Think the bullied are the only ones effected by bullying? Think again.
A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry and reported by Time shows that victims and bullies alike suffer fromn long-term effects of bullying.
In the study, researchers followed some 1,400 children from childhood — bullies, victims, and bullies who are also victims — into young adulthood to determine the effects of bullying. The results are disturbing. All three groups reported long-term psychiatric effects, including:
- anxiety
- depressive or anitsocial personality disorders
- alcohol or marijuana abuse
As adults, childhood victims of bullies were:
- 3 times more likely to have axieity issues
- 4.6 times as likely to suffer from panic attacks or agoraphobis
Bullies showed:
- 4 times the risk for antisocial personality disorders
Children who were both bullies and victims showed:
- 5 times the risk for depression.
- 14.5 times the risk for a panic disorder
The study, which began in 1993, measured only the bullying effects from a school setting. Imagine the rates nowadays, given the explosion of bullying thanks to social media and texting.
We’ve come a long way in understanding the effects of and not tolerating bullying. Now we know it follows us into adulthood.
