In the first study of its kind to assess the compounding effects of bullying over 5 years, researchers have found that a child experiences more severe and lasting health implications the longer he or she is bullied, suggesting that early interventions could reverse the "downward health trajectory" that victims of bullying may experience.
Results of the study were recently reported in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Led by Laura Bogart, from Boston Children's Division of General Pediatrics, the researchers followed a group of over 4,000 children and adolescents from fifth to 10th grade, interviewing them about their mental and physical health and any bullying during grades five, seven and 10.
The team compared different groups of students:
- Those bullied in both the past and present
- Those bullied only in the present
- Those bullied only in the past
- Those who have never experienced bullying.
At any age, bullying was linked with worse mental and physical health, more depressive symptoms and a lower sense of self-worth. And students who reported chronic bullying also experienced more difficulties with physical activities like walking, running or playing sports.
"Our research shows that long-term bullying has a severe impact on child's overall health, and that its negative effects can accumulate and get worse with time," says Bogart.
She calls for more intervention around bullying, "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," she adds.
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