 

Parental Perceptions Out of Touch with Reality
Eighty-seven percent of parents said they think spending time on social networking sites does not make it more likely their child will drink alcohol; 89 percent of parents felt it would not make their child more likely to use drugs. 

Cyber Bullying and Substance Abuse
The CASA Columbia survey also found that 19 percent of teens ages 12 - 17 (more than 4.5 million teens) report being cyber bullied (having someone post mean or embarrassing things about them on a social networking site). Compared to teens who are not cyber bullied, teens who have been cyber bullied are more than twice as likely to use tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. "The anything goes, free-for-all world of Internet expression and suggestive television programming that teens are exposed to on a daily basis puts them at increased risk of substance abuse," said Califano. "The findings in this year's survey should strike Facebook fear into the hearts of parents of young children and drive home the need for parents to give their children the will and skill to keep their heads above the water of the corrupting cultural currents their children must navigate."

Other Key Findings Related to Teen Substance Abuse
Teens whose parents don't agree completely with each other on what to say to their teen about drug use are more than three times likelier to use marijuana, and three-and-a-half times likelier to expect to try drugs in the future, than teens whose parents agree completely on what to say about drug use.

• Teens whose parents do not agree completely with each other on what to say to their teen about drinking alcohol are twice as likely to use alcohol than teens whose parents agree completely on what to say about drinking.

• For the fifth straight year, more than 60 percent of high school students say they attend schools where drugs are used, kept or sold on school grounds.
• Forty-two percent of 12- to 17-year olds report knowing at least one friend or classmate who uses illegal drugs, like acid, ecstasy, methamphetamine, cocaine or heroin, a 24 percent increase since 2007.

CASA Columbia's back-to-school survey was conducted using two concurrent surveys. CASA Columbia used Knowledge Networks to do an Internet-based survey administered to a nationally representative sample of 1,037 teens (546 boys, 491 girls), and 528 of their parents, from March 27 to April 27, 2011. Sampling error is +/- 3.1 for teens and +/- 4.4 for parents. As in the past, CASA Columbia used QEV Analytics to do a survey of trend questions at home by telephone, which was administered to a nationally representative sample of 1,006 teens (478 boys, 528 girls) from March 29 to May 9, 2011. Sampling error is +/- 3.1.

SOURCE: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, "National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents," press release, August 24, 2011

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Second Annual National Drug Facts Week Begins October 31

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Teens and drug experts will connect for the second annual National Drug Facts Week, held Oct. 31 through Nov. 6. This week-long observance will bring together teens and scientific experts in community events across the country to discuss scientific facts about drug abuse. It is sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

"This week-long observance is designed to counteract the many drug abuse myths that bombard today's youth," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. "We have learned that teens are craving factual information about drug risks and dangers to help them make smart choices."

National Drug Facts Week encourages community-based question and answer sessions between teens and scientists. Events can be sponsored by a variety of organizations, including schools, community groups, sports clubs, book clubs, and local hospitals. NIDA provides an online toolkit that advises teens and their sponsoring organizations on to how create an event, how to publicize it, how to find a scientific expert, and where to find scientific information on drugs. NIDA will support event holders by offering its popular teen booklet, Drugs: Shatter the Myths, free of charge as well as a new online National Drug IQ Challenge, a 10-question multiple choice quiz that teens and adults can take to test their knowledge about drugs. 

"We expect to build on the success of our 2010 National Drug Facts Week, which garnered more than 100 events in communities around the country," stated Volkow. "NIDA is actively working with federal, regional and local partners to build events that will expose teens to the science behind drug abuse."

National Drug Facts Week is being supported by multiple federal agencies that share an interest in preventing teen drug abuse. They are:

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at NIH, the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools in the U.S. Department of Education, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at HHS and The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the U.S. Department of Justice. Each of these agencies will post National Drug Facts Week information on their websites and will encourage the development of special events linking scientists to teens. 

"Knowledge is the most powerful tool we can provide our teens to help them make responsible and healthy decisions," said ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske. "Science plays a vital role in helping teens think critically about drug use and its consequences and can help ensure that every new generation of young people in America can live up to their full potential." The Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools in the Department of Education will reach out to schools across America to encourage activities during National Drug Facts Week. "We can't expect to reach our education goals unless we can convince youth that use of alcohol and other drugs will hinder their ability to learn," said Bill Modzeleski, acting assistant deputy secretary of Education.

Also during National Drug Facts Week, NIDA will announce the results of its MusiCares and GRAMMY Foundation Teen Substance Abuse Awareness through Music Contest. Information on the contest, the quiz, the booklet and other National Drug Facts Week educational tools can be found at http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov/. In addition, NIDA's annual Drug Facts Chat Day will be held Tuesday, Nov. 1. Registration information about this popular Web chat can be found at www.drugabuse.gov/chat/.

SOURCE: National Institute on Drug Abuse, "Second annual National Drug Facts Week begins Oct. 31st," news release, August 22, 2011

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