PurposeTo examine whether traditional and cyber bullying victimization were associated with adolescent's mental health problems and suicidal ideation at two-year follow-up. Gender differences were explored to determine whether bullying affects boys and girls differently.MethodsA two-year longitudinal study was conducted among first-year secondary school students (N = 3181). Traditional and cyber bullying victimization were assessed at baseline, whereas mental health status and suicidal ideation were assessed at baseline and follow-up by means of self-report questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess associations between these variables while controlling for baseline problems. Additionally, we tested whether gender differences in mental health and suicidal ideation were present for the two types of bullying.ResultsThere was a significant interaction between gender and traditional bullying victimization and between gender and cyber bullying victimization on mental health problems. Among boys, traditional and cyber bullying victimization were not related to mental health problems after controlling for baseline mental health. Among girls, both traditional and cyber bullying victimization were associated with mental health problems after controlling for baseline mental health. No significant interaction between gender and traditional or cyber bullying victimization on suicidal ideation was found. Traditional bullying victimization was associated with suicidal ideation, whereas cyber bullying victimization was not associated with suicidal ideation after controlling for baseline suicidal ideation.ConclusionsTraditional bullying victimization is associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation, whereas traditional, as well as cyber bullying victimization is associated with an increased risk of mental health problems among girls. These findings stress the importance of programs aimed at reducing bullying behavior, especially because early-onset mental health problems may pose a risk for the development of psychiatric disorders in adulthood.

Possible beneficial effects of 100-mg vitamin E supplementation may be more pronounced in particular subgroups of elderly subjects.

Antioxidant vitamins (provitamins) may protect against loss of lung function over time. We studied the association between serum carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and lutein), alpha-tocopherol, and lung function among noninstitutionalized Dutch elderly age 65 to 85 yr (n = 528). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed with FEV(1) or FVC as dependent variables and serum levels of antioxidants in quintiles as independent variables. We adjusted for age, gender, height, and pack-years of smoking. Subjects in the fifth quintile of serum beta-carotene had a 195 ml (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 40 to 351 ml) higher and those in the fifth quintile of alpha-carotene had a 257 ml (95% CI: 99 to 414 ml) higher FEV(1) compared with subjects in the first quintile of these carotenoids. Significant (p < 0.05) positive trends were observed between alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, and FEV(1) and between alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and FVC. Subjects in the highest quintile of the other carotenoids or alpha-tocopherol did not have significantly higher FEV(1) or FVC compared with subjects in the first quintile of these antioxidants. In conclusion, this study shows that from the six major serum carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol studied, particularly alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene were positively associated with lung function in the elderly and may be considered as candidates for further investigations.

A cross-sectional study of the prevalence of iron and vitamin A deficiency in normal pregnant women in West Java, Indonesia, was carried out. Of the 318 women studied, 49.4% were anemic and, according to multiple criteria, 43.5% had iron-deficiency anemia, 22.3% had iron-deficient erythropoiesis, and 6.6% had iron depletion. Serum retinol values revealed that 2.5% of the pregnant women were vitamin A deficient and 31% had marginal vitamin A status. The relative dose-response test carried out on 45 women showed that 4 (8.9%) had deficient vitamin A liver stores. After gestational stage, parity, and subdistrict were adjusted for, serum retinol concentrations were significantly positively associated (P < 0.01) with hemoglobin concentrations, hematocrit, and serum iron concentrations. The suboptimal vitamin A status associated with nutritional-deficiency anemia suggests that pregnant women in the area should be supplemented not only with iron but also with vitamin A. This proposal should be tested in an intervention study.