Bullied at school, bullied at work: a prospective study

Abstract

BackgroundThe consequences of childhood bullying victimisation are serious. Much previous research on risk factors for being bullied has used a cross-sectional design, impeding the possibility to draw conclusions on causality, and has not considered simultaneous effects of multiple risk factors. Paying closer attention to multiple risk factors for being bullying can provide a basis for designing intervention programmes to prevent or reduce bullying among children and adolescents.MethodsRisk factors for bullying were examined by using questionnaire data collected in 2004 and 2007. In 2004, the participants were aged 14–15 years and 17–18 years in 2007. The baseline questionnaire was answered by 3054 individuals in 2004, and 2181 individuals participated in both rounds. We analysed risk factors for being bullied at the individual and societal level. Information on the social background of the participants was derived from a national register at Statistics Denmark.ResultsSeveral risk factors were identified. Being obese, low self-assessed position in school class, overprotective parents, low self-esteem, low sense of coherence and low socioeconomic status were risk factors for being bullied at school. Being overweight, smoking, low self-assessed position in class, low sense of coherence and low socioeconomic status were risk factors for being bullied at work. However, most associations between risk factors in 2004 and being bullied in 2007 disappeared after adjustment for being bullied in 2004.ConclusionsThe strongest risk factor for being bullied was being previously bullied. Our results stress the importance of early prevention of bullying at schools. In addition, attention should be drawn to the role of overprotective parents.

Bullying and mental health - the risk factors and legacy

“…Approximately 45% of those who experienced bullying at school when 14-15 years old also experienced bullying in higher education or at work three years later. 2 The Lancet notes that recognising that maltreatment often occurs across several settings and persists 'is vitally important for families and clinicians who must look for bullying behaviours in every setting in which bullying can and does take place'. 5…”

“…Risk factors for being bullied at work were: being over weight; smoking; low self-assessed position; low sense of coherence, and low socioeconomic status. 2 Disentangling the relationships can, however, prove difficult. For example, overweight adolescents have poorer psychological wellbeing and more depressive feelings than their leaner counterparts.…”

“…Andersen and colleagues suggest that 'the psychological consequences of being overweight, not simply being overweight, [might] increase the risk of being bullied'. 2 Similarly, bullies at school and work tend to victimise people with low self-esteem. Being bullied, in turn, undermines self-esteem, which compromises the victim's ability to make it harder to manage teasing and bullying from peers.…”

“…On the other hand, a strong sense of coherence bolsters resistance to stress and stressors, such as bullying. 2 The risk factors seem to be mutually reinforcing and further studies need to characterise the interactions. 2 Moreover, there is a need to better understand the continuity of victimisation.…”

It’s Time to Ask the Right Questions: Highlighting Critical Areas to Explore Cyberbullying in Adolescents

“…It is linked with a cluster of physical and emotional symptoms in victims such as suicidality, school phobia, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, alcohol consumption, posttraumatic stress disorder, self-injurious behavior, psychosis, sleeping difficulties, somatic symptoms and poor academic and workrelated achievement [2,[4][5][6][7][8]. Bullies are also likely to report externalizing symptoms and have increased incidence of criminality and drug use as adults [9].…”