Harassment And Child Abuse And Its Consequences
Being bullied is not a harmless rite of passage or a part of the growth process. Child abuse can cause serious psychological problems, which can be reflected in adult life. The same goes for bullying or bullying.
Suffering any of these abuses will leave a deep impression on people. However, the opposite of what it may seem, the bullying leaves a worse consequences than abuse, reflected in more serious mental health problems. This is suggested by a study carried out by researchers at the University of Warwick, in the United Kingdom.
The association between child abuse, bullying and long-term mental health problems had already been established previously. What the researchers in this study wanted to find out was whether the long-term negative effects of bullying were due to the joint exposure of bullying and abuse, or whether bullying has its own consequences.
A study on child abuse and harassment
For the study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, the researchers analyzed data drawn from previous research, the US-based Great Smoky Mountain Study and the UK-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC study).
The researchers examined data from the 4,026 ALSPAC study participants, looking for reports of abuse among children between the ages of 8 weeks and 8.6 years; the bullying at 8, 10 and 13, and mental health outcomes at age 18.
For the 1,273 participants in the US-based Great Smoky Mountain Study , researchers evaluated reports of abuse and harassment between the ages of 9 and 16 and mental health outcomes in ages between 19 and 25. .
Relevant data
The researchers found that adverse mental health outcomes related to problems with anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies. In the ALSPAC study, 29.7% of the children had suffered bullying , 8.5% had suffered abuse and 7% both. In the US-based Great Smoky Mountain Study, 16.3% of the children had suffered bullying, 15% abuse and 9.8% both.
According to the researchers, the results showed that children who were bullied were more likely to suffer from mental health problems than those who were abused. Also, children who suffered both abuses showed an increased risk of general mental health problems, anxiety and depression in both groups.
More information on the consequences of bullying
This study has not been the only one recently done on bullying . Other studies have found that high school students who are bullied are more likely to suffer from severe depression, consider suicide, and bring guns to school.
Studies based on data provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on questionnaires for adolescents show very interesting data. Researchers say that adolescents can be victims of bullying at school, electronic bullying outside the classroom ( cyberbullying ) and gender-based violence, and that each of these experiences are associated with a series of serious consequences.
“ The CDC reports that 11% of high school students experience dating violence, and 20% report being bullied,” say the researchers. ” Greater prevention efforts are needed to protect the mental health and physical well-being of our adolescents. “
The researchers also warn that ” being bullied is NOT a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of the growth process, but has serious long-term consequences.” They add that “it is important for schools, health services and other agencies to work together to reduce bullying and the adverse effects associated with it.”
The bullying is a real problem
Regarding the last remark cited researchers, it is noteworthy that the bullying is a real problem, you can start to take shape very early age and, although it may seem a minor problem or a simple “things are so, children they have to learn to adapt ”, the truth is that they pose a real problem.
And not only because children who begin to suffer bullying have problems, but because children who bully tend to find some complicity among their peers, thus reinforcing this behavior. They are being given “carte blanche” to impose their will using behavior patterns that, if no one corrects them, will carry over to later ages when they are more difficult to eradicate.
It is important to look the problem in the eye and tackle it with the same forcefulness as child abuse. It is a responsibility that concerns us all as potential educators and role models.
Bullying is not child’s play, even if the bully is a child and generates real suffering that is neither necessary nor is there a reason for any child to suffer from it. We do not overprotect them and help them grow by providing them with the necessary tools so that no one can harm them.
