Is Bullying a Form Of Childhood Trauma?
YES! According to the National Institute of Mental Health, childhood trauma is the experience of an event by a child that is emotionally painful or distressful, and often leads to lasting mental and physical effects. Childhood is an important period in a person’s life, and being a victim of bullying during childhood creates traumatic experiences that can continue to negatively impact someone later in life.
An important question to ask ourselves is, how can being bullied as a child impact health outcomes as an Adult? Research suggests that not only are victims of childhood bullying more likely to have greater psychological distress in adulthood, but are more likely to have poorer mental health outcomes. The goal of the present study was to find out the specific ways that childhood bullying impacts a person’s health and well being in adulthood.
The Present Study
The present study was a longitudinal study, meaning that the same participants were tested over different periods of time. In this case, participants were tested at different ages during childhood, early adulthood, and midlife. Childhood bullying was assessed by asking parents if their child was bullied.
What Did They Find?
The results from this study suggest that bullies may come and go in childhood, but the trauma may create problems that are enduring in adulthood. For example, the study found that participants who were bullied in childhood showed higher levels of psychological distress in early adulthood (ie. age 23, 33) and midlife (ie. age 45, 50). These participants were also at greater risk for anxiety disorders, depression and poor social relationships in adulthood. Based on the results, overall adult well-being seems to be negatively impacted by frequent experiences of childhood bullying.
Limitations
It is important to note that all findings in the study are purely correlational, meaning only relationships can be drawn and these findings are not actual claims. It is also worth mentioning that because parents were reporting the frequency of bullying experienced by their children, the reports may be biased or inaccurate. This limitation is important as there were differences between adult health outcomes in children who were frequently bullied, versus occasionally bullied. For example, depression was greater in participants who were only occasionally bullied in childhood.
Personal Note
Being a victim of bullying no matter how old you are is traumatic and distressing. It is important to reach out to trusted people in your life or professionals if you or someone you know is suffering from bullying. It is also important to be conscious about how we treat people as our words and actions have the ability to impact someone's life either negatively or positively. If you want to learn more about bullying or don’t know where to start to get help, the following link may be of use to you.
Source:
Takizawa, R., Maughan, B., & Arseneault, L. (2014). Adult health outcomes of childhood bullying victimization: Evidence from a five-decade longitudinal british birth cohort. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(7), 777-784. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13101401
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