An article published in the American Journal of Psychiatry on April 18, 2014 by the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London has found a link between bullying and negative health effects for decades to follow. The 7,771 people in this study were all born in the same week in 1958. They were analyzed for the amount of bullying they experienced from ages 7-11, and their progress was tracked until they reached the age of 50. The study found that 28 percent of those studied had been bullied occasionally and 15 percent had been bullied often.
The study found that those who experienced bullying “were more likely to have poor physical and psychological health, lower educational levels, higher levels of unemployment, and less general satisfaction with life. They often lacked a social support system. Those who’d been bullied frequently had increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal thoughts.”
This comes shortly on the heels of an anti-bullying mishap that occurred in Lincoln, Nebraska this week. A flyer sent home by Zeman Elementary School advised those who were victims of bullying to not defend themselves, not to confront their attackers, not to be a sore loser, and to not inform authority figures of what was going on. Although the school has since distanced themselves from the flyer, calling it a “mistake” that the flyer went home, this is perhaps some of the worst advice that can be given to victims of bullying. Maybe studies like King’s College London one will further educate those who have left behind about the real consequences of bullying on people for decades to come.
