Navigating the Digital Minefield: Cyberbullying, Catfishing, and Vulnerability Among Neurodivergent Populations

Sometimes, I think about the 90s when I was in elementary school, and I’m glad that tablets and smartphones were not yet in the world. I had faced a significant amount of bullying in person, but being bullied online can be a different kind of struggle. Cyberbullying is just as prevalent as...

Gender Perspectives on Hazing: Understanding Mental Health Outcomes

The heartbreaking deaths of Tim Piazza and Kristin High underscore the deadly risks of fraternity and sorority hazing, revealing how gendered practices in hazing not only differ but also lead to distinct psychological and physical consequences. Nineteen-year-old Tim Piazza, a student at Penn State,...

Beyond the Locker Room: Unmasking Hazing in the Military, Workplaces, and Sports Teams

Danny Chen's Story Danny Chen, a 19-year-old Army private from New York, died by suicide on October 3, 2011, while deployed in Afghanistan. His death followed hazing and racial bullying from fellow soldiers. Being of Chinese descent, Chen endured racial slurs like “gook" and “chink,” along...

What Makes a Bully? Can Hazing Culture Temporarily Warp Someone’s Moral Compass?

I was a sophomore at Smoky Hill High School when the Columbine school shooting happened just 20 miles away. I remember the confusion as our school went into lockdown. None of us could have imagined the horror unfolding nearby. For 25 years, I’ve carried the weight of that day, and I’ve long...

Under the Influence – How Hazing Drives Substance Use Among Students

Chase Roberts is a former student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After enduring severe hazing as a pledge in a fraternity, Roberts began using drugs as a coping mechanism. He described how the trauma from the hazing rituals led him to seek solace in substances like marijuana and...

The Mental Health Impact of Hazing on Bystanders

I recently watched a short series called Fool Me Once, adapted from Harlan Coben’s novel. The theme of hazing plays a significant role in the story, particularly in relation to the main character’s past. Joe, who is initially seen as a victim of a murder, is later revealed to have a troubling...

The Long-Term Psychological Effects of Hazing and How We Can Prevent Them

Danny Santulli, an 18-year-old college freshman, was a victim of a hazing incident in 2021. During a fraternity hazing ritual at the University of Missouri, he was forced to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, resulting in alcohol poisoning and brain damage. Danny was left unable to speak, walk, or...