Bullied kids at high risk of suicidal behaviour, 3 times more prone to anxiety

The findings showed that children who experienced severe peer victimisation were more than twice as likely to report depression or low moods at age 15.

Children who faced bullying may be at high risk of developing mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts and anxiety behaviour in their teenage years, a new study shows.

For the study, detailed in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the team looked at 1,363 children who were followed until the age of 15 years.(Shutterstock)

The findings showed that children who experienced severe peer victimisation were more than twice as likely to report depression or low moods at age 15, and three times more likely to report anxiety.

This group of children were also 3.5 times more likely to report serious suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide.

“Our findings showed a general tendency, in about 15 % of the children, of being exposed to the most severe levels of victimisation from the beginning of their education until the transition to high school,” said Marie-Claude Geoffroy, from the McGill University in Canada.

For the study, detailed in the journal CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), the team looked at 1,363 children who were followed until the age of 15 years.

About 59 % of participants had experienced some peer victimisation in the first years of elementary school, although it generally declined as the children grew older.

“Although peer victimisation starts to decrease by the end of childhood, individuals in the severe trajectory group were still being exposed to the highest level of victimisation in early adolescence,” Geoffroy noted.

Severe peer victimisation may contribute to the development of mental health problems in adolescence, thus, it is important to prevent victimisation early in the lifespan, the results suggest.

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