Effects of Bullying

Bullying can affect everyonethose who are bullied, those who bully, and those who
witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on
mental health, substance use, and suicide. It is important to talk to kids to determine
whether bullyingor something elseis a concern.
Kids Who are Bullied
Kids Who Bully thers
Bystanders
!he "elationship between Bullying and #uicide
Kids Who are Bullied
Kids who are bullied can e$perience negative physical, school, and mental health issues.
Kids who are bullied are more likely to e$perience%
&epression and an$iety, increased feelings of sadness and l'oneliness, changes in sleep
and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to en(oy. !hese issues may
persist into adulthood.
)ealth complaints
&ecreased academic achievement*+, and standardi-ed test scoresand school
participation. !hey are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.
, very small number of bullied children might retaliate through e$tremely violent
measures. In ./ of .0 school shooting cases in the .112s, the shooters had a history of
being bullied.
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Kids Who Bully thers
Kids who bully others can also engage in violent and other risky behaviors into
adulthood. Kids who bully are more likely to%
,buse alcohol and other drugs in adolescence and as adults
*et into fights, vandali-e property, and drop out of school
Engage in early se$ual activity
)ave criminal convictions and traffic citations as adults
Be abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses, or children as adults
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Bystanders
Kids who witness bullying are more likely to%
)ave increased use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs
)ave increased mental health problems, including depression and an$iety
3iss or skip school
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!he "elationship between Bullying and #uicide
3edia reports often link bullying with suicide. )owever, most youth who are bullied do
not have thoughts of suicide or engage in suicidal behaviors.
,lthough kids who are bullied are at risk of suicide, bullying alone is not the cause. 3any
issues contribute to suicide risk, including depression, problems at home, and trauma
history. ,dditionally, specific groups have an increased risk of suicide, including
,merican Indian and ,laskan 4ative, ,sian ,merican, lesbian, gay, bise$ual, and
transgender youth. !his risk can be increased further when these kids are not supported
by parents, peers, and schools. Bullying can make an unsupportive situation worse.
e longer the period of time a child is bullied, the more severe and lasting the impact on a
child5s health, according to a new study from Boston 6hildren5s )ospital published online
7eb. .8 in +ediatrics. !he study is the first to e$amine the compounding effects of
bullying from elementary school to high school.
9ur research shows that long:term bullying has a severe impact on a child5s overall
health, and that its negative effects can accumulate and get worse with time,9 says the
study5s first author ;aura Bogart, +h&, from Boston 6hildren5s &ivision of *eneral
+ediatrics. 9It reinforces the notion that more bullying intervention is needed, because the
sooner we stop a child from being bullied, the less likely bullying is to have a lasting,
damaging effect on his or her health down the road.9
Bogart and the team collected data for the study by following a group of <,/18 children
and adolescents from fifth to tenth grade. !he researchers periodically interviewed them
about their mental and physical health and their e$perience=s> with bullying.
!he researchers found that bullying at any age was associated with worse mental and
physical health, increased depressive symptoms and lower self:worth. +articipants who
e$perienced chronic bullying also reported increased difficulties in physical activities like
walking, running or participating in sports. !hose who e$perienced bullying in the past
and were also e$periencing bullying in the present showed the lowest health scores.
,ccording to the authors, the study reinforces the importance of early intervention to stop
bullying and to be aware of the need to intervene again, even if the bullying is not
ongoing, to address the persistent effects. Bogart and colleagues are calling for increased
research to better develop and clinically test bullying prevention and intervention
methods.
9!here5s no such thing as a one:si-e:fits:all approach when it comes to addressing
bullying,9 Bogart says. 9But providing teachers, parents and clinicians with best:practices
that are evidence:based could better assist those at the frontlines helping children cope
with this serious problem and lessen the damage it causes.