Boys typically engage in direct bullying while girls tend to use indirect methods, though girls are less frequently either bullies or victims. Approximately 15 percent of students are either bullied regularly or are themselves bullies. Direct bullying seems to increase through elementary school, peak during middle school or junior high school, and decline during high school. While physical assaults decrease with age, verbal abuse appears to remain constant. Children who are chronic bullies seem to remain bullies as adults.
Fear leads many victims to turn against school.
Some 7 percent of America's eighth-graders stay home at least once a month because of bullies. Being bullied often increases isolation, depression, and low self-esteem, problems that can affect victims for the rest of their lives Bullies Bullies often come from homes where physical punishment is used and where children are taught to strike back physically as a way of handling problems. They thus believe that it is all right for stronger children to hit weaker children. Bullies frequently lack parental warmth and involvement and seem to desire power and control. They derive satisfaction from inflicting injury and suffering and have little empathy for their victims.