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BackgroundSeveral studies have proven that the experiences of being bullied or bullying others are associated with poor mental health among adolescent youths. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between the experience of the bully/victim and mental health among preadolescents and adolescents.MethodsSubjects were the Japanese fifth and sixth grade elementary school students (preadolescents: mean age = 11.3 years; n = 338) and junior high school students (adolescents: mean age = 13.8 years; n = 486). A self-report questionnaire was administered containing items concerning the experience of being a bully/victim and the Youth Self Report (YSR).ResultsFour groups relating to the experience of being a bully/victim were formed: “Victim Only,” “Bully Only,” “Victim and Bully,” and “Neither.” Approximately 65% of preadolescents and approximately 25% of adolescents engaged in bullying behaviors. Of these, the rate of participants in the “Bully Only” group was low, and that in the “Victim and Bully” group was high. Regarding the relationship between the experience of being a bully/victim and mental health, both preadolescents and adolescents of the “Victim Only” group had significantly higher scores on the YSR’s internalizing problems compared with the “Neither” group. Moreover, both preadolescents and adolescents of the “Bully Only” group had significantly higher scores on the YSR’s externalizing problems compared with the “Neither” group. Regarding the relationship between the experience of being a bully/victim and suicidal ideation for both preadolescent and adolescent girls, the relative risks of suicidal ideation were significantly higher in the “Victim and Bully” group than in the “Neither” group.ConclusionsPreadolescents indicated a higher rate of bullying behaviors than adolescents. In both preadolescents and adolescents, different effect patterns on mental health were found for the “Victim Only,” “Bully Only,” and “Victim and Bully” groups. The prevention and intervention methods for mental health should be tailored according to the type of experience associated with being a bully/victim and according to the developmental stages of preadolescence or adolescence.

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We investigated the role of CCK in the development of anxiety by determining whether CCKB receptor antisense suppressed intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in vitro or suppressed conditioned fear stress in vivo. First, for the in vitro studies, we used rat pituitary tumor GH3 cells since these cells have CCKB receptors. GH3 cells were stimulated by 10 microM CCK-4; intracellular Ca(2+) concentration was measured. The CCKB receptor antisense at 1 or 10 microM reduced the subsequent response to 10 microM CCK-4 in a time-dependent manner. Second, for the in vivo studies, the CCKB receptor antisense, sense, random sense, or saline was infused at a constant rate for 6 days into rat lateral ventricles via mini-osmotic pumps. Individual rats were then subjected to 30 min of inescapable electric footshock in a chamber with a grid floor. Twenty-four hours later, the rat was again placed in the chamber and observed for 5 min without shocks. This study showed that CCKB receptor antisense significantly suppressed intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in GH3 cells and significantly reduced freezing behavior in rats, indicating that the CCKB receptor plays an important role in anxiety.

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