Bullies, Victims and Youthful Firesetting: Fire Prevention and Community Activism

1. Bullies, Victims and Youthful Firesetting:Fire Prevention and Community Activism Paul Schwartzman, M.S., L.M.H.C., D.A.P.A. North Carolina Fire & Life Safety Education Conference February 9, 2011 Chapel Hill, NC

2. Introductions & Presentation Overview • Discuss relationship between bullying and firesetting • Review dynamics of bullying • Illustrate how a JFSI program spearheaded community action • Benefit to a community concern • Increase awareness of JFSI

3. Monroe County Juvenile Firesetter Prevention Task Force • Formed in 2001 with several community professionals to support JFSI Program • Address issues as prevention, education, mental health treatment & increasing community awareness

4. Monroe County Juvenile Fire Prevention Task Force • Met Bi-monthly • Agendas go out 1 month prior to meeting • Members are encouraged to set agenda • Committees Report • Numbers Reviewed • Each Meeting had an educational component • Examples include • Gang Awareness, Drug Abuse, Confidentiality Issues, Satanism & Ritualistic Behaviors, Meth Labs, etc.

5. Fire Service Law Enforcement Educators Therapists Psychologists Social Workers Counselors Media Insurance Companies Medical Field Reps Parents Probation Surrounding Counties Monroe County Juvenile Fire Prevention Task Force Members

6. Task Force Initiatives

7. Public Service Announcements & Media Events Committee • Strong Relationship with Local Media • Arson Awareness Week clips • Safety First Mondays • PSA’s • Cable Access Talk Show

8. Public Service Announcements & Media Events Committee • PSA’s • Arson Awareness Week Poster Contest • Converted into billboards

9. Moving Forward with Monroe County • Cable Access Talk Show • Video

10. Mental Health Committee • Regular Case Reviews • Training of Mental Health Treatment Providers • Development of a referral network • Recently joined mental health consultants/providers from FLRBA

11. Prevention & Education Committee • Research w/DSS, Health Dept. & school districts • Predictive behaviors of fire involvement • Development of Education Programs • Tools for JFSI Educational Intervention • Development of Prevention Programs

12. EDITH DVD

13. James Elliot Schwartzman

14. Bullying Committee • Discovered relationship between bullying and firesetting • Established committee to explore issues and needs • Sosfires 2003 study finds additional relationship • Average of 79% report being bullied • Average of 45% report acting as a bully

15. WHAT IS BULLYING? Myths versus Reality Types Prevalence

16. Three Markers of Bullying • Imbalance of POWER • INTENT to harm • THREATof further aggression B. Coloroso, 2003

17. Underlying Messages • Some people do not deserve to be treated with kindness. • Some people have the right to be cruel.

18. Physical Verbal Emotional Sexual Hazing Types of Bullying

19. Cyber BullyingComputers & Cell Phones AYSOS :8) :-))) BM JT GAL

20. Flaming • Online fights using electronic messages with angry and vulgar language. • Joe and Alec’s online exchange got angrier and angrier. Insults were flying. Joe warned Alec to watch his back in school the next day.

21. Harassment • Repeatedly sending nasty, mean, and insulting messages. • Sara reported to the principal that Kayla was bullying another student. When Sara got home, she had 35 angry messages in her e-mail box. The anonymous cruel messages kept coming—some from complete strangers.

22. Denigration • “Dissing” someone online. Sending or posting gossip or rumors about a person to damage his or her reputation or friendships. • Some boys created a “We Hate Joe” Web site where they posted jokes, cartoons, gossip, and rumors, all dissing Joe.

23. Impersonation • Pretending to be someone else and sending or posting material to get that person in trouble or danger or to damage that person’s reputation or friendships. • Laura watched closely as Emma logged on to her account and discovered her password. Later, Laura logged on to Emma’s account and sent a hurtful message to Emma’s boyfriend, Adam.

24. Outing • Sharing someone’s secrets or embarrassing information or images online. • Greg, an obese high school student, was changing in the locker room after gym class. Matt took a picture of him with his cell phone camera. Within seconds, the picture was flying around the phones at school.

25. Trickery • Talking someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information, then sharing it online. • Katie sent a message to Jessica pretending to be her friend and asking lots of questions. Jessica responded, sharing really personal information. Katie forwarded the message to lots of other people with her own comment, “Jessica is a loser.”

26. Exclusion • Intentionally and cruelly excluding someone from an online group. • Millie tries hard to fit in with a group of girls at school. She recently got on the “outs” with a leader in this group. Now Millie has been blocked from the friendship links of all of the girls.

27. Cyberstalking • Repeated, intense harassment and denigration that includes threats or creates significant fear. • When Annie broke up with Sam, he sent her many angry, threatening, pleading messages. He spread nasty rumors about her to her friends and posted a sexually suggestive picture she had given him in a sex-oriented discussion group, along with her e-mail address and cell phone number.

28. Cyberthreats • direct threats or “distressing material”—general statements that make it sound like the writer is emotionally upset and may be considering harming someone else, harming himself or herself, or committing suicide.

29. Cyber Bullying Survey • 1500 Students in grades 4 – 8. • 58% admit someone mean or hurtful to them online. • 53% admit being mean or hurtful to another online. • 42% persistently bullied while online. • 58% have not told their parent or any adult. i-Safe America, Inc., www.isafe.org

30. Prevalence • 30% of 6th – 10th graders reported moderate to frequent involvement with bullying.1 • 160,000 students a day stay home from school due to bullying.1 • 6 out 10 teens witness bullying at least once a day.2 1 Nansel, et. al., 2001 2National Crime prevention Council, 2003

31. Hazing Any humiliating or dangerous activity expected of you to join a group, regardless of your willingness to participate.

32. Hazing – How big is the problem? • 48% of all high school students were subjected to hazing. • The greatest number of students subjected to hazing were involved in athletics—nearly 1 million annually.

33. Initiation Rites

34. The Bully • Inflated sense of self • High social status • Average to High IQ • Entitled • Hot responder • Lack empathy

35. Firesetter Child and Adolescent PsychopathologyConduct Disorder/Juvenile Delinquent • Aggression towards people and animals • Misinterpret social cues • Destruction of property • Firesetting • Deceitfulness, lying, stealing • Serious violation of rules • Stays out at night • Runs away from home • School truancy

36. Gang Related Fire BehaviorA Continuum of Severity • School lavatory fires • Gang initiation rites • Cover other crimes: theft • Revenge and turf issues

37. The Bullying Circle (Dan Olweus, PhD) The Bully/Bullies Defenders of the Victim Followers/ Henchmen The Victim Possible Defenders Supporters Passive Supporters Disengaged Onlookers

38. Other Bullying Risk Factors • Familial • Lack of positive adult role model • Little adult supervision • Lack of parental warmth • Lack of clear rules • Use of corporal punishment • School • Lack of adult supervision • Indifferent attitudes of students & school staff towards bullying • Community • Safety concerns

39. Firesetter Parent Psychopathology • Depression • Alcohol & Substance Abuse • Marital discord • Poor supervision and monitoring • Low in affection • Chronic stress

40. The Victim • Anxious • Insecure • Lack social skills • Physically weak • Emotionally vulnerable • External characteristics • majority of burn-surviving children (68%) reported bullying as a problem.

41. Child and Adolescent PsychopathologyAdditional Diagnoses & Characteristics • Adjustment disorder • Depression • Low self esteem • Poor social skills

42. Child and Adolescent PsychopathologyAttention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder • The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders list the following criteria for diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: • A. Either (1) or (2): • (1) six (or more) of the following symptoms of inattention have persisted for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level: • Inattention • a. often makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities • b. often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities • c. often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly • d. often does not follow through on instructions or finish assignments, chores • e. often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities • f. often avoids or dislikes tasks or activities that require concentration • g. often loses things • h. often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli • I. often forgetful in daily activities • (2) six (or more) of the following symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have persisted for 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level: • Hyperactivity • a. often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat • b. often leaves seat in classroom or other situation where expected to remain seated • c. often runs or climbs excessively in situations where it is inappropriate • d. often has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly • e. often “on the go” • f. often talks excessively • Impulsivity • g. often blurts out answers before questions are completed • h. often has difficulty waiting turn • I. often interrupts or intrudes on others • B. Symptoms are present in two or more settings such as in school and at home • C. There is evidence of clear impairment of social or academic functioning

43. CONSEQUENCES OF BULLYING:What happens when we just stand by? Victim Bully Bystander Community

44. Consequences for Victim • Academic • 160,000 students a day stay home from school due to bullying. • 10% Dropout • Social • Loss of friendships, isolation • Emotional Health • 5x more likely to be depressed, suicidal, homicidal • Physical Health

45. Consequences for Bully • Increased risk for other antisocial behavior • Theft, vandalism, drugs & alcohol, truancy • Criminal behavior • 60% convicted of at least 1 adult crime

46. Consequences for Others • Bystanders • Anxiety, guilt, shame • School • Interferes with learning, culture of fear and disrepect • Community • Financial, social

47. Warning Signs of Being Bullied • School avoidance • Somatic complaints • Depression • Aggressive with siblings/ other children • Unexplained injuries or bruises • Unusual hunger after school • Stealing money • Desire to carry weapon • Elimination problems • Losing belongings • Feels picked on/rejected • Sleep problems/Nightmares

48. Seeks to dominate/ manipulate others Enjoys feeling powerful & in control Both a poor winner & poor loser Seems to enjoy other’s fears, discomfort, or pain Good at hiding behavior Lacks empathy towards others Excited by conflicts between others Blames others for problems Pattern of impulsive & chronic hitting, intimidating & aggressive behavior Displays intolerance & prejudice towards others Warning Signs - Bully

49. Working Towards Solutions

50. The Bullying Committee Today • Established as a free standing task force • Get the word to the community re: the seriousness of the bullying “epidemic” • Work with local Juvenile Justice Council, Law Enforcement Agencies, schools and media outlets to develop an awareness/intervention initiative • Held Conference in May 2003/350+ attended/ 2nd conference fall 2004 • Continuing the Discussion Presentations • Developed and distributed model school policy • Website resource • Cyberbullying conference planned presented Fall, 2007