In a recent study published in natural mental health, researchers investigated the impact of experiencing bullying in childhood on adolescent mental health. Researchers found that bullying led to increased mental health problems in late adolescence, which was partially mediated by the development of interpersonal mistrust in mid-adolescence, consistent with the predictions of social safety theory (SST). I discovered that it is.
background
The mental health of children and adolescents is a pressing public health issue, with one in four people experiencing severe symptoms of depression worldwide. In the United States, high school students are showing alarming rates of persistent sadness, suicide plans, and attempts, and are on the rise. SST suggests that maintaining social bonds is important for human health, while threats such as bullying and rejection cause a variety of health problems. Research shows that while social acceptance promotes well-being, the experience of rejection engages neural circuits that influence the immune system and can lead to long-term mental and physical health problems.
Peer bullying, a widespread problem around the world, has a significant impact on both the physical and mental health of children and adolescents. Previous research has linked bullying to a variety of mental health challenges, including substance use, anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal behavior, as well as negative academic outcomes, such as lower grades and low self-esteem. The causal relationship is shown. Addressing bullying may require interventions to eradicate the bullying itself, and school-based programs have shown reductions of up to 16%, with varying effectiveness. Alternatively, to focus on reducing the negative effects of bullying, it is important to understand the pathways linking bullying and mental health, including addressing issues that are often neglected in intervention strategies, such as sleep, diet, physical activity, and interpersonal trust. may be included.
To address this need, researchers in this study tested the predictions of social safety theory and examined how interpersonal distrust influences childhood bullying and adolescent mental health problems. Ta. Additionally, they compared the role of mistrust to other potential mediating factors such as diet, sleep, and physical activity.
About research
This study used Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) sampling, which is representative of socio-economically diverse boroughs and ethnic groups across the UK. Data were collected through an interview with one parent and a self-administered questionnaire. The cohort consisted of 10,000 members, primarily singles and the firstborn of twins or triplets, who provided valid data on self-reported peer bullying at age 11. Approximately 51% of cohort members were female. Mental health at age 17 was assessed based on experiences of peer bullying at age 11 and level of interpersonal distrust at age 14.
Peer bullying frequency was measured by asking cohort members how often other children intentionally hurt or bully them, with responses ranging from “most days” to “never.” Interpersonal distrust is measured on a scale of 0 to 10, with lower values indicating higher trust, and cut-off values for low (≤ 3), medium (4 to 8), and high (≥9 ) were classified in the distrust category. The primary outcome variable was the total score derived from her 20 items on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) completed by a 17-year-old cohort member, including emotional, peer, conduct, and hyperactivity/attention. We evaluated the issue of power. Total scores ranged from 1 to 40, had good internal reliability, and were further categorized into internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) problems.
Other mediating factors considered along with interpersonal distrust were diet (mainly fruit intake), sleep (night chronotype), and physical activity. Control variables included gender, ethnicity, socio-economic characteristics, BMI, neighborhood ecology, maternal mental health, vocabulary skills, previous mental health difficulties, and local air pollution levels. and all are known to be associated with mental health outcomes in adolescents. Analyzes included correlation analysis and structural equation modeling with multiple imputation to handle missing data.
Results and discussion
This study found associations between peer bullying, interpersonal distrust, chronotype, eating habits, and overall, internal, and external mental health issues. Bullying at age 11 was associated with increased mental health problems at age 17, with both direct and indirect effects via interpersonal distrust. Interpersonal distrust showed the strongest indirect association with mental health problems. Furthermore, the association between interpersonal distrust and mental health problems was stronger than the association between bullying and overall mental health problems. Notably, men experienced fewer emotional and peer problems than women.
Limitations of this study include the lack of detailed temporal information, reliance on self-reported mental health assessments, lack of causal inference, and simplistic measures of peer bullying and interpersonal trust. Further research is needed to investigate biological processes such as oxytocin dysregulation, peer bullying, mistrust, and its association with youth mental health.
conclusion
In conclusion, the findings of this study demonstrate that interpersonal distrust significantly contributes to mental health problems in adolescence and mediates the association between childhood bullying and later mental health problems. is revealed. They highlight the importance of addressing trust issues in bullying interventions and provide important insights for reducing socioemotional problems in youth.
