The Los Angeles Times (8/19, Mohan) “Science Now” blog reported that, according to a study published Aug. 19 in the journal Psychological Science, the effects of bullying may be felt into “adulthood, when victims are far more likely to have emotional, behavioral, financial and health problems.” Even after adjusting for confounding factors, researchers found that individuals who “were both victim and perpetrator as schoolchildren fared the worst as adults: they were more than six times more likely to be diagnosed with a serious illness or psychiatric disorder” and to smoke on a regular basis.
On its website, CBS News (8/20, Castillo) points out that, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately “20 percent of US students in grades 9 through 12 were bullied at some point in 2011.” But bullying is not just confined to the classroom. A study published in the June issue of Pediatrics “showed that people who were bullied by their siblings may have more adult metal health problems like depression and anxiety than those who had been bullied by their peers.”
The Time (8/20, Sifferlin) “Healthland” blog points put that researchers “studied 1,420 children between the ages nine to 16 who reported being victims of bullying, acting as bullies, or both (bully-victims),” as well as a group of control children uninvolved in bullying. The youngsters “were questioned four to six times during the study, and when they were between 24 to 26 years old, they were evaluated on certain psychiatric measures, whether they engaged in risky or illegal behaviors, their wealth, and the status of their social relationships.”
Related Links:
— “Children bullied in school may have more problems as adults, “Geoffrey Mohan, Los Angeles Times, August 19, 2013.