Posted by Wymark on 9/29/2009, 12:12 pm
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It was carried out over thirty years by the The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, and found that the least popular children:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8275535.stm
Can't say i'm particularly surprised.
I was unpopular at school - not because I was a bad or nasty person, but because I was painfully shy, had bad acne, big glasses, scruffy clothes, messy hair, and questionable personal hygiene, and these generally aren't the qualities a lot of teens are looking for in a 'friend' - and I can say that i've experienced most of the things described above. Drink and drug problems, low self-esteem, bad life coices, long periods of unemployment, mental health issues, and so on.
Being bullied and ostracised for five years, at such a vulnerable age, is going to f*ck most people up.
The solution? According to the author of the study, one way would be to 'foster social equality in the classroom, and to boost children's self-image'.
So greater equality, basically. Both of worth, and, i'd suggest, of opportunity and outcomes.
