Bullying at home on rise as recession hits relationships

THE INCIDENCE of bullying in the home has significantly increased because of the recession, a counselling organisation has warned.

The Awareness Education Office in Dublin, which runs programmes on suicide prevention, bullying and alcohol misuse, said it began to notice an increase in calls about bullying in domestic situations in 2007.

Its director of programmes, Fr Tony Byrne, said this increase had continued and the centre was now receiving about six new calls a week from men and women who were being bullied at home.

He said this represented “a fraction” of the numbers being bullied as many others would not seek help.

“From our clinical experience, at least one in six people has experienced bullying in the home, but that’s a very conservative estimate. I think it’s far higher.”

Fr Byrne said couples found themselves unexpectedly thrown together because of unemployment, and tensions could mount at home. When financial worries were added, the situation could become very serious.

He said the loss of the breadwinner role had also seriously affected some families. The breadwinner could feel inadequate because of the change in circumstances and might lash out, while the dependent spouse could be very critical of the breadwinner for failing to support the family financially.

“Bullying in the home is not gender related,” he said. “Many men are being bullied in the home. They’ve suddenly found themselves under the feet of their wives. They are not able to make money like they did in the past and they have been ‘de-roled’ as a breadwinner.”

He said he had spoken to professional people who admitted that they were being bullied. “When you see very strong men and powerful women crying in your office, my God, your heart would bleed for them.”

Fr Byrne said one bullying case he had encountered ended in suicide. In another case of bullying in the home, the victim developed a drink problem. “Researchers like ourselves and others believe that 14 to 20 per cent of all suicides are associated with bullying,” he said.

The office (www.awarenesseducation.org), which was set up by the Presentation Sisters and the Holy Ghost congregation, has produced a CD Confronting Bullying in the Home in response to the increase in calls.