Bullying Victims More Traumatized as Adults than those Abused During Childhood

Calling attention to bullying, a new study found that children who are bullied are more likely to suffer mental health trauma as adults than those abused.

The study was based on data provided during the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPC) in UK and the US Great Smoky Mountain study. In the first study health outcomes were measured at 18 years while it was measured between 19 and 25 years in the second study. In all, 5,300 children were part of both studies.

"The mental health outcomes we were looking for included anxiety, depression or suicidal tendencies. Our results showed those who were bullied were more likely to suffer from mental health problems than those who were maltreated. Being both bullied and maltreated also increased the risk of overall mental health problems, anxiety and depression in both groups," University of Warwick's Professor Dieter Wolke said.

Various reports on the study have noted that while maltreatment including abuse of children, has an advocacy movement trying to bring a change, no such initiatives exist for bullying which is often viewed as harmless and a rite of passage in educational institutions.

"Being bullied by peers in childhood had generally worse long-term adverse effects on young adults' mental health. These effects were not explained by poly- victimisation. The findings have important implications for public health planning and service development for dealing with peer bullying," Wolke and his team wrote in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry.