Bullying affects mental health of children

Children who get bullied are more prone to develop depression and anxiety as compared to those who don't. Besides physical well-being, it is also very important to maintain sound mental health in growing children. It is believed that childhood experiences can have a great impact on an individual's mental health. Children who experience bullying are more likely to develop psychological problems such as anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. To examine the way bullying affects the mental health of children, researchers from the Dr. Louise Arsenault of King's College, London studied 1,116 twin pairs from a nationally representative sample of twins born in England and Wales between 1994 and 1995. Looking at these twins, the researchers were also able to account for factors like the effect of family situation and environment, which could contribute to both the risk of bullying and the likelihood of having internalising problems. The results showed that being bullied at a young age is an environmentally mediated contributing factor to children's internalizing problems. Intervention programs aimed at reducing bullying behaviour in schools and in the community have the potential to influence children's early symptoms of mental health problems. It was found that having such problems early in life increases a person's future risk of depression and anxiety disorders. The findings showed that efforts designed to fight bullying should not only address the bullies, but should also offer support to their victims. These findings suggest the importance of preventing bullying in children to ensure their sound mental health.