Bullying is characterized by repeated hurtful actions by children of a similar age, where the victim finds it difficult to defend themselves.
A new study by King's College London examined the long-term impact of bullying. Alarmingly, researchers found that the negative social, physical and mental health effects of childhood bullying are still evident nearly 40 years later. This is the first study to look at how bullying affects people after early adulthood.
These findings used research from the British National Child Development Study, which includes data on all children born in England, Scotland, and Wales during one week in 1958. The study includes 7,771 children whose parents provided information on their child's exposure to bullying when they were seven and when they were 11. The children were then followed up until the age of 50.
According to the Telegraph, this study had a cohort of participants that went to school in the 1950s. At that time, approximately 28 percent were bullied occasionally and 15 percent were bullied frequently, which is similar to estimated rates of bullying in the U.K. today. Unfortunately, bullying is more present in the victims' lives today. In the 1950s, children could get a temporary reprieve from school bullies when they went home. Now, bullies can reach their victims through cyberbullying, making them feel as if nowhere is safe.
The study showed that, even after all these years, individuals who were bullied were more likely to have poorer physical and psychological health and cognitive functioning at age 50. Those that were frequently bullied were at an increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal thoughts.
Additionally, those that were bullied in childhood were more likely to have lower educational levels, with the men that were bullied being more likely to be unemployed and earn less. Finally, individuals who had been bullied were less likely to be in a relationship, to have good social support, and were more likely to report lower quality of life and life satisfaction.
Bullying is characterized by repeated hurtful actions by children of a similar age, where the victim finds it difficult to defend themselves. The harmful effects of bullying remained even when controlling for other factors including childhood IQ, emotional and behavioral problems, parents' socioeconomic status and low parental involvement.
Source : http://www.statecolumn.com/2014/04/bullying-has-negative-impacts-that-last-decades-after-childhood/
