Long-term effects of bullying on psychological health

Millions of children experience bullying at some point in their life, a significant problem faced here in the U.S.  But just how harmful is bullying on psychological health?  In other words, just how long-term are its negative effects?           

New research from the American Journal of Psychology suggests that by the time the bullied child reaches middle-age, the effects are still present.  The longitudinal study began in 1958 and followed 18,000 children between the ages of 7 and 11 from England, Scotland and Wales for 40 years.  At the beginning of the study, parents provided information on whether or not their child was ever bullied and if so, how often.  The 61% of participants that remained in the study after 40 years were assessed for anxiety and depression and given a questionnaire on their psychological distress.

They found that those children whose parents had reported them as being bullied more often were more likely to grow up to be depressed, assess their health as poor, develop anxiety disorders, have problems with cognitive functioning and commit suicide.  Additionally, the victims of bullying tended to stay in school for fewer years and to earn less money or be unemployed.  Most disturbingly, victims were less likely to have a spouse, spend time with friends or feel that they had someone to rely on and overall, reported worse quality of life and lessened optimism for the future.

In his visit to Loyola University Chicago, Dr. Ned H. Kalin  weighed in how high levels of anxiety in childhood can predict mental health in adolescence and adulthood in his seminar on the developmental risk for anxiety and depression.  He reported that roughly 50% of children with high anxiety will develop anxiety and depression later in life; specifically, high levels of anxiety in early life are correlated with a 50% development of social anxiety disorder, 20% development of another anxiety disorder and 10% development of a mood disorder without anxiety.  

Supported by the reports from the study, Dr. Kalin also provided data suggesting that these changes in mental functioning can be caused by physiological damage to the brain caused by stress at an early age.  Children who experienced stress early on had smaller hippocampuses and more active amygdalae and altered interactions between prefrontal cortices and amygdalae.  This brain pathology could be the reason why the harmful effects of bullying stay with victims for decades or even for their entire lives.  Regardless of the mechanism behind it, this troubling data provides more reason why bullying needs to be actively combated to make school and childhood safe for everyone.   

Weiss, Dyanne. "Scars From Childhood Bullying Can Last." Guardian Liberty Voice. N.p., 19 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.