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Muddy Waters: Parents’ Perspectives on the Bullying Experiences of Youth Living with Anxiety

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Abstract

Background

Bullying is common in school age youth and more frequent for youth living with anxiety. Parents are in a unique position to contextualize and increase understanding of youth experiences.

Objective

This study examined parents’ perspectives on bullying experiences of youth with anxiety to deepen our understanding of the challenges faced by youth and families and to inform interventions and supports.

Method

In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 54 parents/caregivers of youth aged 10–19 with an anxiety diagnosis. Participants were interviewed twice using semi-structured and open-ended questionnaires. Analysis was conducted using a hermeneutic phenomenology approach which privileges thick description and interpretation.

Results

Four key themes emerged from the parent interviews: (1) The experiences of bullying and anxiety are intertwined and pervasive; (2) Bullying in youth with anxiety is difficult to recognize; (3) For youth with anxiety, bullying can make school very unsafe; and (4) Parents face multiple challenges approaching schools to address bullying.

Conclusions

This study found that bullying involvement is common and more complex for youth living with anxiety; parents’ lack of awareness impedes their ability to help youth; bullying at school can lead to worsening anxiety and school avoidance; and inadequate responses by schools further compounds the suffering faced by youth living with anxiety and their families.

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Availability of Data and Materials

Due to ethical protocols, qualitative data are not available for sharing.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the parents and young people who participated in this study and shared their experiences.

Funding

This work was supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Operating Grant (Grant #: CIHR MOP-119277). RLW is supported by a Tier 1 Canadian Research Chair (CRC) in Child and Family Engagement in Health Research and Healthcare (CIHR—Canadian Research Chair—950–231845).

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Correspondence to Roberta Lynn Woodgate.

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Conflicts of interest

The authors declare there is no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval

Ethics approval was granted by the University of Manitoba Education/Nursing Research Ethics Board (ENREB) and written informed consent was obtained from participants.

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All participants provided written informed consent to participate.

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All participants provided written informed consent for their data to be used in publications.

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Woodgate, R.L., Comaskey, B. & Tennent, P. Muddy Waters: Parents’ Perspectives on the Bullying Experiences of Youth Living with Anxiety. Child Youth Care Forum 50, 527–545 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-020-09588-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-020-09588-9

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