The Psychological Impact of Bullying on School Students: A Case Study in Indonesia

School violence and bullying have a significant psychological impact on students, especially in Indonesia. Victims often experience anxiety, depression and low self-esteem, which can result in reduced academic performance and physical health problems. This is a serious problem that has a very significant psychological impact on victims. These acts not only leave physical marks, but also trigger various psychological problems that can have a long-term impact on the victim's life. The psychological impact of violence and bullying is an urgent issue to address. Students who are victims of bullying often experience decreased motivation and concentration, leading to poor academic performance. This can cause anxiety and fear in students, so they tend to avoid school and have difficulty in learning.

The psychological impact of violence and bullying can be sustained and affect the victim's quality of life in the long term. Victims of bullying tend to experience difficulties in establishing interpersonal relationships, have low self-esteem, and find it difficult to trust others. This can hinder their social and emotional development, as well as negatively impact academic performance. In addition, violence and bullying can also trigger a cycle of violence. Victims of bullying who don't get the right help can grow up to be bullies in the future. This shows how important it is to prevent and address bullying issues early on.

Victims of violence and bullying have a higher risk of experiencing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Closed from indopos.cod.id that the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) revealed that there were around 3,800 cases of bullying in Indonesia throughout 2023. This data increased significantly compared to the previous year's data compiled from KPAI and the Federation of Indonesian Teachers' Unions (FSGI), which recorded 226 cases in 2022, 53 cases in 2021 and 119 cases in 2020. Ironically, these bullying cases are increasing from year to year.

The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) recorded 141 cases of child abuse in early 2024, with 35% of these cases occurring in the school environment. Of the total, 46 cases involved children who ended their lives due to violence, and almost half of them occurred in education units. The Federation of Indonesian Teachers' Unions (FSGI) reported 15 cases of violence in education units from January to July 2024. 73.33% of the cases were physical violence, while 20% were sexual violence committed by teachers. In some cases, physical violence even led to the death of students. The data shows that the perpetrators of violence in schools are mostly peers, with 64% of cases involving children in conflict with each other. These cases are most prevalent at the junior high school (SMP) level with a percentage of 40%, followed by elementary school (SD) with 33.33%, and senior high school (SMA) and vocational high school (SMK) with 13.33%3.

Based on the data and case studies above, it can be concluded that violence and bullying have a very detrimental psychological impact on students. This behavior not only damages the future of the victim, but also harms society as a whole. Therefore, efforts to prevent and handle bullying should be a top priority in the school environment.