Emotional Coaching: A Technique to Regulate School Bullying

Introduction

According to the American Psychological Association (APA, 2019), trauma is “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster”. It includes events that occur once or multiple times and long-lasting repetitive incidents (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2014). Childhood trauma can be painful or distressing experiences that impact a child physically and psychologically. Otherwise known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), these events refer to a child’s experiences before the age of 18 and have long-lasting impacts on children that can persist into adulthood (Wisner, 2022). These incidents may differ from child to child and include events like car accidents and chronic occurrences like abuse. It also includes events that a child witnesses, but may not be directly involved in. Additionally, traumatic events for a child can be both from within and outside the family, such as the loss of a loved one, abuse, war experiences, and natural disasters (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network [NCTSN], n.d.).

One such incident is school bullying, another common cause of childhood trauma prevalent among children worldwide. Trauma and bullying are intertwined with each other. Children who experience trauma are more likely to be involved in bullying, and experiencing bullying can lead to traumatic reactions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Plexousakis et al., 2019). These traumatic bullying experiences not only mar a child temporarily, hindering their academic and social development, but also lead to lasting changes in their behavior and biology (Dye, 2018). Additionally, research has indicated that children involved in bullying are more likely to have delinquent thoughts and engage in violent and criminal behavior, such as dating and domestic violence, thereby contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline (Bender & Lösel, 2011). Studies have shown that early experiences of trauma predict both mental and physical health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Trauma is also associated with earlier biological aging, including early puberty, cellular aging, and changes in the brain structure (Colich et al., 2020).

Immediate responses to traumatic incidents include shock, denial, sadness, and anxiety. Long-term responses to such incidents can manifest in the form of nightmares, sleep disorders, emotional dysregulation, and somatization (SAMHSA, 2014). However, having a good social support system that provides the child with a space to express their emotions and feel cared for can help reduce the impact of trauma on a child (SAMHSA, 2022). With the right help, children can heal from such trauma and become more resilient to face their day-to-day stressors effectively. Hence, the current chapter will focus on the role of school bullying as a childhood traumatic experience and explore emotional coaching as a strategy to break the school-to-prison pipeline by building resilience and regulating bullying among children.