Childhood bullying can lead to suicide even 40 years later: Devastating effects can last well into middle age, researchers find


  • Bullying can damage mental and physical health in later life
  • Victims are more likely to have depression and anxiety at the age of 50
  • They also tend to have lower levels of education and to earn less
  • They are less likely to be in a relationship or to be satisfied with life

By
Emma Innes

06:44 EST, 18 April 2014

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06:50 EST, 18 April 2014

Childhood bullying can have such a devastating impact that victims consider suicide 40 years later, researchers have found.

Being bullied can damage both mental and physical health in later life and even effect living and social standards.

Researchers from Kings College, London, looked at 7,771 children, around a quarter of whom (28 per cent) were bullied between seven and 11, and followed them up until the age of 50.

Childhood bullying can lead to problems with mental and physical health later in life

They discovered that most of the victims were still suffering trauma as adults as a result of being picked on.

Dr Ryu Takizawa, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London said: ‘Our study shows that the effects of bullying are still visible nearly four decades later.

‘The impact of bullying is persistent and pervasive, with health, social and economic consequences lasting well into adulthood.’

Just over a quarter of children in the study (28 per cent) had been bullied occasionally and 15 per cent had been bullied severely, which researchers believe matches rates in the UK today.

It was discovered that victims of bullying were likely to be less physically healthy and have stronger possibilities of depression, anxiety disorders and suicidal thoughts at the age of 50.

And the study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, also revealed that bullies’ victims have lower educational levels, with men who were bullied more likely to be unemployed and earn less.

Relationships were also damaged with
victims of bullying found to be less likely to be in a relationship, and
more likely to have lower levels of satisfaction with their lives.

People who have been bullied are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety in middle-age

Senior author Professor Louise Arseneault, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s added: ‘We need to move away from any perception that bullying is just an inevitable part of growing up.

‘Teachers, parents and policy-makers should be aware that what happens in the school playground can have long term repercussions for children.

‘Programmes to stop bullying are extremely important, but we also need to focus our efforts on early intervention to prevent potential problems persisting into adolescence and adulthood.

‘Forty years is a long time, so there will no doubt be additional experiences during the course of these young people’s lives which may either protect them against the effects of bullying, or make things worse. Our next step is to investigate what these are.’

Comments (83)

what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

Danxx,

London Ont, Canada,

moments ago

It is wrong and should be stopped. And parents of children that bully should be held accountable for what their child does, and any adult that bullies should also be held accountable.

Cyborg Pigeon,

Hexham, United Kingdom,

6 minutes ago

Bullying is tragic and has affected millions but I found the best way to stop it was to give them a good kicking or try and shame them somehow by embarrassing the bully, works 9 times out of 10 and they dare not go near you again.

charles10,

watford,

7 minutes ago

Politicians get nowhere by bullying smokers of whom I am one.

jimbodjango,

London, United Kingdom,

12 minutes ago

You think!? I could’ve told you this! I’m 33 now and was bullied relentlessly at school. I’ve now grown up and have trouble forming relationships with people and suffer social anxiety. My mental state is that I just can’t trust people. I think I was a fairly smart kid but it destroyed my confidence and have never been able to pick it back up. I’d say I’m fairly ok now, have a decent job but not near where I think I could have been.

When I have kids of my own I have every intention of protecting my kids from bullies like the ones I endured and trust me I will be having words with parents at each and every incident.

anng53,

cheshire, United Kingdom,

19 minutes ago

Its a crime to stalk and harass some one, this is the same plus mental abuse, the law should come down heavy on these abuser’s even to a jail sentence, some thing much more has to be done before other young lives are lost.

gk417,

Beijing, China,

24 minutes ago

I am curious why there are so many bullies in western schools? I never saw a bully when I was a schoolboy.

DestroyLeftWingBias,

Sacramento, United States,

30 minutes ago

Its funny that people commenting on this article saying bullying should be punishable with prison and what not are from the UK. A bunch of wimps lol! If I was bullied, I would stand up.and fight for myself! I wouldn’t go crying to my mother, and go shoot up a bunch of people. People these days are a bunch of wimps always waiting for government intervention in their lives’.

Brrrrrrr,

Vermont, United States,

44 minutes ago

I was bullied throughout my childhood because I had curly hair. There were streets I wouldn’t walk down for fear of being teased by the kids who lived there. The teasing stopped around middle and high school, but the insecurity and low self-esteem followed me. As an adult, I could never get out of the rut of feeling unattractive. I know people say to get on with it, but i’s just not that easy when your self-confidence has been crushed for years and years. Thank God for my husband who always tells me how nice I look. It does help even though it’s coming from the man who loves me unconditionally.

ME,

Wellington, United Kingdom,

45 minutes ago

I can so understand this….. I was actually verbally abused by a teacher (not that I knew it was that at the time). She was my class teacher for two years from when I was 9 -11, for the whole of that time she compared me unfavourably to my older sister. She was the art teacher and my sister was very good at art, I wasn’t!!!!! My sister was 4yrs older than me so wasn’t even still at the school, but I was from a very small town…. I once wet my knickers in gym class because she wouldn’t let me go to the toilet. It ended when she slapped me on the backs of my legs for blacking out a mistake in my spelling book. I was a quiet, good girl and was never smacked at home so it was a shock….. I was still crying when I got home for my lunch and that’s when my Mum went to the school…..
I’m now almost 53 and the memory can still make me cry. I’m sure it was a defining moment in my life, one of those that changed me from the person I was going to be to the person I became……

Nakahthecool,

Portsmouth, United Kingdom,

16 minutes ago

I had a far worse experience at school, but for goodness sake, life can suck at times but get over it, especially after 40 years or so.

buttercookies,

Boston, United States,

53 minutes ago

There was no bullying in my school. What makes people bully others? Being bullied by their parents? I don’t get it. Or is it the culture?

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