The Children's Safety Network invites you to the second in a series of webinars on the issue of bullying awareness, response, and prevention based on the "Building Capacity to Reduce Bullying and Its Impact on Youth across the Lifecourse" workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC) in April 2014. This second webinar explores the relation between being bullied and subsequent mental and physical health problems, such as depression and poorer immune function. Tracy Vaillancourt, Ph.D. of the University of Ottawa will explore the results of longitudinal studies pointing to changes in the body's stress response system triggered by peer abuse. By explaining the insights and the limitations of these research findings, Dr. Vaillancourt will elaborate on what we know about why some children and youth experience adverse health outcomes because of poor treatment by peers, while others do not. Further, she will underscore the urgent need to eliminate bullying among children and youth by highlighting the 'invisible' biological changes that promote risks to health and well-being.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the physical and mental health consequences that may result from alterations in the way genes are activated or silenced when someone experiences bullying.
- Identify likely moderating factors, such as family functioning, school climate, gender, temperament, and biology.
- Recognize the urgent need to eliminate bullying among children and youth by highlighting the 'invisible' biological changes that promote risks to health and well-being.
This webinar series is being conducted in conjunction with a series of blogs that will appear on the StopBullying.gov website. To read the blogs, visit: http://www.stopbullying.gov/blog.
Presenter:
Tracy Vaillancourt, Ph.D.is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Children's Mental Health and Violence Prevention at the University of Ottawa in the Faculty of Education (counselling program) and the School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences. She is also an elected member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada and on the executive team of the Promoting Relationships & Eliminating Violence Network (PREVNet) Dr. Vaillancourt's research examines the links between aggression and children's mental health functioning, with a particular focus on the neurobiology of peer victimization. Her research is currently funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.