What is the early adulthood outcome of boys who bully or are bullied in childhood?
Sourander A, Jensen P, Ronning JA, Niemela S, Helenius H, Sillanmaki L, et al.
The Bottom Line:
Early intervention to prevent bullying behavior and to treat the initial symptoms of psychiatric symptoms would be very helpful in preventing long-term mental health and behavior problems in boys and young men.
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What problem is being addressed?
Both children who bully and those who are bullied can have multiple social and psychological problems. Although the immediate consequences of bullying are documented – increased aggression and lack of safety in schools and depression and anxiety in the victims – what happens to the bully and the victim of bullying in adulthood has not been well studied.
What intervention is being tested?
This study followed a group of children from birth. The children who were identified by self, teacher, and parent as being either bullies or the victims of bullies at age 8 were followed up when they were between 18 and 23 years of age to see if they had any psychiatric disorders.
What is the real scientific evidence?
Approximately 28% of the young adults who at age 8 had been identified as being a bully, a victim of bullying or being both had a psychiatric disorder when followed up 10 to 15 years later. A child’s bullying behavior predicted the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder in adulthood. Being the victim of bullying predicted anxiety disorders in adulthood. Being both a bully and the victim of bullying predicted having both an anxiety disorders and antisocial personality disorder.
Children who engage in bullying behavior or are the victims of bullying have significant chance of having a psychiatric disorder when they reach young adulthood. Many also had psychiatric symptoms when they were aged 8. However, it was bullying behavior or being a victim of a bully together with symptoms of a psychiatric disorder that predicted adult disorders, not just having shown symptoms of a psychiatric disorder at age 8.
The preceding is a summary of:
Fraser MS, Day SH, Galinsky MJ, Hodges VG, Smokowski PR. Conduct problems and peer rejection in childhood: A randomized trial of the Making Choices and Strong Families Programs. Research on Social Work Practice 2004, 14(5): 313-324.
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