School can present unique challenges and concerns for young people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, whether they are in elementary, middle or high school. Your child may be embarrassed about their psoriasis showing or that their psoriatic arthritis will prevent them from keeping up with classmates in PE or at recess. Or, they may be worried about staring or teasing from other kids. For many children living with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, there's a very real chance they could be victimized by bullies at school, according to a recent survey.
The National Psoriasis Foundation surveyed parents of children with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis to document their child's challenges with bullying and discrimination as a result of the disease. Highlights from the survey are below.
During the past six months, nearly half (44 percent) of the children surveyed had been bullied at least once or twice. Of those bullied:
Thirty-eight percent (38 percent) of respondents who were bullied said the abuse was a direct result of his/her psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.
The emotional effect of bullying on children with psoriatic disease is great. As a result of bullying, those surveyed said:
As a result of their child's bullying, parents who responded reported taking the following actions:
Read more about the survey, including respondent demographics >
Watch your child for signs of bullying (including anxiety, moodiness, difficulty sleeping). Talk to your child about bullying—tell them they can talk to you or another adult about what they are experiencing and reassure them that it's not their fault! Talk to your child's teacher and the school counselor and ask for their support. Learn about the bullying laws in your community. If you have serious concerns about the safety of your child and you are not getting support from school personnel, you may need to approach legal authorities.
Share tips with your child for dealing with bullies.
The National Psoriasis Foundation and other organizations have resources that can help you talk to your child's teacher and classmates about psoriasis:
Visit the National Psoriasis Foundation website at www.psoriasis.org »
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