Bullying exposure associated with adult psychiatric disorders requiring treatment

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Exposure to bullying as a child was associated with psychiatric disorders in adulthood that required treatment in a study of Finnish children, according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry.

Previous research has suggested bullying and exposure to bullying may contribute to later mental health.

Andre Sourander, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Turku, Finland, and coauthors examined associations between bullying behavior at age 8 and adult psychiatric outcomes by age 29. The study used data from 5,034 Finnish children and assessments of bullying and exposure to bullying were based on information from the children, their parents and teachers. Information on the use of inpatient and outpatient services to treat psychiatric disorders from ages 16 to 29 was obtained from a nationwide hospital register.

About 90 percent of study participants (4,540 of 5,034) did not engage in bullying behavior and, of those, 520 (11.5 percent) had received a psychiatric diagnosis by follow-up. In comparison, 33 of 166 (19.9 percent) of participants who engaged in frequent bullying, 58 of 251 (23.1 percent) participants frequently exposed to bullying, and 24 of 77 (31.2 percent) participants who both frequently engaged in and were frequently exposed to bullying had psychiatric diagnoses by follow-up, according to the results.

Study participants were divided into four groups: those who never or only sometimes bully and are not exposed to bullying; those who frequently bully but are not exposed to bullying; those who were frequently only exposed to bullying; and those who frequently bully and are exposed to bullying.

The treatment of any psychiatric disorder was associated with frequent exposure to bullying, as well as with being a bully and being exposed to bullying. Exposure to bullying was associated with depression, according to the results.

Study participants who were bullies and exposed to bullying at age 8 had a high risk for several psychiatric disorders that required treatment when they were adults.

The authors note the main limitation of the study is the lack of understanding about how bullying-exposure to bullying may lead to psychiatric disorders.

“Future studies containing more nuanced information about the mediating factors that occur between childhood bullying and adulthood disorders will be needed to shed light on this important question. … Policy makers and health care professionals should be aware of the complex nature between bullying and psychiatric outcomes when they implement prevention and treatment interventions,” the study concludes.

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Makes sense, bullying can be very traumatizing especially at an age when ur like a sponge to ur environment and if all ur sucking up is bullying it could have a serious effect. I wouldn’t say the kids at school were bullying me per se but they weren’t exactly nice verbally actually were quite mean. And i couldn’t trust anyone cause everyone was talking about everyone behind their back. I think thats what developed into my paranoia a bit. Ugh school, what an awful place besides learning. Also…y am i still up lol?

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I know… I was bullied and it sure helped my paranoia and depression. I became agoraphobic also for a while there. Talk therapy helped with that.

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Yea i still need to work on my own its kind of turned me into a recluse. But im glad the therapy helped. I just try to meditate before i go out and even when im out i just say “feel ur feet on the ground Joseph…” Its hard though after 17 years of not being able to trust anybody or the things they said and im only 20. I need to go to sleep tell me to go to sleep ive been glued to video games and the forum all night

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A teacher of mine taught me a cool meditation. Just sit and take deep breaths, think of your mind as it is the blue sky and the thoughts are clouds that dissipate. Sit like that for as long as you’re comfortable and until you’re no longer nervous.

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I was bullied at school. I think that caused paranoia. I still think about that time. One day i hope ill forget the past. Its over.

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I was bullied. I fought back though. My mom brought around men who were abusive.

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I’m sorry to hear that.

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Thank you! I was lucky that I wasn’t sexually abused. I can’t imagine how hard that must be for a child.

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I was teased as a pre teen and came in for heavier bullying in my teens. First there was the social anxiety and then there was the paranoia. I am not sure the bullying caused mental health issues as much as brought them to the front.
I was bullied for being physically and socially awkward and maybe it was a negative peer reaction to latent signs of not being quite right/having underlying mental health issues.
I know that 40 years and more later I am still affected by that bullying. The social awkwardness that got me bullied in the first place has never gone away. It leaves me socially isolated and without friends.

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Painful, terrifying, and crippling without outside help.

Pixel.

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I was bullied to some extent until I transferred back to public school in 7th grade.

The worst part is that most of this bullying was being encouraged and even done by my teacher, who was 23 and just out of college. The star soccer coach so he was never disciplined for anything, basically did whatever he wanted. Those years were a living hell for me.

I can remember the voice, when I was at my height of clubhouse advocacy, when I’d visit other clubhouses, They’d always ask “what is HE doing here” (which is frequent anywhere these days for me) and my friend would respond “He was bullied”

Never made sense of that, though I exist in three dimension in a four dimension world I will probably never make sense of. But there’s always hope, as I even after all the damage, have value, worth and beauty,.

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I was bullied by a teacher in 7th grade too.

You inspire me with your work at the Club House. I’ve only done political canvasing to help my community. What you have done is greater and very important.