WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14, 2024 (HealthDay News) — When bullies destroy the trust of young victims, they are more likely to develop mental health problems into adulthood, a new study warns. ing.
“There are few public health topics more important at this time than the mental health of young people,” said George Slavich, senior author of the study and director of the Stress Assessment Laboratory at UCLA Health, who identified risk factors. and called for investment in further research to develop programs to improve health. Improve lifelong health and resilience.
His team, in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, looked at data from 10,000 children in the UK who were followed for nearly 20 years.
Researchers found that children who were bullied at age 11 and then became distrustful by age 14 had more mental health problems by age 17 than children who were more trusting. They found that people were approximately 3.5 times more likely to have
The results of this study were published in the journal February 13th. natural mental health.
Researchers believe this study is the first to examine the association between peer bullying, interpersonal distrust, and the development of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and anger. .
Slavic said the findings could help schools and other institutions develop programs to address the mental health effects of bullying.
There is growing social interest in the mental health of young people.
In a sample of U.S. high school students, 44.2% said they had been depressed for at least two weeks in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 10% said they had attempted to take their own life.
While other studies have linked bullying to psychological and behavioral problems in adolescents, this study confirmed how bullying leads to mistrust and, in turn, to psychological problems in late adolescence. It is believed to be the first such study.
“These data suggest that there is a real need for school-based programs that help foster interpersonal trust at the classroom and school level,” Slavich said in a UCLA news release. “One way to do that is to develop evidence-based programs that specifically focus on the transition to high school and college, positioning school as an opportunity to build intimate, long-term relationships.”
For more information
Stopbullying.gov has tips for dealing with bullies.
Source: University of California, Los Angeles, School of Health Sciences, News Release, February 13, 2024
If your child is being bullied, seek help to prevent future mental health problems.
