A new study was done that looked at the long-term implications of bullying, and it more has more of an effect than one would think. Bullying is something that no child should have to go through, and the toll it can take on them as they go through school can be huge. There are programs and resources out there to try and stop bullying and help those who are victims, but this doesn’t seem to be enough. Bullying is found on the playground, at school and online and it can be hard to escape. That is why studies are focusing on what impact this can cause in the long term.

According to Medical Xpress, a study was done that is showing that bullying has long-term negative consequences. This study was done by Tilburg University and it can be read in full here. This means that adults who suffered bullying as a child may still be dealing with poor mental health.

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It is already known that bullying has immediate consequences on a child’s mental health, and it can lead to a child having a negative self-image and feeling symptoms of depression and loneliness. However, researchers are also stating that it can lead to more mental health problems as an adult, like anxiety.

To complete the study, researchers looked at a survey done with over 1,600 young adults between the age of 18 and 26 years old. They asked them questions about their experience with bullying when they were between 10 and 18 years old, and about their current mental health. This study is unique because this is the first generation that has experienced bullying in person and online, and they were eager to see how this was affecting them.

They found that during adulthood, long past when the bullying had stopped, victims were still experiencing a less positive self-image, fear of making social friends, and were less satisfied with their lives in general when compared to adults who had not been bullied. This study shows the importance of talking to our children about bullying, and how their words and actions can change a person’s life, even when they are all grown up. Those in the study who were bullied stated that their experience did not only affect their mental health, but they felt that it had an impact on their personality and who they are as a person. A rare few stated that bullying as a child made them stronger as a person.

Sources: Medical Xpress, Wiley Online Library